# US 10,865,769 B2 · Methods for manufacturing wind turbine rotor blade panels having printed grid structures > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,769 B2 - Document ID: US10865769B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/818,957 - Filed: 2017-11-21 - Published: 2019-05-23 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-21 - Assignees: General Electric Company - Applicants: General Electric Company - Inventors: James Robert Tobin; Norman Arnold Turnquist; Stephen Bertram Johnson; Don Conrad Johnson; Thomas Merzhaeuser; Peggy Lynn Baehmann; Stefan Herr; Murray Fisher; Andrew McCalip; Alan M. Walker; Todd Anderson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865769B2 ## CPC - B29C 70/78: Moulding material on one side only of the preformed part - B29C 64/10: Processes of additive manufacturing - B29C 64/393: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - B29D 99/0028: {hollow blades} - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - F03D 1/00: Wind motors with rotation axis substantially parallel to the air flow entering the rotor (controlling thereof F03D7/02) - F03D 1/0675: {of the blades} - F03D 3/00: Wind motors with rotation axis substantially perpendicular to the air flow entering the rotor (controlling thereof F03D7/06) - B29L 2031/08: Blades for rotors, stators, fans, turbines or the like, e.g. screw propellers - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes - F03D 80/30: Lightning protection - Y02E 10/72: Wind turbines with rotation axis in wind direction - Y02E 10/74: Wind turbines with rotation axis perpendicular to the wind direction - Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B29D: PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE (making granules B29B9/00; making preforms B29B11/00) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - F03D: WIND MOTORS - B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A method for manufacturing a rotor blade panel of a wind turbine includes placing one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins into a mold of the rotor blade panel. The method also includes printing and depositing, via a computer numeric control (CNC) device, a plurality of rib members that form at least one three-dimensional (3-D) reinforcement grid structure onto an inner surface of the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins. Further, the grid structure bonds to the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skins as the grid structure is deposited. Moreover, the method includes printing at least one additional feature into the grid structure. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for manufacturing a rotor blade skin for a rotor blade of a wind turbine, the method comprising: placing one or more fiber-reinforced outer skin layers into a mold of the rotor blade skins; printing and depositing, via a computer numeric control (CNC) device, a plurality of rib members that form at least one three-dimensional (3-D) reinforcement grid structure onto an inner surface of the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skin layers, the grid structure bonding to the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skin layers as the grid structure is being printed and deposited; and, printing and depositing at least one additional feature into the grid structure. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one additional feature comprises at least one auxiliary feature of the rotor blade skin or at least one assembly feature of the rotor blade skin. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one auxiliary feature comprises at least one of a balance box, a support, housing, or enclosure for an active aerodynamic device, ducting or channels for deicing systems, one or more supports for a friction damping system, one or more supports or pockets for a load control system, one or more passageways, one or more valves, supports, tubing, or channels around a hole location of the fiber-reinforced outer skin layers, one or more sensors, one or more heating elements, a wire, a rod, a conductor, or a lift feature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein printing the at least one additional feature into the grid structure further comprises enclosing at least a portion of the grid structure. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one assembly feature comprises at least one of one or more alignment structures, at least one handling feature, or one or more adhesive containment areas. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, further comprising printing a plurality of handling features to the grid structure to provide multiple gripping locations for removing the rotor blade skin from the mold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising printing the at least one additional feature into the grid structure using at least one of an undercut or a negative draft angle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising printing at least one lightning protection feature onto at least one of the one or more fiber-reinforced outer skin layers. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising printing a first layer of the grid structure to form individual base sections of the plurality of rib members, each of the individual base sections defining a cross-section that is wider and thinner than a remainder of the plurality of rib members. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising forming, via the CNC device, a curve at a start location of a first rib member and filling the curve with an end location of a second rib member. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising forming at least one substantially 45-degree angle at one or more nodes of the grid structure.