DIGITAL TWIN BASED DEVELOPMENT OF MOBILE ROBOT ASSISTANT IN WIND TURBINES MANUFACTURING

The thrust for increased rating capacity of wind turbines has resulted in larger generators, longer blades, and taller towers. Presently, up to 16MW wind turbines are available in the market which is nearly a 60% increase in the design capacity over the last five years. Manufacturing of these turbines involves assembling gigantic-sized components. Due to the frequent design changes and the variety of tasks involved, conventional automation is not feasible, making it a labor-intensive activity. However, the handling and assembling of large components are challenging human capabilities. Additionally, it results in longer lead times and increased overall cost of sustainable energy. The article proposes the use of mobile robotic assistants for the hybrid automation of wind turbine manufacturing. The robotic assistant can result in reduced production costs, improved product quality, and better work conditions. The article presents the development of a robot assistant for human operators to effectively perform the assembly of wind turbines. The technology of the digital twin is explored for the commissioning and reconfiguration of the robot assistant. The digital twin also helped in speeding up the design and validation of the robot device. The case of the world's leading wind turbine manufacturer is studied. The developed system is also applicable to other cases of large component manufacturing involving intensive manual effort.