The cross-section of a wind-blade-shell laminate appears with FiberSIM’s documentation so users can examine the laminate at discrete points. The annotation includes laminate thickness, ply names, sequences, orientations, and materials.
A developer of industry-specific engineering software and services, Vistagy, Waltham, Mass., says one of China’s largest companies, Sinomatech Wind Power Blade Co., LTD, will use FiberSIM composites engineering software to help streamline its design-to-manufacturing operations so it can keep pace with market demand.
“We’ve undertaken a construction project to annually produce 500 sets of wind power blades,” says Li Junxiang, R&D manager at Sinomatech. “The software selected is well suited to that task because it provides a digital thread that runs from design-to-manufacturing, letting us connect all the disciplines so we can move more accurately and quickly through the entire process. That also enhances our ability to establish repeatable manufacturing operations.”
Given the goal of 500 blade sets each year, the Sinomatech design team was faced with several challenges, including increasing the speed of blade design and improving quality and repeatability in manufacturing. To respond, the firm’s design department determined it needed better engineering tools that would let them improve their capabilities for engineering composite blades. The department says it selected FiberSIM because it meet important criteria, such as:
- Faster design cycles to allow more trade off studies for improved blade configuration and reduced weight
- More accurate and detailed definitions for composite parts and assemblies
- Support for rapid iterations between design and analysis for earlier and more optimized designs
- Enhanced composites producibility simulation for early detection of manufacturing issues and rapid feedback to design
- Seamless linking from design to production with support for automated cutting, laser positioning, and electronic documentation.
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