Heavy Shaft & Rotor Manufacturing
Industrial shafts and rotors are the driving force behind the world's heaviest machinery. From wind turbine main shafts and hydro-generator rotors to massive marine propeller shafts and industrial crusher spindles, these components endure extreme torque, continuous fatigue, and immense load stresses.
At Openex, we specialize in the heavy CNC machining of massive cylindrical components. Our facility is equipped with colossal Heavy Duty Horizontal Lathes and Vertical Turning Lathes (VTLs) capable of turning forged shafts that measure up to 15 meters (50 feet) in length and weigh over 100 tons, all while maintaining exceptionally tight runout tolerances.
Shaft & Rotor Machining Specifications
We machine massive custom shafts from high-strength forgings or billet stock directly to your engineered drawings. Below are our general facility capacities for heavy turning:
| Maximum Turning Length | Up to 15,000 mm (15 Meters) |
|---|---|
| Maximum Turning Diameter | Up to 3,500 mm (Horizontal) | 8,000 mm (Vertical) |
| Maximum Workpiece Weight | Over 100 Tons |
| Materials Processed | Forged Carbon Steel, 4140/4340 Alloy Steel, Duplex Stainless, Titanium, and Marine-Grade Alloys. |
| Secondary Operations | Deep hole drilling (axial/radial), keyway milling, splining, threading, and gear hobbing. |
| Quality & Inspection | Dynamic balancing, runout testing, Ultrasonic Testing (UT) for internal forging defects, Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI). |
Our Work: Large Shafts
Common Shaft Applications
The Manufacturing Process
We source massive, high-quality forged steel ingots. Before machining begins, we perform Ultrasonic Testing (UT) to ensure there are no internal voids or cracks that could lead to catastrophic failure under high torque.
The forging is mounted on our heavy horizontal lathes for rough turning. We then utilize our massive on-site furnaces for quenching, tempering, or stress relieving to achieve the exact mechanical properties your blueprint requires.
After thermal processing, the shaft undergoes precision finish turning, keyway milling, and grinding to achieve strict dimensional tolerances. Finally, high-speed rotors undergo dynamic balancing to eliminate vibration during operation.