Ward CNC supports wind power with higher capacity
Soraluce, the Spanish machine tool builder, is capitalising on its 50-year pedigree of producing world-class milling machines with the manufacture of even larger capacity units to cope with rising demands for wind turbine blade and tower components such as nacelles, hubs, and bearings and flanges, according to Simon Whitworth, managing director of exclusive UK distributor, Ward CNC.
Soraluce milling centres are already being used by blue chip OEMs such as Alstom, Siemens and Suzlon for machining the support faces for blades, generators and noses on hubs – one of the most complex and critical parts of a wind turbine – and for the production on nacelles of faces to accommodate tower points, jaws bores and generator fittings.
The range of F floor-type Soraluce milling centres currently available in the UK extend to 6.5 m in the Y-axis (and to 30 m as standard in X).
A recently expanded manufacturing facility will enable the production of milling centres with an extended Y-axis of 10 m or more.
Mr Whitworth believes this latest investment shows Soraluce is clearly reinforcing its focus on machines capable of satisfying the increasing capacity needs of wind power manufacturers.
