Global blade access, repair, and inspection specialist, Altitec, has been appointed official installation partner by the Renewable Energy Division at 3M, a global innovation company, to install its 3M Wind Vortex Generators. 3M Vortex Generators address aerodynamic issues common to most turbine blades and, in doing so, can increase a turbine’s annual energy production by between…
3M Personal Safety Division launches ‘Safety Now & Next’
When it comes to worker health and safety, information is available but sometimes confusing and hard for people to apply to their own work environment. To help customers cut through the clutter, the 3M Personal Safety Division has launched Safety Now & Next, a new blog that can serve as a go-to resource for worker health…
Webinar: Risks of Dropped Objects – Using 3M Fall Protection for Tools to Prevent Drops
This webinar was originally broadcast on Wednesday, November 9, 2016. Dropped Object Prevention, or “Fall Protection for Tools”, is becoming an increasingly high priority for companies around the globe. Ranking as one of the major causes of death in the American workplace, with an OSHA recordable incident due to dropped objects every ten…
Webinar: Weathering and Performance of Leading Edge Protection
Leading Edge Erosion is a severe problem in the wind market. Many factors affect the performance of an effective leading edge protection. In this webinar you will learn some of the key weathering factors that affect the performance of Leading Edge Protection. You will also get an overview of how to evaluate and…
3M to launch Wind Protection Tape 2.0 at WindEnergy Hamburg
Rotating at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, wind-turbine blades consistently encounter an array of environmental factors – including sand, hail, and salt spray – which can cause significant damage and reduce aerodynamic efficiency. To optimize turbine performance and maximize a wind farm’s return on investment, increased attention has been focused on the need to protect…
3M to showcase expanded wind energy generation portfolio at AWEA
As the wind energy industry continues to grow at an exponential pace, there has been a renewed importance to build and maintain wind turbines that achieve a maximum return on investment (ROI). For more than 40 years, 3M has been a leader in the renewable energy industry due to their expertise in product innovation, development and…
Webinar: Effective Ways to Prevent Wind Blade Erosion
Maximizing efficiency of wind turbines is a vital consideration for operators, and managing erosion is a vital method to achieve this. Studies have consistently shown that erosion can lead to a loss in annual energy production (AEP) of up to 20% on severe cases. This figure is hard to ignore, and highlights the ROI benefits…
Ensuring worker safety in the wind industry
Welcome to this WindTalk podcast, a series of discussions with wind-industry leaders. In this edition, we talk with Dustin Schneider, a Fall-protection Expert at Capital Safety, a 3M company. With over 17 years of experience, Dustin works directly with end-users and distributors to provide the best safety resources and training at industrial work sites. Here Dustin speaks to us…
Reducing Composite Defects in Blade Manufacturing
3M has been the pioneer in developing process aids (eg. Dry Lay Up Adhesive – DLUA) to reduce defects such as waves, wrinkles, fiber misalignment etc. 3M’s proven solution has been used successfully in the market for more than a decade. 3M’s introduces the innovative Dry Lay Up Adhesive 2.0 which has revolutionized the spray…
Maximizing wind-farm ROI through blade protection and repair
Santhosh Chandrabalan | Development Leader | 3M Technical Business To maximize wind-farm efficiency and related investment returns, the wind industry is paying increasing attention to the wear and tear of turbine blades. From high winds and rain to damaging hail and salt spray, turbine blades face a wide variety of weather and environmental challenges. Exposure to these…
Increasing wind turbine efficiency with vortex generators
Santhosh Chandrabalan / Technical Business Development Leader / 3M / www.3M.com The design of wind-turbine blades cannot be exclusively aimed at maximizing aerodynamics. The practicalities of manufacturing, transporting, and installing the blades, as well as other limitations, require tradeoffs in aerodynamic efficiency. These tradeoffs equate to a loss in Annual Energy Production (AEP) and can…
3M’s Versaflo cleans breathing air for those working in dirty environs
3M engineers say the TR-600 respirator is intended for those who work in environments with dirty air. The active air filter is the result of comprehensive research to gain an in-depth understanding the needs of those who work in less than clean air. Designed to endure heavy use and long wear, the respirator can help…
Abaris agrees to use TenCate and 3M prepregs in training classes
Abaris Training Resources, in cooperation with TenCate Advanced Composites, has agreed to use TenCate AmberTool prepregs and 3M nano-silica fortified tooling prepregs exclusively in their “Advanced Composite Mold Fabrication for Production and Repairs” training classes. TenCate is the exclusive supplier for the 3M brand of fortified tooling prepregs. With this arrangement, Abaris will continue to…
3M expands personal safety fall protection portfolio with two rescue devices
The 3M and DEUS Escape and Rescue System enables workers to steadily control their descent from heights up to 590 feet. The easy-to-use system, which weighs less than three pounds, can be used to facilitate escape and rescue procedures for individuals and/or multiple stranded workers in a short time. The Latchways Personal Rescue Device (PRD)…
Proving the value of vortex generators
Editor’s note: This introduction to vortex generators comes from a paper by UpWind Solutions with support from Smart Blade GmbH. Vortex Generators (VGs) have been a hot topic over the past several years in the wind industry and after extensive testing, fine tuning, and more testing, solid results are finally in. The results prove the…
Windpower Engineering & Development’s top 12 products of 2013
Ever wonder what products featured in this marvelous magazine you readers look for most often? It’s a curious questions, but who would know? Google knows. Their analytics feature keep and all-watchful eye on what you do, at least online. So armed with access to its all-watching feature, we asked the information giant: What products have…
3M becomes exclusive distribution partner for DEUS Rescue Safety
DEUS Rescue recently announced a distribution agreement with 3M Company that will give the 3M Personal Safety Division exclusive distribution rights to DEUS Rescue products in fall protection-related industries. Under the agreement, 3M will sell DEUS controlled descent devices, kits, and related accessories through its broad network of distributors and dealers starting in late 2013.…
3M to include DEUS products in fall-protection portfolio
DEUS Rescue has announced a distribution agreement giving 3M Company exclusive distribution rights to DEUS Rescue products in fall protection-related industries. Under the agreement, 3M will sell DEUS controlled descent devices, kits, and related accessories through its broad network of distributors and dealers starting in late 2013. The 3M Fall Protection catalog will include DEUS…
Protecting blades against leading edge erosion
Those wind turbines on the distant hillside may seem like they are turning at a lazy 15 rpm, but in fact, their blade tip speeds could be exceeding 160 mph. Some blade tip speed can reach up to 250 mph. Being exposed to the elements — rain, hail, and salt spray – can wreak havoc…
How Moog engineers packed 150 kW controller into 10 kW package
This article comes from Moog Inc. and was written by Project Engineer Emily Ceccarelli. Moog was recently tasked, as part of a research project for its Naval Business Unit, to fit fifteen times the amount of power without increasing volume into a peak sine drive controller. By refining topologies, designs, and mixing it with fluid coolant,…