www.processonline.com.au Open in urlscan Pro
54.253.171.49  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

POST /contents/results

<form class="form-inline" action="/contents/results" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post"><input type="hidden" name="authenticity_token" value="3dGzmW9YdC4E-Ul7I-Xpta9Mlev1NMkY0Clq9kW2bq6cmtRRlk5UBQcAwh8gYOGqMNGv8WrB4bshbG1QhHnYiA">
  <input type="text" name="query" id="query" value="" placeholder="Search..." class="form-control pull-left">
  <button class="btn btn-default pull-right glyphicon glyphicon-search red" type="submit"></button>
</form>

GET /contents/results

<form class="form-inline" action="/contents/results" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="get">
  <input type="text" name="query" id="query" value="" placeholder="Search..." class="form-control pull-left">
  <button class="btn btn-default pull-right glyphicon glyphicon-search red" type="submit"></button>
</form>

Text Content

CONTINUE TO SITE >>

 * Automation
 * Control
 * Networks
 * Safety
 * Software
 * Computers


 * CONNECT

 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

 * The Magazine
 * Events
 * Videos
 * Resources
 * Products
 * Business Directory
 * About Us
 * Subscribe eNewsletter


ROBOTS HELP MAKE WIND TURBINE BLADES


Monday, 06 May, 2024


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) have successfully leveraged robotic assistance in the
manufacture of wind turbine blades, allowing for the elimination of difficult
working conditions for humans and the potential to improve the consistency of
the product.

Although robots have been used by the wind energy industry to paint and polish
blades, automation has not been widely adopted. Research at the laboratory
demonstrates the ability of a robot to trim, grind and sand blades. Those
necessary steps occur after the two sides of the blade are made using a mould
and then bonded together.

The post-moulding operations to manufacture wind turbine blades require workers
to perch on scaffolding and wear protective suits including respiratory gear.
Automation, the researchers noted, will boost employee safety and wellbeing and
help manufacturers retain skilled labour.

“I would consider it a success,” said Hunter Huth, a robotics engineer at NREL
and lead author of a newly published paper detailing the work. “Not everything
operated as well as we wanted it to, but we learned all the lessons we think we
need to make it meet or exceed our expectations.

“The motive of this research was to develop automation methods that could be
used to make domestically manufactured blades cost-competitive globally,” Huth
said. “Currently offshore blades are not produced in the US due to high labour
rates. The finishing process is very labour-intensive and has a high
job-turnover rate due to the harsh nature of the work. By automating the
finishing process, domestic offshore blade manufacturing can become more
economically viable.”

The research was conducted at the Composites Manufacturing Education and
Technology (CoMET) facility at NREL’s Flatirons Campus. The robot worked on a 5
m blade segment. Wind turbine blades are considerably longer, but because they
bend and deflect under their own weight, a robot would have to be programmed to
work on the bigger blades section by section.



The researchers used a series of scans to create a 3D representation of the
position of the blade and to identify precisely the front and rear sections of
the airfoil — a special shape of the blade that helps the air flow smoothly over
the blade. From there, the team programmed the robot to perform a series of
tasks, after which it was judged on accuracy and speed. The researchers found
areas for improvement, particularly when it came to grinding. The robot ground
down too much in some parts of the blade and not enough in others.

“As we’ve gone through this research, we’ve been moving the goalposts for what
this system needs to do to be effective,” Huth said.

Huth said an automated system would provide consistency in blade manufacturing
that is not possible when humans are doing all the work. He also said a robot
would be able to use “tougher, more aggressive abrasives” than a human could
tolerate.

NREL is the US Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable
energy and energy efficiency research and development. The paper, Toolpath
Generation for Automated Wind Turbine Blade Finishing Operations, appears in the
journal Wind Energy.

Image: NREL researcher Hunter Huth stands beneath a robotic arm designed to
automate a portion of the blade manufacturing process. Credit: Werner Slocum,
NREL.

Related News

UNIVERSAL ROBOTS ANNOUNCES SEAMLESS INTEGRATION WITH SIEMENS PLCS

The SRCI is a new standard for robotics manufacturers that aims to create a
single interface...

STRATASYS ANNOUNCES HIGH-DEFINITION 3D PRINTING

The new printing capabilities are designed to allow for more exact,
high-definition printing with...

OCTOPUS INSPIRES NEW GRIPPER MECHANISM FOR ROBOTS

A new robotic suction cup that can grasp rough, curved and heavy objects has
been developed by...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Featured Articles

3 ways to use flow data for corporate water savings



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

LAPP industrial remote solutions focus on secure remote maintenance and network
integration



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reducing emissions from industrial processes by effective particulate monitoring



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Featured Videos

Turck — We Enable Sustainability



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A world first: The most compact positioning system on the market



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Your global automation partner for Industry 4.0



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laser coding that's designed to meet all the challenges of coding in the
beverage industry



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Premium Listings




Events
 * CSIRO Introduction to Food Engineering
   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 * IICA Technology Expo Brisbane
   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 * Workplace Health & Safety Show Melbourne
   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 * Certified PROFIBUS Engineer course (Melbourne)
   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 * IICA Technology Expo Wollongong
   
   --------------------------------------------------------------------------------



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CONTENT FROM OTHER CHANNELS ON OUR NETWORK

John Holland employs asset trackers for spoil management

Embracing the Future: The imperative for digitisation and condition monitoring
in industrial and mobile equipment

When does a conductor not conduct?

Purdue-created tech makes 3D microscopes easier to use

Cracking the code on spin currents

Healthcare waste recycling initiative to repurpose IV bags

Govt sustainability initiatives welcomed by Engineers Australia

A touch of sugar could help upcycle carbon dioxide into fuels

Siemens announces Beyond 1% Summit: Accelerating digitalisation for
sustainability and economic growth

Circular economy experts to gather in Sydney

Retailers caught selling unapproved electrical appliances

Ampcontrol and Siemens partner on renewable energy solutions

SA announces smart residential energy trial

Western Power welcomes new apprentices

Avoiding another Black Summer


ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING ANY
OF OUR OTHER PROFESSIONAL CHANNELS?

 * Electrical, Comms & Data Contracting
 * Electronics Design & Engineering
 * Food Manufacturing & Technology
 * Laboratory Technology
 * Life Science & Biotechnology
 * Process Control & Automation
 * Radio Communications
 * Health & Safety at Work
 * Sustainability - Industry & government
 * IT Management
 * Hospital + Healthcare
 * GovTech Review
 * Aged Health



CONTACT INFORMATION

Westwick-Farrow Media
Locked Bag 2226
North Ryde BC NSW 1670
ABN: 22 152 305 336
www.wfmedia.com.au
Email Us


CONNECT WITH US


SUBSCRIBE TO PROCESS ONLINE

Our process industry media channels - What’s New in Process Technology magazine
and the Process Online website - provide busy automation, control and
instrumentation professionals with an easy-to-use, readily available source of
information that is crucial to gaining valuable industry insight. Members have
access to thousands of informative items across a range of media channels.

SUBSCRIBE

Membership is FREE to qualified industry professionals across Australia.

For subscription enquiries please contact us
 * About Us
 * Contact Us
 * Advertising
 * RSS Feeds
 * Privacy
 * Terms
 * Sitemap

 * All content Copyright © 2024 Westwick-Farrow Pty Ltd