Towards Advanced Robotics for Wind Blade Manufacturing

With the current goals for wind energy installations in the U.S., it is critical to encourage wind turbine blade manufacturers to locate inside the U.S.. The post-mold finishing operations include trimming the flashing, grinding to produce the desired aerodynamic shape, and sanding to prepare for painting and bonding protective material. These operations are labor intensive and are critical to ensuring blade quality and performance in the field. Automation can impact the finishing operations, but it is critical that it improves quality, reduces cycle time, has a low capital cost, and is adaptable to changing blade designs. Robotic end-effectors and toolpath generation algorithms have been developed for automating these processes, and the ongoing work optimizing the processes and reducing capital costs can enable this to enter industry in the near future.