Situation:

One of the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturers wants to actively enter the offshore market. This requires a switch from the traditional drive train technology with a gearbox to direct drive technology based on permanent magnets.

Complication:

The customer is not very familiar with working with permanent magnets. The forces involved are complex and can be dangerous for those not familiar with them. The customer is thus faced with a technical challenge to which he has no answer. In addition, there is time pressure to be the first to bring this product to the market.

Question:

The customer needs a partner who can assist him in working out the optimal way to mount the magnetic modules. There is also a need for a partner who can take care of the magnet production and who has experience in assembling these powerful magnets. All this under the given time pressure.

Solution:

Together with Bakker Magnetics, the customer starts the process of achieving cost-effective production of the magnet modules (co-development). A number of challenges are tackled: the efficient assembly of the magnets, the safe assembly of the magnets and the provision of top-quality products with good corrosion protection.

Result:

Thanks to very close collaboration, a task-oriented production line has been developed for the production of the magnetic modules. By combining knowledge and expertise, a win-win situation is created.
Because the solution does not use a magnetic box that is susceptible to breakdowns, maintenance on this component is not necessary. This reduces the chance of turbine failure. Moreover, by using permanent magnets, no electricity needs to be used for the generation of a magnetic field. This increases the efficiency of the turbine.