Windblade Manufacturing
Repurposing wind blades as functional community art pieces
Ohio-based Canvus Inc. upcycles fiberglass wind blades, car tires and post-consumer plastics to create outdoor furniture that amplifies sustainability messages in community spaces.
Hannah Mason
Technical Editor, CompositesWorld
TPI Composites deal with Nordex grows wind blade production
Extension of the 10-year collaboration with Nordex sees two new lines added to its Türkiye facility to serve domestic and export market needs.
Read MoreDOE funds project for 3D-printed wind blade tooling
Targeting U.S. wind energy, the program backs Purdue’s CMSC center and industry partners to develop the foundation for automated tooling manufacture, supporting new innovations in composite materials, other technology elements.
Read MoreVestas secures another U.S. repowering order, looks ahead to wind blade recyclability
A 158-MW order adds to Vestas’ increasing presence in the U.S., not just in wind blade and nacelle manufacturing, but also its initiatives to make blades more recyclable.
Read MoreDrag-based wind turbine design for higher energy capture
Claiming significantly higher power generation capacity than traditional blades, Xenecore aims to scale up its current monocoque, fan-shaped wind blades, made via compression molded carbon fiber/epoxy with I-beam ribs and microsphere structural foam.
Read MoreJEC World 2023 highlights: Recyclable resins, renewable energy solutions, award-winning automotive
CW technical editor Hannah Mason recaps some of the technology on display at JEC World, including natural, bio-based or recyclable materials solutions, innovative automotive and renewable energy components and more.
Read MoreReport finds US offshore wind will continue on upward trajectory
Research from Renewables Consulting Group, as reported by NA Wind Power, finds the U.S. offshore wind market has moved into the construction phase for large-scale projects.
Read MoreChina’s Sany Renewable rolls out 131-meter wind blade
Sany reports that it has adopted an optimized airfoil design with greater thickness and a blunt trailing edge to augment strength and stability.
Grace Nehls
Senior Managing Editor, CompositesWorld
RWE Sofia offshore wind farm to use Siemens RecyclableBlades
Large offshore wind farm in the U.K. will have 44 out of 100 of its wind turbines equipped with recyclable composite blades, the largest order to date.
Read MoreCompPair adapts HealTech composites to LCM processes
The new system, demonstrated through the manufacture of a large-scale wind turbine blade section, enables the repair and recovery of infused composite structures within minutes.
Read MoreEuropean project EoLO-HUBs targets wind turbine blade recycling
The 18-member consortium will develop and use green chemistry processes to recycle composite materials and, among others, optimize the dismantling of wind farms through advanced software.
Read MoreEuCIA participates in EU-funded REFRESH wind blade recycling project
REFRESH consortium aims to develop, demonstrate a novel system to enable improved recycling of glass fiber-reinforced composites derived from wind turbine dismantling or reblading.
Read MoreRope Robotics automates onshore wind turbine blade repairs
Patented robot uses visual sensors to diagnose any potential damage for remote operators, and initiates a repair process in real time that is four times faster than manual alternatives.
Read MoreRecycling end-of-life composite parts: New methods, markets
From infrastructure solutions to consumer products, Polish recycler Anmet and Netherlands-based researchers are developing new methods for repurposing wind turbine blades and other composite parts.
Read MoreVestas to establish second offshore wind blade facility in Poland
Efforts are ramping up to support the growing demand for offshore wind in Europe, with the wind blade factory starting operations in 2026, and a previously announced nacelle assembly facility in the same location in 2025.
Grace Nehls
Senior Managing Editor, CompositesWorld
TPI, WindSTAR create digital twin for wind blade manufacturing
Machine learning framework provides real-time feedback during composite fabrication process, with some cases achieving 95% predictive accuracy and computation faster than physics-based simulations.
Read MoreREGEN Fiber launches eco-friendly wind blade recycling process
REGEN Fiber’s sustainable recycling process keeps wind blades out of landfills by converting them into raw materials for use in asphalt, composite products and more.
Read MoreTPI, GE extend supply agreements, plan next-gen wind blade design collaboration
TPI has manufactured wind blades for GE since 2008. New commitments will lead to the development of new blade types and potentially more production lines in 2023.
Read MoreNovel dry tape for liquid molded composites
MTorres seeks to enable next-gen aircraft and open new markets for composites with low-cost, high-permeability tapes and versatile, high-speed production lines.
Read MoreCovestro, TMT launch 1,000th polyurethane wind rotor blade
Commercialization of fiberglass-reinforced PU blades are opening a new chapter in the wind blade industry, supporting the development of longer, more robust blade designs.
Read MoreVestas expands partnership with long-time blades partner TPI Composites
Continuous collaborative effort is sought to strengthen the wind energy supply chain, such as production setup optimization for current and future wind blade facilities, and evaluation of future locations.
Read MoreTPI, GE Vernova expand wind blade production contract in Mexico
Additional production lines in a third facility within TPI’s Juarex campus will manufacture GE Vernova’s latest wind turbine blade type.
Grace Nehls
Senior Managing Editor, CompositesWorld
Siemens Gamesa, Airborne collaborate on automation of wind turbine blades
Joint efforts combine years of expertise in the manufacture of wind turbine blades, composite processing and automation to scale up operations.
Read MoreNREL researchers point to path for improved wind blade recycling rates
Researcher consider strategies like policy regulation and recycling technology development to mitigate the impact of end-of-life wind blades.
Read MorePlant tour: ÉireComposites, Galway, Ireland
An in-house testing business and R&D focus has led to innovative materials use and projects in a range of markets, from civil aerospace to renewable energy to marine.
Read MoreDustless, mobile solution for on-site wind turbine blade repurposing
Denmark-based Isodan Engineering ApS translated its expertise in mobile, shipping container-based newspaper recycling systems to solve a need for breaking down wind turbine blades on-site for reuse.
Read MoreMaterials & Processes: Composites fibers and resins
Compared to legacy materials like steel, aluminum, iron and titanium, composites are still coming of age, and only just now are being better understood by design and manufacturing engineers. However, composites’ physical properties — combined with unbeatable light weight — make them undeniably attractive.
Read MoreMoving toward next-generation wind blade recycling
Suppliers, fabricators and OEMs across the composite wind blade supply chain ramp up existing technologies, develop better reclamation methods and design more recyclable wind blades.
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