3D scanner allows flexible measurements of wind turbines and their components

Siemens Gamesa is a worldwide technology leader in the renewable energy industry, particularly in the development, manufacturing, installation and maintenance of wind turbines. As renewable energy pioneers since the 1980s, they put their enterprise-scale know-how and culture to work in order to drive the energy transition towards a sustainable world. They empower their customers, people and partners to lead the future with green energy.

Siemens Gamesa was looking for a 3D scanning system to take exact, agile measurements of wind turbines and their components so that they could be analyzed and processed using CAD software. The main goal was to dispense with traditional and inaccurate measuring tools such as tape measures and gauges, in favor of a more agile and precise method. Also, the solution had to be handheld since it would be carried around to measure wind turbines in different locations, and be sufficiently manageable to be carried inside the nacelle, and take measurements easily and efficiently.

Creaform’s Go!SCAN SPARK was a convincing and practicable solution compared to other alternatives. One of the major factors in the decision to purchase this 3D scanner was the available functionalities in the VXelements acquisition software: entity extraction, direct measurements, improvements in quality and scanning accuracy, and much more.

Implementing the scanner in the maintenance and part replacement processes was easy, since the actual scanning of components did not present too many difficulties. The Go!SCAN can be transported easily, directly where the measurements need to be taken. These measurements are then used to optimize the durability of the wind turbines, namely by developing custom parts for the replacement and maintenance of mechanical components. This streamlines the measurement process, and allows for taking the necessary measurements in situ, and processing the data afterwards in the technical office. At first, the main challenge was to learn the post-processing tasks in the VXelements software, but after a month it became manageable and there were no more problems.

Experience and benefits

“Above all, experiencing Creaform solutions has enabled us to improve the data acquisition process and the accuracy of that data, resulting in a simple and efficient process. What’s more, the measurements are stored and can be used at any time. We are currently evaluating the possibility of using the Go!SCAN SPARK for future projects,” said Mikel Goiriena Larrazabal, Platform Knowledge Manager at Siemens Gamesa.