How SCANOLOGY’s 3D Scanning Solves the "Core" Challenge in Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturing

Precision Matters in Wind Energy

In the wind power industry, turbine blades are at the heart of energy conversion. Their dimensional accuracy and structural integrity determine the efficiency, reliability, and service life of an entire wind turbine. However, as blades extend well beyond 100 meters in length, maintaining precision across their massive, complex geometry becomes a significant challenge—especially when it comes to a crucial component inside the blade: the core material.

This lightweight composite material fills the space between the blade's skin and spar cap, enhancing stiffness, stability, and load-bearing capacity. Any deviation in the core's dimensions can lead to poor fit during molding, increased rework, and even structural inconsistencies that affect blade performance. For years, this has been a persistent "core issue" for blade manufacturers.

Customer Background

Mingyang Smart Energy Group Co., Ltd. was founded in 2006 and has since become a leading global player in clean energy technology. The company's business covers wind, solar, storage, and hydrogen energy systems, as well as engineering services and intelligent energy solutions. Mingyang ranks No. 1 in offshore wind innovation and newly installed capacity worldwide in 2023, setting a benchmark for sustainable energy manufacturing.

With its expanding production scale, Mingyang needed a more precise and data-driven solution to control the dimensional quality of wind turbine blades—especially during the molding and assembly stages where the core materials are installed.

The Manufacturing Challenge

During blade production, core materials are pre-machined into one-meter segments and inserted into the leeward side between 21 and 40 meters along the blade length. Before this process, the factory relied mainly on theoretical CAD drawings to shape the core material. However, due to mold wear, process variation, and manual operation, the real geometry of each blade section often differs from the design.

This discrepancy results in:

Poor core fitting — gaps or overlaps during assembly

Frequent rework — manual trimming, filling, and patching on-site

Material waste — discarded composite materials after failed fitting

Extended production cycles — delayed assembly and quality re-inspection

Traditional measurement tools such as tape measures and calipers are insufficient for capturing complex 3D contours. They can only measure discrete points, not continuous curved surfaces, leading to inaccurate data. The lack of reliable digital geometry not only slows down production but also prevents accurate feedback for mold adjustment and design optimization.

The 3D Scanning Solution

To address these challenges, Mingyang adopted SCANOLOGY's KSCAN-E 3D scanning solution. The KSCAN-E wireless all-in-one 3D scanner combines photogrammetry and laser scanning to deliver high precision, high speed, and full-area 3D data acquisition—ideal for large-scale and freeform surfaces like wind turbine blades.

The entire scanning workflow was designed to ensure both accuracy and efficiency, even in the complex, confined space of the blade interior.

Step 1: Pre-bonding Scanning

Before bonding the blades, engineers used the KSCAN-E to scan the upper and lower edges of the leeward side between the 21-meter and 40-meter sections. This captured the real-world 3D data, providing a digital foundation for subsequent machining of the core material.

Step 2: Post-Molding Alignment

After bonding, the same section was rescanned to capture the reference markers previously attached to the blade's inner surface. These markers serve as coordinate references, ensuring that both sets of scan data are aligned within the same reference frame.

Step 3: Data Processing and 3D Reconstruction

Using SCANOLOGY's DefineSight software, engineers automatically aligned and merged the pre- and post-bonding 3D data to create a complete, high-precision 3D model. This digital model accurately represents the real shape of the blade's inner surface and can be exported in standard file formats (such as STL or STEP) for direct use in CAD/CAM systems.

The digital data is then sent to the core material supplier, who can precisely machine each core section according to the actual blade geometry—ensuring a perfect fit during assembly.

The Results

1.Precision Data Enables Smarter Manufacturing

With the KSCAN-E, engineers can now obtain accurate 3D data of the blade's complex edges within minutes. The scanner's precision—up to 0.020 mm—ensures that every subtle curvature is faithfully captured. This eliminates uncertainty caused by relying solely on theoretical models and establishes a digital foundation for quality control, mold calibration, and design iteration.

All scan data is archived, forming a traceable digital record that supports continuous improvement in blade production.

2.Seamless Assembly and Higher Efficiency

By machining the core material based on real scanned data, the fitting accuracy has improved dramatically. Each core section now matches the blade cavity with near-perfect precision, allowing for fast, seamless installation. This has almost completely removed the need for manual trimming or padding, reducing the assembly time significantly and enhancing the overall production rhythm.

3.Cost Reduction and Waste Prevention

The transition from manual correction to "first-time-right" manufacturing has led to remarkable cost savings. The elimination of rework reduces both material waste and labor hours, while improved consistency helps stabilize downstream production planning. In essence, SCANOLOGY's 3D scanning solution delivers measurable returns by combining efficiency, precision, and sustainability.

Project Summary

This project demonstrates how SCANOLOGY's advanced 3D scanning technology can fundamentally transform wind turbine blade manufacturing. The KSCAN-E's wireless operation ensures smooth mobility even inside narrow spaces, removing the risk of cable entanglement and improving on-site safety.

The resulting high-precision 3D models serve as a reliable digital reference for machining, inspection, and virtual assembly, preventing mismatched components and costly rework. More importantly, the entire process becomes data-driven and predictable, enabling manufacturers to shift from reactive correction to proactive control.

By integrating SCANOLOGY's 3D measurement solutions, Mingyang has built a standardized, digitalized, and intelligent manufacturing workflow for wind turbine blades. This success not only enhances production efficiency and quality but also sets a new benchmark for digital transformation in the global wind energy sector.