Current wind turbine blade manufacturing technology uses thermoset plastic composites. An alternative approach is the reactive processing of thermoplastic composite parts using Anionic Polyamide-6, as has been completed at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The noted benefits to blade design incorporating this technology include: higher strength; better impact properties; not turning brittle at low temperatures; unlimited shelf-life of raw materials; environmental and economic benefits from fully recyclable'blades. Thermoplastic blades might have an added potential for longer lifetimes compared with thermoset plastic. A blade that lasts longer would be a sound financial investment for energy companies and is therefore worth pursuing. In this paper we outline our efforts to process thermoplastic composites using vacuum infusion technology, which is the standard practice used by industry for processing thermoset-composite blades. We also highlight the many hurdles faced in the reactive processing of thermoplastic composite parts using Anionic Polyamide-6.
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