JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 40

automation

A fully-automated manufacturing process for wind blades
GAMESA Innovation & Technology and M. Torres are the winners of the JEC innovation Awards 2011 in the Wind Energy category. They have teamed up to develop fully-automated equipment for the manufacture of wind turbine blades.

Value created by composite materials

40

G

amesa and M. Torres, both from Spain, have developed a new blade technology using a revolutionary, 100%-automated manufacturing process. The solution is expected to have a tremendous impact in the market.

Critical aspects and composite innovation
Wind turbine blades have been manufactured using labour-intensive technologies inherited from the marine industry. The manual lamination of the different blade components is a particularly time-consuming step. The Gamesa and M. Torres team focused on critical aspects such as blade design, adapting the structure and materials to the automated process, introducing innovative tip and root solutions to increase the energy production capacity of the wind turbine, and developing automated manufacturing equipment.

The main technologies developed to achieve full automation are: lamination of the main blade components using dry glass fibre tape (including the development of moulds with moving parts), automation of the infusion process, and a fully-automated assembly jig (including application of adhesive beads by robots).

jec composites magazine / No64 April 2011

Blades are one of the key components in the wind turbine as they are used to capture the energy from the wind. They need to be structurally sound to withstand the loads created during operation and, at the same time, as light as possible to minimize the loads transmitted to the other wind turbine components (nacelle’s mainframe, tower, etc.). Composite materials are used to manufacture complex shapes (efficient airfoils) with a very efficient load-toweight ratio. This has proven to be the

most cost-effective solution for blade design and manufacturing. This project has taken the use of composite materials in wind energy applications one step further by developing a fully-automated manufacturing process.

Development phase and launching
The project has been under development for the past 3 years. Gamesa and M. Torres have been working together to develop the different technologies required to allow full automation of the process. Gamesa expects to have a fully operational prototype in the beginning of Q2 2011.

The project has been under development for the past 3 years



JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011

Cover
Edito
Point of view: fast expansion
Contents
Agenda of Events
COMPANY & BUSINESS
In Brief
Reinforcement - Red Composites: a real expertise in carbon fibre
Housing - Housetec: a young company with a background of 40 years’ experience
Asia - Hua Dong Fibreglass, an SME that exports worldwide
APPLICATIONS
Construction - Creative eye-catching design for a new Sheraton hotel
Marine - Multiplast builds the Groupama V070
Awards - ICERP-JEC Innovation Awards Programme 2011: eight companies rewarded
MARKET
Human capital - Latest appointments
Sports and Leisure - Rossignol Group: innovation and performance in winter skis applications
FEATURE WIND ENERGY
Reinforcement - WebCore Technologies: great ambitions in the wind industry
New rovings for wind turbine blade applications
Prepreg spar caps: a solution for today
Software - Industrial software for manufacturing large components such as wind blades
Leveraging an end-to-end solution for composite wind turbine blades
Laser placement - Manufacturing rotor blades with highest precision while reducing costs
Automation - A fully-automated manufacturing process for wind blades
Maintenance - An innovative, certified blade repair system
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Testing - Using nano-scratch testing to detec composite failure
Mould - Processing technology for the rapid production of advanced composites
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATIONS
Robot - Robotic fibre placement machine helps reduce energy consumption
Process - A new industrialized construction process for transport infrastructures
Fibre placement - Tape laying and fibre palcement: complementary solutions
NDT - What’s new in non-destructive testing labs?
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Cover
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 2
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Edito
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Point of view: fast expansion
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 5
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Contents
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 7
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Agenda of Events
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - In Brief
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Reinforcement - Red Composites: a real expertise in carbon fibre
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Housing - Housetec: a young company with a background of 40 years’ experience
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Asia - Hua Dong Fibreglass, an SME that exports worldwide
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 13
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Construction - Creative eye-catching design for a new Sheraton hotel
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 15
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Marine - Multiplast builds the Groupama V070
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 17
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Awards - ICERP-JEC Innovation Awards Programme 2011: eight companies rewarded
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 19
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 20
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 21
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 22
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Human capital - Latest appointments
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Sports and Leisure - Rossignol Group: innovation and performance in winter skis applications
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 25
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 26
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 27
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Reinforcement - WebCore Technologies: great ambitions in the wind industry
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 29
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - New rovings for wind turbine blade applications
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Prepreg spar caps: a solution for today
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Software - Industrial software for manufacturing large components such as wind blades
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 33
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Leveraging an end-to-end solution for composite wind turbine blades
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 35
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 36
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 37
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Laser placement - Manufacturing rotor blades with highest precision while reducing costs
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 39
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Automation - A fully-automated manufacturing process for wind blades
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 41
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Maintenance - An innovative, certified blade repair system
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 43
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 44
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Testing - Using nano-scratch testing to detec composite failure
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 46
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 47
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 48
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Mould - Processing technology for the rapid production of advanced composites
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 50
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 51
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 52
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Robot - Robotic fibre placement machine helps reduce energy consumption
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Process - A new industrialized construction process for transport infrastructures
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 55
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - Fibre placement - Tape laying and fibre palcement: complementary solutions
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 57
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - NDT - What’s new in non-destructive testing labs?
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 59
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 60
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 61
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 62
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 63
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 64
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 65
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 66
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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #64 - April 2011 - 68
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