We are proud to tell you that we have successfully repaired a huge bearing area of the main shaft of a wind turbine using Laser Cladding, which highlights the capability of our additive manufacturing cell and the coating technology we have.
As in all industrial sectors, good maintenance of each element is an essential process (including inspections, cleaning, lubrication and, of course, repairs). In the case of the wind sector, the most common is the inspection of the turbine and, when we talk about repairs, these usually refer to the replacement of damaged parts such as blades, bearings and gears.
However, is it possible to avoid replacement (thus avoiding the financial outlay involved in purchasing a new part) and opt for a repair? In many cases, yes, it is. And we have demonstrated this by repairing a large bearing seat (wind turbine main shaft of approximately 20 tons with a cross-section diameter of 920 mm x 480 mm in length) with our laser cell.
How do we, at Izadi Group, repair such a component with Laser Cladding?
Our process begins with careful preheating of the component using a purpose-built heating element clamp, which allows us to focus the heating and precisely control the temperature during preheating and throughout the input, creating the ideal conditions for our three-layer, 25 g/min laser cladding process. Throughout this operation, rigorous thermal monitoring and control measures are applied to the part using friction thermocouples and a thermal camera to ensure accurate deposition, recording second by second process parameters such as laser power, gas and powder flows.
The process is performed with our own automated reloading hopper 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (patent pending) and under precise process control using our own formulas.
Do you want to see how was the complete repair process of this unique piece? Don’t miss this video in which we show it in detail👇
Wind turbines: service life and most common failures
The type of turbine used largely determines the service life of wind turbines. While it is true that current turbines are more durable, since they use more modern materials, what happens to those that are older? Well, they tend to suffer from a series of problems that also need to be solved so that they continue to operate normally. And, among these “problems” are bearing wear, which translates into a loss of efficiency when transmitting energy from the rotor to the tower.
Another common problem is the wear of the gears inside the gearbox, as well as the wear of the blades. If this is your case, in Izadi Group we can help you: we have extensive experience in the industrial sector, from which we provide advanced solutions both in industrial power (IZDIT gearboxes and open transmissions), as well as in predictive maintenance through a test bench based on Internet of Things (IoT).