Project description
Sustainable and competitive wind turbine blade manufacturing
Wind turbines have proven themselves to be a key renewable energy technology that has greatly advanced green energy and sustainability efforts. Despite this, the growing need for more green energy sites has put a strain on wind turbine blade manufacturing, which would greatly benefit from novel solutions. The EU-funded SAMBA project is developing a wind turbine blade manufacturing solution that combines digital quality assurance, semi-automation, and advanced materials into a scalable pilot line. To achieve this, the project’s interdisciplinary team, featuring expertise in robotics, materials science and other fields, will utilise and develop key technologies that improve productivity, sustainability, safety, and competitiveness throughout manufacturing.
Objective
SAMBA (Semi-Automated Manufacturing Blade Approach) delivers a transformative leap in wind turbine blade manufacturing by integrating semi-automation, digital quality assurance, and advanced materials into a scalable pilot line. As Europe targets 500 GW wind capacity by 2030, SAMBA addresses the urgent need for high-throughput, defect-free blade production. The project pioneers four innovation streams: (1) automated ply kitting and stacking to reduce ergonomic risks and improve layup precision; (2) intelligent pick-and-place systems for distortion-free mould placement; (3) digital assurance using AI-enabled defect detection and process modelling; and (4) advanced preforms with automated ply scarfing for improved drapability and joint integrity. These innovations will be validated on a 40 m blade span of the V236 platform at Vestas’ Isle of Wight facility, demonstrating industrial relevance and readiness at TRL 6.
SAMBA’s impacts span productivity, safety, sustainability, and competitiveness. It targets ≥50% cycle time reduction, ≥95% first-pass yield, and ≥5% unit cost savings, while reducing manual handling by ≥70% and aerosol exposure by ≥90%. Environmental benefits include ≥25% GHG reduction and ≥90% hardware reuse. The project supports the EU Net Zero Industry Act by enabling clean-tech manufacturing in Europe and strengthening strategic autonomy. The consortium unites nine partners across six countries: two large enterprises (Vestas, Owens Corning), two SMEs (Envisma, Vivid Components), three RTOs (NCC, Tecnalia, Arditec), and two RPOs (DTU, University of Bristol). This interdisciplinary team spans manufacturing, robotics, materials science, AI, and sustainability, ensuring robust innovation and exploitation. SAMBA will deliver 13 Key Exploitable Results, a full-scale demonstrator, and a roadmap for industrial deployment, positioning Europe at the forefront of sustainable wind energy manufacturing.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy wind energy
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL5-2025-02
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2800 Kongens Lyngby
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.