Machines & lines

Truss press

A truss press is the hydraulic machine that presses nail plates into the joints of a roof truss.

Also known as roof truss press, nail plate press, truss press head, C-press, gantry press

Once the timber members of a truss are laid out in a jig and the plates positioned over each joint, the press forces the plate teeth fully into the wood from both sides at the same time. Even, full-depth pressing is essential: an under-pressed plate is a weak joint.

Presses range from a C-shaped press head moved by the operator on a crane, joint by joint, to a gantry or roller press travelling the full length of the truss, and on to fully automatic systems that position and press the plates themselves.

In industrial production

Randek offers both routes. The Randek Truss System NT is the manual version: an operator guides C-press heads of 23 to 50 tonnes (metric, 225–490 kN) over the joints, on cranes from a wall-mounted jib to a travelling frame. The AutoEye Truss System is the automatic one: machine vision finds each joint and the plates are picked, placed and pressed without an operator.

Randek Truss System NT AutoEye System

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