equipped with a flexible membrane. This preform can consist of 11-20 single layers and has a dimension of 3 x 6m. Hydraulic actuators under the membrane then form the stack against the rotor blade segment mould placed over the membrane. The preforming process starts at the neutral point of the stack and then transforms the 2D stack into a 3D preform. Fig. 2: Gantry robot with winding effector over the transformation unit (without membrane) and cutting unit in the background Fig. 3: From the curvature analyses to the drapeability test results Fig. 5: Textile cutting unit (TCU) and textile handling unit (THE01) in progress Fig. 6: Optical quality carbon unit (OQCU) mounted on the articulated arm Fig. 4: Drapeability testing of the novel Saertex NCF Vacuum infusion is possible directly after the preforming process. Another option is to store the preform until it is needed in production. The preform production process starts with the take-up of the NCF rolls into a cutting unit (especially developed for the project), which is equipped with an automatic shifting device to balance the transverse displacement of the rolls. An air-permeable conveyor belt transports the textile to an articulated arm which produces transversal and longitudinal cuttings using an ultrasonic knife. The contour shaped textile is rolled onto a winding effector (THE01) of a gantry robot. This winding effector has a winding drum with 5 sections that can be individually regulated. Each of the sections grips the cut textile using a special needle gripping system, spools the textile onto the drum and lays it down where it is needed. The segmentation of the winding drum into five separate segments that can rotate individually makes the layup flexible. Fig. 7: Auto fix unit (AFU) equipped with SAERfix EP® mounted on the articular arm No90 June - July 2014 / Feature Wind energy The most important difference compared to actual processes is that the layup in the main mould and the preforming process can be done in parallel, so that the moulding time decreases significantly. It was necessary to develop a novel NCF to achieve an undulation- and wrinklefree preforming process, especially in the complex 3D-shaped trailing edge area. As the areal weight, layer sequence and orientation could not be changed in the Areva blades, it was necessary to determine the possibilities of the textile development at first. The analysis of the mould curvature made it possible to determine where the most critical geometry had to be expected in the preforming process. The change-over from a spherical half pipe (root section) into the complex 3D-shaped trailing edge placed the highest demands on the drapeability of the NCF. Additional drapeability tests of standard NCFs showed undu- lations and wrinkles exactly where these failures where expected from the curvature analysis. The development process of the novel NCF also involved drapeability tests using the drape test analyzer method that won a JEC Award in Singapore in 2012 in the Test and Control Machinery category. This made it possible to predict the gapping and undulation properties of the textile in advance, before starting large area drape tests in the mould (these tests were documented in graphs and pictures). Several development steps were necessary to create an NCF capable of being laid down without wrinkles and undulations. The result is an NCF which fulfils all these needs, with the additional property that the rovings in the 0° direction (UD) are able to follow the contour of the part. jec composites magazine 31