NREL’s Deal with Sustainability Results in 3D Printing of Thermoplastic Wind Blades

We’ve got all seen the pictures of retired wind blades in landfills, portray a highly effective image for these involved with the setting and with vitality manufacturing for the longer term. Researchers on the Nationwide Renewable Power Laboratory (NREL), with funding from the U.S. Division of Power’s Superior Manufacturing Workplace, are taking up this problem and transferring ahead with work to additively manufacture wind turbine blades utilizing recyclable thermoplastics. 

The NREL group labored with the Institute for Superior Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) in NREL’s Composites Manufacturing Schooling and Know-how (CoMET) Facility to develop a brand new course of to construct lighter, longer, extra environment friendly, extra sustainable, and more cost effective wind blades. The brand new course of is a radical change from the conventional manufacturing course of of wind turbine blades which is usually a clamshell design of two fiberglass blade skins and thermoset resin supplies bonded with adhesives and stiffened with shear webs. The brand new blades are designed relying on a thermal welding course of that eliminates the adhesives, permitting for higher recyclability because the thermoplastics could be heated on the end-of-life to separate the unique polymers. Design work utilizing 3D printing will permit the group to consider new and progressive structural plans.