NEWS
Alstom is entrusting IK4-TEKNIKER with the carrying out of the dimensional verification of its wind turbine components.
IK4-TEKNIKER performs the dimensional verifications of the components of the wind turbines of Alstom, a world leader in infrastructure to generate and transmit energy and a specialist in the manufacture of wind turbines.
Specifically, the R&D centre’s Metrology Unit carries out the dimensional verifications of wind turbine hubs and frames following their casting process to ensure that these components meet the dimensional requirements specified in the design phase.
The tight tolerances that have to be achieved to ensure that the wind turbine can be properly assembled and the large size of these parts mean that the machining process of these parts has a tiny margin of error. This is where dimensional verification provides the added value that makes possible the monitoring of aspects of the machining process like the alignment of the part in the machine or material stocks of the part, which are very difficult to monitor otherwise.
The castings have a free dimensional geometry. That is why the measuring of these parts is carried out through a massive capture of dots by means of digitised equipment. The scatter diagram obtained in the acquisition process is filtered to obtain the results of interest in each case.
The two most common processes for obtaining results are firstly comparative CAD, which allows the material stocks of the part to be known in colour format at a glance. And secondly, the dimensional analysis that allows one to know the specific coordinates to carry out an analysis in greater depth of a specific area of the part. If one wants to obtain a digital format of a physical part in order, for example, to redesign a part, the process of reverse engineering is carried out.
Metrology for large parts
This dimensional verification service, which includes comparative CAD digitising, geometrical dimensional analysis and reverse engineering, is added to the service for the dimensional monitoring of large parts by means of laser tracker technology, which IK4-TEKNIKER's Metrology Unit has been conducting over the last ten years.
So using the technology of structured light digitising and laser tracker, IK4-TEKNIKER carries out the dimensional monitoring of the whole process to manufacture the more common wind turbine components like the hubs, frames, rings or supports, among others.
This large component dimensional verification service allows IK4-TEKNIKER to gain a first-hand insight into the actual problems encountered in the manufacturing of large parts. This information constitutes a significant input when it comes to participating in research projects in which the aim is to improve the means of production (machine tools and manufacturing processes) which are used to produce these components.
