Sondermaschinen

Mobile machining equipment for the construction of hydroelectric power plants

Power generation from alternative energy sources – like wind or water – requires certain features in order to be commercially viable: optimal installation, efficient operation and the easiest possible maintenance requirements. Miba’s special machinery segment has accepted this challenge. Our mobile CNC machining units contribute significantly to this.

The best example of this is the worldwide largest mobile CNC machine, which is used in the construction of large hydroelectric power plants for the machining of turbine housings (milling, turning, drilling, thread cutting). This special machinery unit measures 12 meters in height, has a maximum diameter of 10 meters and weighs approximately 42 tons. Up until now, these turbine housings were prefabricated and then dismantled into their component parts for transporting to the construction site. Subsequently, they were embedded in concrete on site. These steps frequently resulted in distortion, requiring expensive rework. With the mobile CNC machine, machining takes place on site at the unmachined part once it is already embedded in concrete, making it possible to achieve manufacturing tolerances of a maximum of 0.05 mm. In manufacturing methods prevailing up to now, tolerances were at 0.5 millimeters. Besides dispensing with reworking while achieving greater precision and shorter assembly times, this kind of mobile machining brings about higher turbine efficiency. Miba Automation Systems is the only provider in this market segment.