Blademaker demo centre

Short description

Rotor blades constitute approximately a fifth of the total costs of an onshore
wind turbine. Their manufacturing is still dominated by manual processes with a cost distribution of 30 per cent for labor and 60 per cent for material. In order to increase quality and reduce costs, Fraunhofer IWES develops industrialized processes based on a cost model which considers an economic rating of alternative production scenarios. Frequent workshops with leading manufacturers make sure that current demands are understood and taken into account. IWES focuses on the industrialization of the entire process: Along with the development of blade-specific procedures and new materials, the manufacturing of blade segments with an industrialized production is evaluated. Core technologies include the lay-up of cuttings and preforms, in-situ foaming processes for sandwich structures, as well as bonding application and finishing. The processes achieve a high level of maturity via integration into the multi-function BladeMaker gantry – which provides the evaluation in a one-to-one-scaling. This is assisted by CNC-integrated CAD-CAM and adapted process simulation tools. An initial result is a direct tooling approach that has been set up to shorten the time to market for blade molds.

Main technical features

CNC-controlled production cell with 2 cooperating 6-axis gantries (5 x 2 x 25 m)
payload: max. 400 kg per unit
blade molds with flat back profiles and integrated sensors (20 m section of a 40 m blade)
precut center
roving-impregnation and -placement technology
automated placement of large precuts and preforms
automated in-situ production of core materials
direct-infusion equipment
automated bonding application and
surface finishing system

Innovative aspects

Manufacturing of heavily loaded parts like spar caps is performed with an innovative solution for high throughput production and lay-up of prepregs. Direct resin infusion and integrated sensors in the mold provide a highly reliable infusion process with many possibilities for control and analysis.

Applications

The demonstration center offers companies from the automation industry and material suppliers access to proven blade production equipment. They can validate their processes, equipment or material and develop it to a high technological readiness level. Blade manufacturers have the chance to become familiar with automation equipment, train their staff and perform trial tests. The BladeMaker demonstration center has been designed as a platform for joint development and testing of innovations; state-of-the-art equipment is available to run through the whole manufacturing process.

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