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Article: More than big machines: this shop specializes in very large components such as rotor hubs and support bases for wind turbines. It's successful because it "thinks big" about every aspect of machining parts of this size.
- Article from:
- Modern Machine Shop
- Article date:
- June 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Gardner Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Giant wind turbines have become symbols--symbols of a new age of alternative energy sources. The tall, slender towers and sleek, symmetrical rotor blades embody the hopes of energy consumers looking for a cleaner, safer, more sustainable means of generating electricity. Painted white as a cloud and shaped as simply as a three-petaled flower, wind turbines evoke a vision of benign, inexhaustible power for homes, schools and businesses.
In fact, wind turbines are highly complex mechanical structures of immense size. The newest turbine designs reach almost 300 feet in height and have blade rotor diameters that exceed 300 feet. Many of ...