The manufacturing of rotor blades still demands a high degree of manual labor. This is due to the low piece numbers in a production series compared to the automotive industry for example: Whilst in the latter sector, models roll off the line hundreds of thousands of times, the tool mold for a rotor blade is only used as a template a few hundred times. Yet, for manufacturers, the ability to produce parts more quickly and with a constantly higher level of precision can result in significant cost advantages. Together with 15 partners, the Fraunhofer IWES has coordinated the development of a manufacturing center which was inaugurated today in Bremerhaven.
The chips really did fly at this launch! As part of the official opening of the BladeMaker center, 150 representatives from the industry got the chance to watch the milling of a tool mold for a 40-meter blade. Scientists, rotor blade and component manufacturers, providers of production controls, and material suppliers have been working together on the concept and process development for three and a half years with the goal of ad- vancing the manufacturing of rotor blades from small-series to major industrial produc- tion. The initial goal is to achieve savings of minimum 10 percent through more effi- cient production processes, the use of innovative materials and carefully selected au- tomation approaches.
