Wind Turbine Blade Mould Segmentation for Rapid Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge in wind turbine blade manufacturing lies in the time-consuming and costly production of high-quality moulds and mould plugs required for localized, rapid deployment of 'pop-up' factories, which hinder the efficient setup of wind turbine blade manufacturing facilities.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the division of wind turbine blade mould geometry into separate geometrical slices, cutting and assembling mould blank elements, and applying a resilient coating to create a consolidated mould surface, allowing for quick and efficient manufacturing of wind turbine blade moulds and mould plugs using low-cost, lightweight materials and flexible cutting devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional accurate tooling and high-precision manufacturing techniques are used to produce wind turbine blade moulds, then high-quality mould surfaces are achieved, but manufacturing time increases to 4-5 months and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mould geometry is divided into multiple separate geometrical slices that can be manufactured independently and then assembled. This segmentation allows each slice to be produced quickly using low-cost materials and simple cutting processes, while the final assembled mould achieves the required surface quality through the coating application on cut surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses low-cost, lightweight blank materials instead of expensive, durable materials traditionally used for moulds. These blanks are cut into slices and assembled to form functional moulds that achieve acceptable surface quality without requiring the same level of material permanence and cost as traditional moulds.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional high-accuracy tooling is used for wind turbine blade mould production, then high-quality blade shells are produced, but setup time for pop-up factories increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the mould into multiple geometric slices, the invention enables parallel manufacturing of individual slices, which can then be quickly assembled. This segmentation dramatically reduces the time required to produce complete moulds for pop-up factory deployment while maintaining sufficient precision through the coating process applied to cut surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The method applies a coating to the cut surfaces of mould slices before assembly, preparing the surfaces in advance to achieve the required quality. This preliminary surface preparation ensures that when slices are assembled, the mould is ready for immediate use in producing high-quality blade shells without requiring additional time-consuming finishing operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If stationary moulds are used to reduce facility setup costs, then equipment cost decreases, but high-quality moulding surfaces still require accurate blade mould plugs and lengthy production
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the mould into multiple slices that can be manufactured using simple, low-cost cutting processes rather than expensive precision tooling. This segmentation allows stationary moulds to be produced quickly and cheaply while still achieving high-quality moulding surfaces through the coating application on the cut slice surfaces.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for the manufacture of wind turbine blade moulds and wind turbine blade mould plugs is described. The method comprises dividing a blade mould geometry (70) or plug geometry into separate geometrical slices or segments. The separate slices can then be used to control a cutting of blank elements (78) to form separate cut surfaces (82). The cut surfaces are used to form a consolidated wind turbine mould surface.