Additive manufacturing in the wind power industry
摘要
This work aims to provide a comprehensive literature review of Additive Manufacturing (AM) implementation in the Wind Turbine (WT) sector, whether offshore or onshore. The screening of applications was carried out through documentary and bibliometric research aiming to present AM processes, materials, large-format 3D printers, post-processes in AM, applications in large-scale additive manufacturing, supply chain and rapid repair, standardization, and potential application to other significant components. Even though AM has yet to achieve significant participation in the wind industry, it is possible to observe its evolution and excellent benefits compared to conventional manufacturing methods. AM offers a series of advantages to the wind industry, significantly improving the performance and life of structures, reducing manufacturing costs, and enabling greater market competitiveness among wind energy suppliers. AM can lead to constructing more complex and customized blades for the wind patterns of a given location; it can help in constructing towers at the installation site and the consequent manufacture of the heavy machinery inside the nacelle. This work also discusses the potential future AM trends in wind power generation (design, manufacturing, and maintenance) from an academic and industry perspective.