Turning a new page in turbine blade maintenance

Working together with pioneering Danish company Rope Robotics, Teknos plays a key role in making the hazardous work of blade maintenance safer, more effective, faster and cheaper.

Rope Robotics, founded in 2016, offers a solution for robotic blade repair that involves a three-phase process consisting of sanding, cleaning with a rotating brush and finally applying the leading edge protection (LEP) material, with image documentation in each phase. After trying various methods for LEP, Rope Robotics found the right partner in Teknos. In 2019, they started working with Teknos specialists to make a perfect fit between the TEKNOBLADE REPAIR 9000 solution and their robotic technology. After an intensive process of close collaboration, Rope Robotics now has a unique automated turbine blade repair offering available to the market.

Partnership built on sharing experience

The ground-breakingly innovative TEKNOBLADE REPAIR 9000 is a single-layer solution, an elastomer-based VOC-free high solid paint, curing in minutes. It can be processed in temperatures from -8° up to +50°C, allowing for up to 25% more working days per year compared to competing solutions. Originally developed for manual application, it has proved a great fit for robotic use as well.
To meet the demands of the market, there is an advanced version of TEKNOBLADE REPAIR in development, with plans to launch in 2021. The new solution is designed specifically for robotic use, with an even faster curing time of only 30 seconds and a focus on further improving sustainability.

The partnership is built on open communication and sharing experience, with the aim of finding an optimal solution to achieve the proper quality. “Across various demanding industries, Teknos believes in a partnership approach – pooling resources and know-how for mutual benefit – as the ideal way of meeting a customer’s challenges.” - Clare McDermott , Business Development Director - Energy, Teknos.

“When something unexpected has happened with our robots, we’ve had a good and close discussion with specialists from Teknos, giving them feedback on how to experiment with the product in their labs. And the other way around, when they have learned something about the product, they have shared the information with us.” The close collaboration involves visits to customer sites where Rope Robotics and Teknos demonstrate their product offering together.

Blade repair gaining relevance

The main focus for Rope Robotics is currently on the Canadian market and Scandinavia, with plans to enter the US market as well as the other EU countries. The market is growing globally, with new and bigger turbines being constantly built and leading edge erosion being a problem for the whole industry.

Martin Huus Bjerge expects blade maintenance to become increasingly relevant, with the availability of inexpensive drone technology that provides wind farm owners with accurate and timely information on the condition of turbine blades. As recent research shows that blade erosion causes decreased performance, there is a great financial incentive to do repairs properly.

“There’s a big pool of customers out there looking for a solution to maintain their blades, and we have a really good offering to the market. We are really looking forward to working together with Teknos going forward, doing good and sound business.”

A professional way of looking at things

Teknos Business Development Manager Allan Bonde Jensen is also happy with the way the partnership with Rope Robotics has developed. “It has been a very interesting journey, as they have high expectations, which also makes us aim higher. They have a professional way of looking at things, and so do we. Working with Rope Robotics, we have managed to learn new things of our product and develop it for the better.”