What the Power Buildout Demands from a Machine Tool

Machine Tools

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL. — September 4, 2026

Attend IMTS 2026 and See Why the Energy Industry has Focused on AI & Shibaura Machine Tools

For twenty years, electricity demand in the United States barely moved. Data centers ended that. Energy use is climbing at rates utilities have not planned for since the last century, and the equipment to meet it is sold out: gas turbine wait times have stretched from a couple of years to five or more, and order backlogs at the major builders keep setting records.

Every one of those turbines and generators is built from machined parts: casings, rotors, discs, shafts, valve bodies, rings. The parts are enormous, the metals are difficult to machine, and every open machine slot in the supply chain matters.

Large turbine and generator parts

Power generation hardware is round and heavy: turbine casings, rotor discs, generator frames, bearing rings, pump housings. It is the work Shibaura Machine's machines were built for.

The TUE, TMD, TDS vertical turning mills handle large diameters under heavy cuts, and live spindle features finish turning and milling in one clamping.
The vertical turning line spans tables from 40 inches to 156 inches in diameter.
Horizontal boring mills, including some of the largest table-type machines in the industry, and double column machining centers cover casings, valve bodies, and structural work.

Metals chosen for heat resistance properties, not machinability

Nickel superalloys in the hot section, chrome steels in the rotors, stainless and forged alloy steel nearly everywhere else are chosen due to the extreme hardness or durability during the life cycle of the turbine.

Shibaura Machine tools are built with heavy cast iron and steel construction to extend machine life in demanding applications. That rigid platform holds its accuracy through long cuts on hard materials, exactly the foundation the energy industry is looking for.

More parts through the same shop

Turbine makers have already sold out everything they can build for years to come. The suppliers who win now are the ones who get more finished parts out of the machines they already have.

Pallet changer and pallet pool systems load the next part while the current one runs.
A probe on the machine measures the part while it is still clamped, so problems get caught early.
The machiNetCloud IIoT platform feeds machine data straight into the factory systems.

Proven in energy

Shibaura Machine has supported the industry's most demanding work for decades, with thousands of machines installed across the Americas with world class sales, parts, service, and application support. The support behind the machine is as proven as the machine itself.

See the machines at IMTS 2026, September 14-19 at McCormick Place in Chicago, South Hall Booth #339424, where Shibaura Machine will feature the BTD-200QS Horizontal Boring & Milling Center and TUE-150S Vertical Boring and Turning Mill with live spindle or contact the Machine Tool Sales Team to talk through your application.

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