We recently reported on extensive retrofit and upgrade work on the pre-bending press, the 4-roll bending machine and the calibrating machine of our long-term customer Steelwind Nordenham GmbH.
Now we have the opportunity to also gradually bring our Graebener® circ seam milling machines, which Steelwind has been using since 2014, at the latest state of the art. The first machine of these is a GRF55-120, which achieves a milling depth of 120 mm with 55 kW.
As our attentive followers know, Steelwind manufactures huge monopiles - foundation structures for offshore wind farms. These monopiles can reach impressive lengths of up to 120m and diameters of up to 12m. To achieve these vast dimensions, numerous large-format and thick-walled plates have to be welded together.
This is where our circ seam milling machines come into play.
The machines perform the precise preparation of the weld seams. The joints are precisely milled - an essential basis for high-quality weld seams and the long-term stability of the monopiles.
In practice, the circ seam machines are moved along the monopiles. Positioned at the joints between the sections, they perform their milling work. Since a single monopile often consists of conical and cylindrical segments and hence has different diameters, the milling machines need to be adjusted to different working heights as fast and smoothly as possible.
Our four extensions make this possible:
- a transport platform by means of which the milling machine can be transported using a SPMT
- two different height adapters
- an ingeniously-designed staircase that - no matter how platform and adapter are combined - always works without modification
- an additional lateral adjustment that compensates for pipe drift - without interrupting the milling process
Furthermore, there is also more comfort for the operator thanks to an expanded working platform with more space for movement and a retrofitted chip conveyor.
Apart from this, the control technology and mechanics of the circ seam milling machine have also been retrofitted.
With these upgrades, Steelwind remains ready for the challenges of the future - and we are delighted to be part of this progress!
Return to news overview