GURUTZPE DELIVERS THE LARGEST HORIZONTAL MULTITASKING LATHE WITH NUMERIC CONTROL BUILT IN EUSKADI

In keeping with its latest Strategic Plan, which envisaged commercial expansion around the world and an upgrade to its product range, GURUTZPE has just delivered the largest horizontal numerical control multitasking lathe ever built in the Basque Country.

This new GHD40 model is a CNC lathe capable of machining parts up to 4 metres in diameter, 120 tonnes in weight and 18 metres long. Although GURUTZPE had previously built machines for parts up to 25 metres long, these were limited to 2.5 m in diameter and 60 tonnes in weight.

This qualitative and quantitative leap in the design and manufacture of such a big machine is particularly worthy of note and represents a great achievement for GURUTZPE's team of design and manufacturing engineers, ensuring the company is now seen as a benchmark in the manufacture of this cutting-edge equipment.

Based on double bed architecture and hydrostatic carriage guiding (a 2 micron-thick film of oil that the machine's operating parts float on, allowing unlimited working life), the lathe has three independent modular units for turning, milling and grinding, guaranteeing the highest geometric tolerances and precision in power generation at all times. Built to machine power generation turbine rotors for one of the world's leading manufacturers in this sector, the lathe can perform all rotor machining in a single operation without removing the part from the machine (shaft turning, milling of blade housings, axial and radial threading and drilling, and even grinding of bearing seats and blade ends). This saves the customer an enormous amount of time, handling and risk.

This project has elevated GURUTZPE to the group of one of the world's five leading manufacturers of this technology. Furthermore, the company has an important portfolio of projects under way for similar GHD machines, allowing it to consolidate its position as a world player in the energy sector, and one of the most important strategic suppliers in this field worldwide.