Wind industry
Systems expertise for wind turbines
Systematically. Everything from a single source.
People have always harnessed the power of the wind: whether to drive sawmills and mills, to pump water from wells, or to set sail. Nowadays, wind energy is primarily used to generate electricity. Over its lifetime, a wind turbine generates more energy than is required for its manufacture, operation and disposal. As turbines are currently manufactured, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make them more cost-effective. This calls for new, fresh and innovative design concepts for these turbines.
FreiLacke provides customers in the wind industry with coating systems for individual components – from the foundation to the rotor blade. FreiLacke takes the systems approach a step further and advises manufacturers on the design and construction of individual components, going well beyond simply painting and coating. As a supplier of system coatings, FreiLacke can draw on extensive expertise in raw materials and develop bespoke application solutions.
Application example Wind industry
Foundation
1 of 6
Nacelle
2 of 6
Hub & generator
3 of 6Rotor blade & blade tip
4 of 6Tower
5 of 6Blade tip
6 of 6
Wind and weather resistance
Strong wind, strong protection: Our system coating solutions for wind turbines
The foundation and the (concrete) tower Quality – from the base to the tip
To achieve an optimal surface finish on the foundation and the concrete towers, which is resistant to a wide range of weather conditions, combinations of two-component epoxy resin primers and two-component UHS topcoats are available. In addition, two-component levelling compounds are available for preparing the concrete surfaces. All systems are virtually solvent-free (<1%, Directive 2010/75/EU) and offer a wide application window, delivering reproducible coating results. The primer’s excellent penetration into concrete ensures outstanding adhesion. Compatibility with freshly cast concrete segments and levelling compounds is guaranteed.
The use of the 2K ultra-high-solid topcoat enables a range of customer requirements to be met. This low-odour coating can be applied effortlessly, either by spraying or with a roller. The system exhibits excellent early water resistance and offers optimum mechanical strength after only a short time, thereby enabling production halls to be put back into use sooner. The coating’s resistance to alkaline concrete is particularly evident in the fact that the surface quality remains unaffected when exposed to concrete slurry. In addition, elastic variants are available for use where higher crack-bridging performance is required.
The nacelle – Exterior as well as interior
Cost-effective GRP components manufactured as cladding in a modular design:
These prefabricated components can be assembled on site or in the factory. It is possible to integrate fixtures such as weather stations into them. The composite components are usually made up of glass fibres, a matrix resin and a colour-giving gelcoat layer. Styrenic GRP systems are traditionally used.
The base materials used here are styrene-dissolved, unsaturated polyester resins. These have proven their worth in use for decades.
With regard to low-VOC coatings (Directive 2010/75/EU), PU/PUR and other innovative systems can be used, thereby enabling higher standards of appearance to be achieved.
The hub and the generator – The centre
The area at the hub and the generator has a wide range of qualitative and process-related requirements.
For these coating tasks, we offer sophisticated wet and powder coating systems that can be used to optimise the respective processes.
Depending on the requirements, single- and multi-layer finishes can be achieved using our water-based paint systems.
For all applications that require the use of organic solvents, our proven high-solid and ultra-high-solid coating systems with a solids content of up to 90% are available. The primers and top coats can be adapted individually to the requirements and coating processes.
Many components are especially well-suited for coating processes using powder coatings. Very good anti-corrosion results can be achieved with a two-layer coating consisting of primer and top coating.
In the case of large or heavy components, these have to be baked in layer-by-layer with conventional powder coatings. In order to reduce the energy demand for this system, we have developed the “powder-in-powder” technology. This technology excels because the powder top coating can be applied directly onto the powder primer without using an extra step to first bake it in. As a result, only a single baking process is required, which saves energy and valuable production time.
Regardless of the number of different coating systems, FreiLacke ensures an optimal optical result while meeting the specifications.
By coordinating the different coating formulations, optical aspects, such as colour shade, gloss and, where required, the surface structure of all parts assembled next to each other, also match very well.
The rotor blade and the blade tip – When things have to go round and round
FreiLacke is system coating supplier in targeted industry groups. Our strength lies in the development of application solutions. For the coating of rotor blades, this means that all coating materials, from the filler and pore filler to primers, gelcoats, top coats and erosion protection materials (LEP systems) are available.
All activities have focused on customer-specific and individual regulatory requirements from a global perspective. This is why both high-solid and water-based topcoat systems are available. The portfolio is complemented by solvent-free or low-solvent fillers, pore fillers and gelcoat materials (in accordance with Directive 2010/75/EU).
Since the rain erosion resistance is one of the main requirements, we spend a lot of our developmental efforts on this area. The erosion protection values achieved by FreiLacke, which have already been tested and positively evaluated by different institutes (as well as the helicopter test processes (in accordance with Directive 2010/75/EU) and the water jet process), are not just the result of a very good LEP system but are also due to the targeted coordination of the individual coating materials.
In order to guarantee the performance of coating systems even during the ongoing operation of the wind turbine, tests such as rain erosion tests are conducted – both without stresses as well as following cyclical stresses (UV, climate change and salt water stresses). Some of these development processes were created in cooperation between FreiLacke and different testing institutes and bodies in the form of industry projects.
Special features of the LEP system: During the development of LEP, a special emphasis was placed on ensuring that it features a large application window and does not react to changing ambient conditions during processing. An easy application forms the basis for the developments.
A new path toward composite production
Blazing new trails
FreiLacke therefore optimally combines the various disciplines of composite manufacturing. By “composites,” we mean multi-component mixtures of different materials. Whether coating concrete towers or manufacturing rotor blades, the focus is on the optimal coordination of adjacent components. At FreiLacke, all coating systems are housed under one roof and have now been supplemented by innovative powder-resin systems.
Which products are used? The consistent implementation of the system approach is also reflected in the manufacture of composite components, such as rotor blades. The unique CM powder-resin systems allow new production processes for small and medium-sized rotor blades that practically operate independently of climate conditions.
The systems operate entirely without solvents. (Directive 2010/75/EU). The powder-resin systems are designed to work in conjunction with other coating systems and provide an optimal bonding base. The systems can be efficiently combined, which significantly reduces time-consuming production steps.
Brochure Wind industry
Contact us – we are there for you!
Do you need an individual solution for your coating? If so, get in touch with our experts. We will be happy to advise you about the right solution for your requirements. Your direct point of contact.
Your direct contact
Frank Berger
Leiter Geschäftseinheit
Director Business Unit
| +49 151 171 17 908 | |
| frank.berger@freilacke.de |
Do you have general questions?
We look forward to hearing from you.