The 16-Meter Carousel Lathe – Romania’s Industrial Masterpiece

Based on sources from the Romanian Academy of Technical Sciences – “Pages from the History of Romanian Industry,” Volume II, AGIR Publishing House, 2017 (pp. 278, 518).

Overview

During the peak years of Romania’s machine-tool industry, a team of engineers from IMUAB – Întreprinderea de Mașini-Unelte București (Bucharest Machine-Tool Works) achieved a technological milestone: the construction of a vertical turning lathe with a working diameter of 16 meters, known as the SC 16.000 CNC Carousel. Designed in 1980 and still operational today at General Turbo Bucharest, this machine symbolizes the country’s engineering capabilities in heavy precision machining.

1) History

The program started in the late 1970s, aligned with national efforts to expand power generation and localize production of large turbine components. IMUAB collaborated with the Machine-Tool Design Institute (IPROMA) and C.U.G. Iași to design and build Romania’s largest vertical lathe.

In December 1978, the first unit entered test operation. Limited series completion followed circa 1980. The first machine was installed at General Turbo, Bucharest; a second was exported to the former USSR (reported at Zaporozhye, Ukraine), and a third was installed at C.U.G. Iași.

2) Technical Characteristics

Type	Vertical turning & milling lathe (carousel)
Industrial designation	SC 16 000 CNC
Manufacturer	IMUAB – TITAN Works (Bucharest)
Year (first unit)	~1980 (prototype trials 1978–1979)
Max turning diameter	16,000 mm
Max workpiece height	5,000 mm
Max workpiece weight	≈ 400 t
Layout	Double-column, moving cross-rail, twin independent rams
Rotary table	Hydrostatic support; variable-speed electric drive with high-torque reduction
Operations	Turning, facing/planing, boring, drilling, milling
Accuracy	Hundredths of a millimetre on large diameters
Control	Original hard-wired logic; CNC retrofits in the 1990s–2000s

3) Design & Construction

The machine uses a rigid double-column frame with a vertically adjustable cross-rail. Two independent rams handle internal/external turning and heavy milling. A hydrostatically supported rotary table provides low-friction, stable rotation at very low speeds under extreme loads—critical for large turbine casings and stator rings.

4) Applications and Industrial Use

General Turbo (Bucharest): turbine rotors, stator rings, casings, flanges; continuous multi-decade operation.
Zaporozhye (Ukraine): unit exported to the former USSR for heavy energy equipment.
C.U.G. Iași: domestic heavy-machinery projects.

5) Industrial Significance

Romanian academic sources place the country in the top two–three worldwide for very large carousel lathes during the 1980s, alongside the USSR and Germany. The SC 16 000 CNC enabled local manufacture of oversized precision parts for hydro/thermal power plants (e.g., Porțile de Fier I & II), shipbuilding and heavy equipment.

6) Current Status

The original unit at General Turbo remains operational and continues to support projects across Europe and Asia. The Zaporozhye machine has been reported in service in later years, while the Iași unit is part of Romania’s industrial heritage.

7) Legacy

The SC 16 000 CNC established design principles—stiffness, hydrostatic guidance, low-speed accuracy—that still inform modern CNC vertical lathes used in energy, marine and heavy-equipment manufacturing.

References

Academia de Științe Tehnice din România, Pagini din istoria dezvoltării industriei românești. Construcția de motoare, mașini și mijloace de transport – Partea II, Editura AGIR, 2017, pp. 278, 518.
Banabic, D. (ed.), Istoria tehnicii și a industriei românești, Vol. 1, Editura Academiei Române, 2019, pp. 447–448.
Flacăra magazine, issues 46/1979; 33/1984 — reports on the 16 m carousel lathe built at IMUAB Bucharest.
General Turbo S.A. — capabilities pages and internal technical archive (historic photos/specs).
Post-Industrial blog — archival note and photo of the 1978 trial of the first 16 m carousel in Romania (CC BY-NC-SA).