No energy transition without machine tools
Machine tool manufacturing and the energy sector have always been closely linked. Without precisely manufactured components, there would be no high-performance turbines for hydroelectric power plants, no huge hubs for offshore wind turbines, no heavy-duty valve housings for oil and gas projects - and no large-scale photovoltaic parks with high-precision support systems and brackets. Machine tools are the backbone of this key industry: they enable large, complex and difficult-to-machine components to be manufactured to the required quality. The energy sector therefore plays a key role in determining which technologies are developed and used in the machine tool industry - and conversely, the innovative strength of the machine tool industry creates the basis for the expansion and transformation of the energy supply.
The future belongs to renewable energies
The energy sector itself is undergoing profound change. While fossil fuels continue to cover a relevant part of the global supply, renewable sources are continuously gaining in importance. In the European Union, renewable energies already accounted for 24.5% of gross final energy consumption in 2023, according to Eurostat. The offshore wind sector is growing particularly dynamically: over 68 GW of capacity has now been installed worldwide, and a moderate forecast by the NREL Offshore Wind Market Report sees the market growing to over 270 GW by 2030. Solar energy is now the strongest single technology: in 2023 alone, over 440 GW of new photovoltaic capacity was installed worldwide - a record figure that significantly exceeds the expansion of previous years (IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics, 2024). Solar also plays a central role in Europe - the EU Solar Energy Strategy declares the goal of achieving around 750 GW of photovoltaics by 2030. At the same time, waves of modernization are emerging in the hydropower sector, where existing plants are being upgraded with new turbines and more efficient components.
Increasing requirements in production
These shifts are fundamentally changing the demands on machine tool construction: they are leading to ever larger components, increasing demands on material quality and surface quality, greater complexity in geometry and growing pressure in terms of flexibility, digitization and sustainability. While oil and gas still play a central role, the focus of investment is increasingly shifting to renewable energies such as wind, water and solar. Solar energy is particularly relevant for machine tool manufacturing in that robust, precise and cost-effectively manufactured metal components are required for support structures, mounting systems and tracking systems. On the one hand, these must be durable, and on the other, they are required in large quantities. At the same time, geometric complexity is increasing in other areas of the industry: blade wheels in hydroelectric power plants, for example, require high-precision free-form surface machining in a 5-axis simultaneous process, while gearing components in wind turbine gearboxes require absolute precision in terms of profile accuracy and flank contact. These parts place the highest demands on machine rigidity, tool quality and process monitoring in order to reliably achieve the required service life and efficiency of the systems.
Integrated processes, automation and end-to-end digitization
For machining, this means that the increasing requirements in terms of size, material and complexity are directly reflected in the production technologies used. Turn-mill centers machine large shafts in a single clamping operation, reducing set-up times and ensuring consistent quality. 5-axis simultaneous machining centers are indispensable because they also efficiently complete components with complex geometries. Gear hobbing can also be integrated into such machines, which eliminates the need for additional production steps on other machines and drastically reduces throughput times. Meanwhile, digital solutions optimize order planning and the monitoring of production processes. In this way, downtimes can be avoided and production can be perfectly utilized. Overall, the more the energy transition progresses, the more the focus shifts towards highly integrated, reliable and digitally supported machining solutions. Above all, companies that rely on technologically versatile production and combine this with automation and digitization are fit for the future.
Partner for an industry in transition
With the aim of relocating as many process steps as possible to a workspace, flexibly automating production and digitalizing processes throughout, DMG MORI offers solutions that provide suitable answers to the challenges of the energy sector. The machine tool manufacturer has been accompanying developments in the industry for many decades and is constantly supporting them with more innovative manufacturing processes. DMG MORI is also looking to the future together with this experience. Process integration, automation, digitization and the trend towards more sustainable production - of both components and energy - are central topics of Machining Transformation (MX). The consistent alignment of manufacturing solutions along this concept ensures long-term competitiveness for companies and makes DMG MORI a strong partner for an energy industry in transition.