Striving for Market Leadership With Machines From WaldrichSiegen

WaldrichSiegen’s ProfiTurn H series lathes are used time and again in the steel industry for machining high-quality rolls. Other sectors – such as the energy industry – have also relied on the world market leader for decades.
Our Chinese customer, Zhejiang Juyuan Power Equipment Co. Ltd. – a well-known manufacturer of turbine and generator shafts for the energy sector – has therefore decided to invest in two ProfiTurn H 4500/350 high-performance horizontal turning machines.

“The customer initially approached us with an inquiry for a high-performance horizontal turning machine and ultimately decided on two identical machines during the contract negotiations,” explains Frank Pyrdok, the responsible Sales and Project Manager. “Zhejiang Juyuan Power supplies several of our long-standing customers, including Harbin Turbine, Shanghai Electric, and Dongfang Turbine in Deyang. To meet the stringent quality requirements of its end customers, Zhejiang Juyuan Power was not willing to take any risks when investing in new lathes. They therefore deliberately chose a product from the same manufacturer that has already successfully supplied Harbin, Shanghai, and Dongfang,” Pyrdok continues. This is because the manufacture of large and heavy turbine and generator shafts demands exceptionally high machining accuracy. “The ProfiTurn H achieves this through the use of hydrostatic steady rests and large, high-precision main bearings in the headstock, which are reworked in-house to meet the exact requirements,” explains Frank Pyrdok. “Our machines will be an essential part of the plant currently under construction,” explains Stefan Elze, General Manager of the WaldrichSiegen Beijing Office and the Maschinenfabrik Herkules Shanghai Office. “This positions our customer well ahead of the competition in its ambition to become the leading Chinese manufacturer in this sector.”
Even highly specialized machining tasks can be handled reliably with the ProfiTurn H, setting our technology clearly apart from other market competitors. “This includes, for example, the turning of so-called undercut grooves on turbine shafts using an automatic tool-swivel device on the tool carrier,” explains Frank Pyrdok. “Thanks to this automatic swivel feature, internal recesses in the workpiece can be machined with great efficiency. Our competitors require significantly more tools and additional machining steps to accomplish the same task – resulting in far longer machining times.”

As a result, our machines occupy an absolutely crucial position in the customer’s production line. Both machining accuracy and scope, as well as overall productivity, are significantly increased. With the hydrostatically guided support and the hydrostatic worm serving as the feed drive for the support (Z-axis), the machine can effortlessly handle both roughing and finishing operations. This means a wide range of machining tasks can now be performed on a single machine – tasks for which the customer previously needed several units. “A tremendous cost saving for our customer,” says Frank Pyrdok. In addition to the outstanding machine technology, the order also includes comprehensive service and training. “Thanks to our excellent reputation as a supplier in the Chinese market and the exceptional service and quality features that make us unique, we clearly outperformed a local Chinese competitor with our comprehensive offering,” concludes Frank Pyrdok. “The purchase of additional machines is already being planned.”