RA Wind lands 500,000 NOK grant to 3D print wind turbine blades on-site

What's the deal? RA Wind, a Norwegian offshore wind startup, has secured a 500,000 NOK ($50,846) grant from Innovation NorwayDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to develop robot-controlled 3D printing of wind turbine blades. It has also completed a capital increase from local investors to match the grant.

What does it do? Founded in 2023 in Sandnes, RA Wind develops rotor and nacelle technology for offshore wind, with turbine designs of 25-40 megawatts (MW) and floating units up to 120 MW.

What's the endgame? Blades for modern offshore turbines can span more than 100 metres, forcing complex transport from fixed factory moulds to installation sites. RA Wind aims to print blades on-site using large industrial robots — cutting long-distance transport, enabling site-specific designs, and opening the door to lighter, potentially reusable materials.

What's next? The grant will fund technical and commercial work, including 3D printing and analysis of small composite prototypes and simulation of the printing process. The next planned step is a pilot factory using up to four large robots.

Why it matters: Most blades today use composite materials that are hard to recycle, making end-of-life a growing concern. Producing blades from reusable materials from the outset adds another dimension to the project.

The signal: Reducing the cost of offshore wind at scale is central to Norway's energy transition. RA Wind's broader ambition is to cut installation, operations and maintenance costs by 50% through a patented modular turbine design built around standard industrial components and designed for robotisation and AI.

Read more: CompositesWorld

Image credit: Slaunger