Additive Manufacturing of Wind Turbine Molds

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, is a fast-growing industry in which recent technological advances have expanded its use beyond just rapid prototyping. AM encompasses a suite of processes across material types—most commonly polymers, metals, composites and ceramics—that use computer-rendered designs to produce a near-net-shape part layer by layer. Current costs for both polymer-based and metal-based AM systems keep AM out of large-volume production. However, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) which enables large scale, high deposition rate, low cost additive manufacturing. This report provides a summary of the impact large scale AM systems can have on tooling for the wind turbine industry. We begin with a description of current practices used for manufacturing wind turbine blades. This is followed by a description of the impact AM can have on mold designs. A final prototype mold was manufactured and used in low volume production.