Case Studies/Wind Energy
Case 02 — Wind Energy

Welding Workstation
for Wind Turbine
Stators & Rotors.

Delivered to China's largest wind turbine manufacturer. Covers the full 4X–10X series. CLOOS arc control, TOFD flaw detection, and ±0.08mm TCP precision — ≥95% UT pass rate maintained for over 12 months of continuous operation.

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Robotic welding workstation for wind turbine stators and rotors Wind turbine stator/rotor welding — CLOOS robot on 3-axis gantry, L-type positioner, large structural component
System Overview

The Constraint: UT-Grade Consistency
Across the Full Series Range.

Delivered to China's largest wind turbine OEM, this system automates stator and rotor welding across the complete 4X through 10X product series — a dimensional range that demands adaptive process control, not fixed programming.

UT acceptance was a contractual requirement, not a post-delivery target. The client required that TOFD flaw detection be integrated into the welding process, with real-time heat input monitoring ensuring that every weld met inspection criteria from the first qualified production run.

The load capacity requirement of 5 tonnes with ±0.1mm repeatability, and the need for single-side welding with double-side forming — without back gouging — defined the positioner and welding process engineering from the start.

±0.08mmTCP positioning accuracy
≥95%UT pass rate, maintained
4X–10XFull series coverage
6 unitsPer shift (4 rotors + 2 stators)
Operating Status

Running stably for over 12 months. ≥95% UT pass rate maintained across the full series range throughout continuous production operation.

System Configuration

Engineering Decisions
Behind the System.

Robot & Gantry
CLOOS QRH-405 welding robot mounted on a 3-axis gantry system. Gantry configuration selected to cover the full dimensional range of the 4X–10X series — single-axis robot reach cannot address both the smallest and largest components in this series. CLOOS platform chosen for the arc control architecture required for this process.
Positioner
Dual-axis L-type positioner with 5-tonne load capacity and ±0.1mm repeatability. Dynamic flipping capability for accurate seam alignment without repositioning. Designed and validated under production thermal load — not at room temperature on nominal-dimension components.
Welding Process
Pulse MIG process with copper backing plate. Configuration achieves single-side welding with double-side forming — eliminating back gouging entirely. Heat input per pass defined and monitored in real time. Interpass temperature limits enforced by the control system, not operator judgment.
Quality & Inspection
TOFD (Time-of-Flight Diffraction) flaw detection integrated into the process — not applied as a post-weld check. Real-time heat input monitoring provides weld quality traceability for every pass. UT acceptance criteria were in the process specification before the first production run.
Fixture & HMI
Quick-lock clamping fixtures for simplified setup across series variants. HMI interface designed for minimal operator input — the engineering handles quality, the operator handles loading and program selection.
Engineering Evidence

Failure Risk &
Engineering Logic.

Where a standard approach would have failed
  • Single-axis robot reach insufficient for both 4X and 10X component dimensions — system would require repositioning or be limited to part of the series
  • Standard positioner precision degrading under 5-tonne thermal load — UT pass rate would drift as the system reached production steady-state temperature
  • Back gouging required for conventional double-side forming — adds a full manual step and creates access and safety issues at this component scale
  • UT acceptance treated as post-weld check — process failures discovered at acceptance testing, not at qualification. Rework at this component size is costly and slow
  • Heat input monitored by operator rather than system — shift-to-shift variation in interpass temperature produces inconsistent UT results
AGR engineering decisions
  • CLOOS QRH-405 on 3-axis gantry — reach covers full 4X–10X dimensional range without repositioning. Gantry configuration validated in offline simulation across all series dimensions
  • Dual-axis L-type positioner validated under production thermal steady-state — ±0.1mm repeatability confirmed after full production thermal cycle, not at room temperature
  • Pulse MIG with copper backing plate — single-side welding, double-side forming, no back gouging. Process validated for full penetration across the component thickness range before FAT
  • TOFD integrated into process — detection runs during production, not after. UT criteria in process specification from start. First-run TOFD results included in FAT documentation
  • Heat input monitoring by control system — interpass temperature limits enforced automatically. Operator cannot override. Consistent results independent of operator experience level
Production Result

What 12 Months of
Continuous Operation Proves.

Result 01 — Inspection
≥95% UT Pass Rate
Maintained across the full 4X–10X series in continuous production — not only on qualification samples. TOFD detection integrated into the process means every weld is inspected, not sampled. 12+ months without a UT acceptance failure on production output.
Result 02 — Process
No Back Gouging Required
Pulse MIG with copper backing achieves double-side forming from single-side welding. The manual back gouging step — a significant production constraint at this component scale — is eliminated. No post-processing of any kind required on qualified output.
Result 03 — Throughput
6 Units / 8-Hour Shift
4 rotors and 2 stators per shift, maintained consistently. No quality drift between early-shift and late-shift output. The system was validated for shift-length stability before handover — first-off qualification was not sufficient.
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Start From the Inspection Requirement

Wind Energy Welding Starts
From the UT Standard.

The assessment for wind energy applications begins from the inspection criteria — UT class, TOFD or UT methodology, acceptance levels — and works back to the process engineering required to meet them consistently across the full component series.

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Wind energy industry page →
  • Wind turbine stator and rotor welding
  • Tower section and flange fabrication
  • TOFD / UT inspection-integrated process
  • Multi-series production coverage