Reinforcements with customized infusion speeds predicted as product of choice for wind turbine blades

Fiber-based materials supplier Ahlstrom-Munksjö (Helsinki, Finland) unveiled July 5 a new reinforcement fabric for wind turbine blade manufacturing that offers customized infusion speeds.

“As blades are getting longer and laminates thicker, resin infusibility is becoming more critical,” says Pekka Helynranta, vice president of Building and Wind for Ahlstrom-Munksjö. “Highflow Wind Energy delivers unrivalled resin infusion, minimizes air voids and reduces total cost of ownership by up to 15%. We believe that this new fabric will become the product of choice as trend towards longer blades and thicker laminates further develops in this industry.”

The HighFlow Wind Energy product range consists of several unidirectional and biaxial reinforcement fabrics with various infusion speeds for wind turbine blade manufacturing. They are currently available in E and High Modulus glass fiber versions and will soon be available in carbon version.

“We now have the expertise to develop reinforcement fabrics with customized infusion speeds, without limitation of fabric construction or weight,” says Helynranta. “This opens up clear opportunities in wind energy but also in other composite applications where improved and tailor made resin infusibility constitutes a clear benefit.”