Production apparatus and a method for manufacturing elongated products such as wind turbine blades

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9486941-B2
Application number	US-201214354394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 26, 2012
Priority date	Oct 27, 2011
Publication date	Nov 8, 2016
Grant date	Nov 8, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus comprising elongated first and second moulds ( 2,3 ) extending in parallel, a drive mechanism ( 4 ) to move said second mould in relation to said first mould, from a first position to a second position so as to form a mould assembly, and a transport system comprising a movable part ( 5 ) movable along the first mould and/or the second mould and supported by an elongated intermediate support member ( 7 ) located between the moulds, the intermediate support member moving from a support position in which it supports the movable part, to a non-interference position in which interference with the moulds and/or the mould drive mechanism is avoided when said second mould is moved from the first position to the second position, the transport system comprising a securing device ( 71, 84, 83, 83 a, 83 b, 831, 83 e ) for locking the intermediate support member in the support position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A production apparatus comprising:
an elongated first mould,
an elongated second mould extending in parallel to said first mould,
a mould drive mechanism coupled at least to said second mould and configured to move said second mould in relation to said first mould, from a first mould position to a second mould position so as to form a mould assembly, and
a transport system comprising
a movable part configured to be movable along the first mould and/or the second mould while being supported by an elongated intermediate support member located laterally between the moulds and extending along the moulds,
the intermediate support member being configured to move from a support position in which it can support the movable part, to a non-interference position in which interference with the moulds and/or the mould drive mechanism is avoided when said second mould is moved from the first mould position to the second mould position,
the transport system further comprising a securing device for locking the intermediate support member in the support position.

2. The production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the movement of the intermediate support member from the support position to the non-interference position comprises a translational movement directed away from the support position to an intermediate position, and a rotational movement, along an axis of rotation, from the intermediate position to the non-interference position.

3. The production apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the intermediate position exposes at least one articulated joint for the rotational movement, which joint, in the support position, is retracted into a support structure, which is fixed to a foundation of the production apparatus.

4. The production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transport system comprises a support structure, which is fixed to a foundation of the production apparatus, and the securing device comprises at least one male part presented by the intermediate support member and at least one female part presented by the support structure, or vice versa, which male and female parts are complementary and are adapted to be in engagement with each other in the support position.

5. The production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the transport system comprises a support structure, which is fixed to a foundation of the production apparatus, and the securing device comprises a seat presented by the support structure, the seat presenting at least two surfaces inclined towards each other, and said seat surfaces being adapted to receive the intermediate support member.

6. The production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the securing device is provided as a lock brace assembly adapted to bias the intermediate support member to the support position.

7. The production apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the securing device comprises a locking pin.

8. A method for forming a wind turbine blade, the method comprising:
placing an elongated second mould in relation to an elongated first mould, extending in parallel to said second mould, in a first mould position,
placing an elongated intermediate support member, extending along the moulds, in a support position, in which it is located laterally between the moulds and in which it can support a movable part of a transportation system,
locking the intermediate support member in the support position by means of a securing device,
placing material onto the moulds, by moving a movable part along said first or second moulds and while supporting the movable part by the elongated intermediate support member, so as to form respective wind turbine blade parts in the moulds,
un-locking the intermediate support member from the support position,
moving the intermediate support member from the support position to a noninterference position in which interference with the moulds and/or a mould drive mechanism, coupled at least to said second mould, is avoided when said second mould is moved from the first mould position to a second mould position so as to form a mould assembly for joining the wind turbine blade parts, and
moving by means of the mould drive mechanism said second mould relatively to said first mould from the first mould position to the second mould position.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein moving the intermediate support member from the support position to the non-interference position, comprises translating the intermediate support member away from the support position, and at least partly upwards, to an intermediate position, and rotating the intermediate support member along an axis of rotation, from the intermediate position to the noninterference position.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the intermediate position exposes at least one articulated joint for the rotational movement, which joint, in the support position, is retracted into a support structure, which is fixed to a foundation of a facility in which the method is carried out.

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the transport system comprises a support structure, which is fixed to a foundation of a facility in which the method is carried out, and locking the intermediate support member in the support position comprises bringing at least one male part presented by the intermediate support member and at least one female part presented by the support structure, or vice versa, into engagement with each other.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the transport system comprises a support structure, which is fixed to a foundation of a facility in which the method is carried out, and the securing device comprises a seat presented by the support structure, the seat presenting at least two surfaces inclined towards each other, and locking the intermediate support member in the support position comprises said seat surfaces receiving the intermediate support member.

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the step of locking the intermediate support member in the support position comprises biasing the intermediate support member to the support position by a lock brace assembly.

14. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the step of locking the intermediate support member in the support position comprises inserting a locking pin through holes in a support structure and in the intermediate support member.

Assignees

• Vestas Wind Sys As

Inventors

• Tapia Raul Garcia
• Davey Chris

Classifications

• Y02P70/523

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• B29L2031/085

  Wind turbine blades · CPC title

• B29C33/26 Primary

  by pivotal movement · CPC title

• B29C70/38

  Automated lay-up, e.g. using robots, laying filaments according to predetermined patterns {(application heads for tyres B29D30/28)} · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title