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North America’s first CNC Press Brake was built in 1977 and exhibited in IMTS 1978.

It was sold to Milwaukee Metal Products and it is still in use with the original owner. It originally used a Hurco control but later an Automec CNC 1000 was installed.

Hydrapower International Inc. was originally founded in Australia in 1969 by Robin Wissing who is still the current CEO and Board Chairman. In 1973 the company was set up as a US corporation with registered headquarters in Norfolk Virginia.

In 1997 the company established its World Headquarters in Marco Island, Florida.

Rob Wissing is a Mechanical and Hydraulic Engineer who graduated from the Gordon Institute of Technology in Australia in the top 1% of the national grade level.

During the past 30 plus years he has designed and developed the world’s largest product line of metal forming machinery which is now manufactured under license in several countries. Hydrapower Shears and Press Brakes begin at 4 feet by 12 gauge sheet metal capacity and continue to lengths of 100 feet x 6000 tons for Press Brakes capable of bending steel plates 100 feet long x 1” thick.

Now Hydrapower Licensees collectively produce about 1000 machines per year.

The company has introduced many innovations to the industry, developing North America’s first CNC Press Brake and developing the world’s only Hydraulic Swing Beam Shear with 4 edge knives.

Many of the machines are used by Aerospace companies and in some very secure Government facilities. Boeing has a 28 feet x 1000 ton Press Brake which was installed in 1980 in the Tulsa plant, then it was moved to Seattle, then to the new plant in Wichita. A few years ago it was moved again to a newer plant in Wichita. After 28 years it was sold to a ship building company in Louisiana.

Several other specialized machines were designed and developed, such as a CNC Tape Winding machine that precisely wound fiber glass insulation tape on generator coils used in power stations. When generators are reconditioned using this technology they can produce 30% more energy than when they were originally manufactured.

Rob has been a member of SME for 39 years, now an honorary Life Member and is qualified for and received R&D grants from the Australian Government Department of Science and Technology. In 1981 he received a grant for further development of his Boring, Skiving, Roller Burnishing and Honing machine. The machine was the only type in the world. He received the “Outstanding Design Achievement “award in 1982 issued by the Australian Department of Science and Technology.

He has authored several technical papers on Press Brakes for major publications in the Fabricating industry.

He does have a little time for recreation and one of his interests was racing Formula Fords. In 1986 he was SCCA Atlanta Region Champion then in 1989 finished third in South Atlantic Region Championship points. He followed this by winning the SARRC Championship in 1990 then retired from racing.

In the north, a “state of the art” CNC Hydrapower Press Brake has been loaned to The Center for Manufacturing Excellence in Galesburg Illinois to enable hands on training for students in the region.

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