Vacuum system for rotor blade production

Enercon relies on its good vertical integration to manufacture GRP rotor blades and other products in Aurich. The individual blades are up to 70 metres long and are very light in weight despite being extremely strong. They are first laminated and then cured before being finish-ground. This is done using hand sanders, which generate fine GRP dust that needs to be extracted.

Central Ruwac extraction systems are installed in multiple production warehouses and can be connected to any hand tool. The tools, which include hand sanders, for instance, are equipped with integrated suction units so that suction is always active directly at the point where fine dusts are produced.

This proven principle was also used when the company expanded its rotor blade production. The suction lines here all lead to a central station that is outside of the warehouse. There the extracted mixture of dust and air is passed through a high-speed cyclone, which separates around 98% of the larger dust particles and collects them in a silo. The pre-filtered air is then passed through a class C/dust class M filter which also traps at least 99.9% of the very fine dust, which is classed as a health hazard. As an additional precaution, a residual dust filter is connected downstream of the main filter.



The station comprises two units, which clean the dust from two different parts of the production hall. But if necessary one unit can handle the entire cleaning process on its own. Enercon can therefore rely on maximum availability for its air purification system. Vacuum pressure is generated as needed, ensuring energy-efficient operation of the system and automatic cleaning.