Post-Infusion Blade Scan: The First 30 Minutes

Author: RAS Thermal Co., Ltd. · Updated 2026-10-07

TL;DR Spar cap scanned within 30 minutes of infusion completion, while the blade is still in the station. The same 500 mm/s pass that keeps pace with takt time on the mould. Porosity, delamination and dry laminate resolved in one dual-modality pass. Results written to the blade serial before the blade leaves the station.

A spar cap is scanned within 30 minutes of infusion completion, and that window is not arbitrary. It is the point where the blade is still in the station, the shell is accessible and a defect is still a repair. Scan later and the same finding becomes a scheduling problem instead of a rework.

What this stage covers

The scope is the freshly infused laminate, before the blade proceeds down the line. The gantry scans the cap and the bond-line preparation surfaces at this stage, and the result is written to the blade serial while the blade is still positioned. The value is timing rather than method, because the method is the same one that runs at every other stage.

What the inspection includes

Spar cap scanned within 30 minutes of infusion completion, while the blade is still in the station
The same 500 mm/s pass that keeps pace with takt time on the mould
Porosity, delamination and dry laminate resolved in one dual-modality pass
Results written to the blade serial before the blade leaves the station

Where the value sits

The timing is what the stage is worth. A defect found here is fixed in the station, where the blade is accessible and the process can be corrected at source, and a rework instruction out in under 60 seconds means the fix happens inside the same visit. Scan the same defect after demoulding and the repair is harder and the blade has left the line. The scan cost is the same either way, so the only variable is when it runs, which is why the window is 30 minutes rather than whenever a slot is free.

How to plan this stage

Run these checks in order. By Step 5 the scan, the threshold and the record are aligned to the stage.

Fix the acceptance threshold. Start from the threshold the zone carries, not from the method you happen to own. IEC 61400-5 Section 11 asks for volumetric detection of indications 6 mm and larger in the laminate plane, and DNV-ST-0126 tightens the leading edge to 3 mm, so the threshold is set before the probe is chosen.
Read the geometry off the drawing. Measure the thickness and the curvature the probe has to travel. A spar cap up to 80 mm of unidirectional laminate and a root transition of changing radius are two different scan problems, and the radius decides how the array is coupled.
Choose the modality pair. Pick modules by defect geometry, not by habit. PAUT images planar separations that lie parallel to the plies, TOFD catches volumetric clusters whatever their orientation, and running both on a 256-channel system puts the two mechanisms in one pass.
Automate the scan path. Put the probe on an encoder-driven carriage and let the path, not the technician, set coverage. A 600 mm spar cap falls to one longitudinal pass at 500 mm/s on a linear array, where a single-element probe needs 20 parallel passes and runs about five times longer.
Lock the evidence chain. Write the coverage map, the daily calibration and the indication log to the blade serial while the scan is running. It is the difference between a 3-day type-certification audit and a 3-hour document review, and it is what ISO 9712 qualification is there to sign.

Values quoted here come from the same verified data the product pages carry, so this page and its sources agree line for line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why scan within 30 minutes of infusion?

Because the blade is still in the station, the shell is accessible and a defect is a repair rather than a schedule problem. The scan itself is the same one that runs at other stages, so the only thing the window buys is timing.

What is inspected at this stage?

The spar cap and the bond-line preparation surfaces. The cap scan resolves porosity, delamination and dry laminate in one dual-modality pass, and the result is written to the blade serial before the blade moves on.

Does the early scan hold up takt time?

No. The pass runs at 500 mm/s on a 64-element array, so a 600 mm cap falls to one longitudinal pass, and the rework instruction reaches the operator in under 60 seconds, inside the same station visit.

What does catching a defect here save?

It changes a cut-out into a repair and keeps the blade on the line. A defect found post-demoulding costs weeks of production time, and the same finding here costs a station rework, so the stage is where the timing pays.

Bottom line: The post-infusion scan is worth the timing rather than the method, because a defect found while the blade is in the station is a repair and the same defect found later is a schedule problem. Scan the cap at 500 mm/s within 30 minutes and write the result to the serial.