Automated Production for Wind Turbines

System and method for accurately identifying misaligned holes in components during manufacturing using tool force data. The method involves comparing the forces exerted by a tool as it drills into a component to form a hole with reference force data for aligned holes. If the forces differ, indicating deformation, it indicates the hole is out of tolerance. This allows detecting misaligned holes during drilling without manual inspection.

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Automated method and apparatus for forming a kink in a composite laminate during pick and place operations. The method involves using a specialized end effector on a robot or gantry to pick up the composite laminate, clamp portions on either side of the intended kink location, and bend the central vacuum plates to form the kink while the laminate is held in tension. This allows automated kinking of composite laminates without manual labor.

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Automated fiber placement assembly for forming composite components with improved fiber cutting capabilities during the fabrication process. The assembly has a movable cutter head that can change shape to allow customized fiber cutting profiles for complex component geometries. Multiple independent cutter heads can be used to simultaneously cut fibers in different shapes. This enables better fiber management around overhangs and other features compared to fixed cutter shapes.

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Automated method and apparatus for forming composite structures with bends and flanges using a mandrel and cutting technique to reduce wrinkling. The method involves bending a flat composite laminate over a mandrel with kinks in the web surface. The laminate is then placed into a forming assembly where overhanging sections are bent into contact with the mandrel sides to form the final composite structure with the desired bend and flanges. The key is using discontinuous zero degree plies near the kinks to mitigate tension during forming.

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A method and system to accurately place internal components like spar caps during wind turbine blade manufacturing. It uses retractable/extendable pins in the mold surface that can pierce through the layup segments. The pins have drivers to move them between retracted and extended positions. This provides precise geometric references for component placement during molding. The pins also prevent component movement during resin infusion. The pins can have rotational motion to reduce wrinkling during piercing. This improves blade quality and repeatability by ensuring proper component placement without impacting the structure.

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Using data analytics to improve composite manufacturing by optimizing process parameters like temperature, pressure, and cure time based on historical observations and machine learning. The method involves classifying localized inconsistencies on composite structures, identifying potential causes from process parameters, and modifying the geometry, layup, or parameters to address the causes. It leverages historical data from prior composites to optimize parameters for current composites.

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System for manufacturing large scale composite structures like wind turbine blades using molds that provide precise placement and assembly of internal components like spar caps. The molds have apertures for pins to extend into the molded layers. The pins engage the internal components during layup to hold them in place. After layup, the pins can extend beyond the molded section to be trimmed. This prevents internal component misalignment during mold closure. Additional features like studs, cams, and actuators enable further component positioning and measurement.

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A method for assembling wind turbine components to reduce assembly time and costs by allowing personnel to remain in the tower during lifts instead of evacuating and repositioning. The method involves lowering the component to overlap the mounting interface vertically with a threshold separation. If the separation exceeds the threshold, an indicator alerts. This ensures the component can be connected without needing to evacuate and reposition personnel between lifts. The indicator uses a transmitter/receiver to verify separation during overlapping.

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Molding method for wind turbine blade shells that eliminates the need for clamps on the molds during rotation and joining of the shell halves. The method involves using fastening elements attached to the mold flange to secure the shell during rotation. A measurement arrangement tracks displacement of the shell flange relative to the mold flange during rotation to monitor shell-mold alignment. This allows accurate joining of the shell halves without clamps.

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A modular mold for producing wind turbine blades that allows easy adaptation of blade length without needing to cut and replace the mold. The mold has a modular design with interchangeable tip sections that can be swapped to match updated blade geometries. The mold has a main body shell element and multiple exchangeable tip shell elements that can be fixed to the support. This allows changing the tip sections to match blade length changes without needing to modify the entire mold. The tip sections connect using flanges with aligned bolt holes for easy assembly. The modular tip sections can be different lengths to cover a range of blade tip geometries.

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A method to produce aerodynamic components like wings or blades with ribbed surfaces for improved performance without adding cost. The method involves forming the ribs on the component surface itself instead of applying a preprinted film. A blank film is placed on the component, then a pressure plate with complementary ribs is positioned on top. The assembly is formed in an autoclave to cure the film onto the component while shaping it with the plate to create the ribbed surface. This eliminates the need for expensive preprinted films while still allowing complex ribbed geometries.

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Vacuum pressure impregnation process for making insulation systems for coils in high voltage electric machines like wind turbine generators. The process involves a unique vacuum and pressure cycling sequence to impregnate the coils with resin at higher voltages beyond 22 kV. The steps include: placing the coil in a vacuum chamber, flooding with low viscosity resin, vacuum cycling, positive pressure cycling, and finally removing the coil. This allows thorough resin impregnation at high voltages without preheating the coil.

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Laser drilling of components that deviate from nominal shape using a CNC assembly. The assembly has a machining system with a position measurement probe and a laser source. The controller measures deviations from the component model at multiple points using the probe. It determines a compensation vector for the laser drilling based on the deviations. The laser is then positioned with the vector compensation and used to drill the component holes with the measured deviations accounted for.

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A method for precisely aligning the components of a rotor in an electrical generator to reduce eccentricity and improve efficiency. The method involves measuring points on the rotor housing and bearing using an optical device and finding their centers. If the centers offset exceeds a threshold, the housing and bearing are adjusted iteratively until they align. This aids in assembling the rotor by preventing misalignment during final assembly steps.

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Electric motor rotor assembly method that simplifies and speeds up rotor assembly compared to conventional methods. The method involves crimping the rotor collar onto the shaft and pressing it against the end cap in a single operation. This eliminates the need for threading or annular slots. The collar has features like serrations, lips, or ramped bases that allow it to deform and penetrate the end cap during crimping. The collar deformation clamps the windings between the end caps. This allows quicker, simpler, and more precise rotor assembly compared to threading or annular slots.

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Automated robotic system for creating customized leading-edge protectors (LEPs) on wind turbine blades without the need for prefabricated shells. The system uses a robotic arm guided by a computer to deposit liquid polymer directly onto the blade in layers. The arm has multiple degrees of freedom to maneuver and dispense the polymer onto the blade surface. This allows building up the LEP layer by layer, following the blade shape, to provide a seamless, tailored LEP. The polymer is cured on the blade. The robotic deposition avoids gaps, overlaps, and air pockets compared to applying preformed shells.

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Method of manufacturing embedding elements for wind turbine blades that provides stronger root connections and reduces waste compared to known methods. The embedding elements are made by compacting fiber material between movable cores in a mold and then curing. The cores have convex lateral surfaces that compress and shape the fiber. This avoids machining the entire surface and reduces waste. The embedded elements are used in the blade root to secure the blade to the hub. The elements are alternately placed between fasteners in the root region, allowing access to the fasteners. This provides better retention and transfer of loads compared to just using bushings. The embedded elements follow the root circumference and engage the fasteners. The fiber material between the elements is cured to fix them in place.

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Preventing erroneous coupling of end plates in rotor manufacturing to prevent assembly errors. The method involves detecting the specific end plate type (standard vs non-standard) before welding it to the rotor core. If a non-standard end plate is detected, welding is suspended to prevent incorrect coupling. This ensures the proper end plates are used at each end of the rotor core.

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Automated system and method for producing wind turbine blades using fiber plies to reduce manual labor and improve quality compared to traditional methods. The system uses gantry robots with movable grippers and drapers to place and shape the plies on the blade mold. The robots lower into the mold space, pick up plies from a storage area, and place them on the blade. They also drape the plies over the mold. This allows fully automated blade layup without worker access inside the mold. The robots can also move longitudinally to cover the blade length. The robotic system replaces manual steps like pulling plies over the mold and draping by hand. This reduces labor, risk, and variation compared to manual layup. The robots also provide consistent spacing and tension for better quality.

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Automated tape placement (ATP) system for composites manufacturing that enables faster, more accurate, and more versatile tape laying compared to current systems. The system uses robotics with a unique rotating layup head that tilts to change the orientation of two rollers. This allows bidirectional tape feeding without rotation or translation of the head, reducing errors. The system also has a part translation feature where the part moves under the head rather than the head moving across the build. This allows larger parts and simultaneous tape placement on both sides. The rotating head and part translation eliminate the need for a fixed tool or frame.

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