MTU's Mega Diesel Journey: Precision and Power Unleashed | WELT Documentary

A steel bath with a temperature of 1500 degrees. Sparks fly as a diesel engine is about to be born. A veritable colossus. The huge engine will soon power a modern ship. It will have to withstand enormous pressure and extremely high temperatures for many years. Manufacturing such a giant calls for high tech and precision. One of the most powerful high-speed diesel engines in the world. It is part of the NTU Concern Series 8000. Made in Germany, the engines are produced in Flüglichshafen on Lake Constance. Ten hours now the steel workers have been feeding the voracious furnaces different materials. The materials we need for the Series 8000 are steel scrap, pig iron and deep-drawn sheet metal. We also need electrode graphite and silicon carbide. The composition is calculated by our superiors, in this case by the engineers in our production planning department. Casting a crankcase calls for 16 tons of material. Hot, hard work for the smelters who have to keep a constant eye on the temperature. Only when the molten metal has reached a temperature of 1500 degrees is it ready to be transported to the mold. Here we have a measuring sleeve made of press board. In the process of casting, the metal is heated to a temperature of 1500 degrees. Inserted at the front here is a thermal element. It's attached to a measuring probe and used to measure the temperature of the melt. Every steel works has its own recipe. Time and again the smelters add this or that material. The better the composition of the smelt, the harder and more durable the crankcase will be. From time to time the smelt is checked. In a modern foundry a sample of the molten metal is poured into a crucible containing a small measuring sleeve which, in a matter of seconds, transmits the temperature profile to a computer in the office. Assembly of the mega-engines takes place at the MTU plant in Friedrichshafen. The firm specializes in large, high-speed diesel engines. Ships, submarines, military vehicles and locomotives worldwide are powered by MTU systems. A series 8000 naval engine has to pass through six assembly stations. 25 of these mega-diesel engines leave the plant every year. Prior to assembly, the raw part is milled. The Colossus is machined to the right dimensions in several stages, losing up to a ton of material in the process. This takes several days. Engines of this size are machined with extreme precision. The tolerances to be adhered to are so minute that they can no longer be perceived with the naked eye. We are talking about an accuracy of three or four hundredth of a millimeter. Such dimensions pose quite a challenge. In other words, a component the size of a small bus must not deviate from the ideal by one hundredth of the width of a human hair. To check this, the Colossus is placed on Europe's biggest measuring table. Engineers measure every opening, every drilled hole, indeed every square millimeter to ensure that no disaster can occur when the engine is in operation. After two weeks, the crankcase is ready. Now main assembly can get underway. Over the next five weeks, these 35 fitters will turn the bare crankcase into an extra, extra large mega-diesel engine. The overhead gantry transports the ten-ton part to the rotary station where it is positioned with millimeter accuracy. During this process, the entire area is sealed off. A little towards you now. Got it. It's in. First of all, the crankcase is given a serial number. In the past, this had to be hammered in with effort. Now a special tool performs the task mechanically in seconds. The cover is put on, and the men have reached the halfway stage. The first of the two power units has been replaced. The team still have four hours for the repeat procedure, removing the cylinder unit, lifting it on deck with the crane, and packing it safely for transport. The new power unit is then lowered into the machine room, installed, bolted, greased and adjusted. All the men can do now is hope that the engine will spring to life immediately. The fitters are still working, but the ship's crew are already closing the maintenance hatch. The first trucks will soon be driven on board. Everything is still going to plan, but will the overhauled engines start up? It's a lot of work for the two paint sprayers, who go through 200 liters of paint. Including drying time, the Megadiesel engine spends 16 hours in the cabin. Now it is ready. The Colossus took five weeks to manufacture, and will power a vessel for several years. The Series 8000 Megadiesel engine has a capacity of 350 liters, and an output of 13,600 horsepower. Total cost? The lower end of a scale between 1 and 10 million euros. Well packed, the engine is ready for delivery worldwide. For up to 35 years, it will operate maintenance-free as a marine diesel engine, or as an emergency generator in a nuclear power station or an industrial facility. Manufacturing an extra-large Megadiesel engine calls for state-of-the-art engineering. This scrap metal marked the start. The hard work of the smelters lay the foundation for one of the world's most efficient marine engines. In future too, the Series 8000 Megadiesel engine will power ships all over the world.