Astraeus is designing and manufacturing solutions to the significant problems that impede the development of wind as an energy source. These new solutions will make wind energy less expensive to generate and will create components such as blades that outlast anything currently on the market worldwide. Our work is focused in two core areas: manufacturing automation and new materials development.

Manufacturing Automation

Astraeus has engineered a unique machine design to dramatically reduce the production time of turbine hubs, the large castings to which the blades are attached. Machining of this massive component typically takes 20 to 24 hours on the best production lines. Our proprietary technology allows Astraeus production lines to complete an entire hub in about four hours. This production improvement results in significant labor costs savings and improves component quality.

New Materials Development

Astraeus is developing new technologies that will automate blade manufacturing processes utilizing carbon fiber and other composite materials for blades and spar caps.

In what will be the first implementation of MAG's Rapid Material Placement System (RMPS), Astraeus will bring integrated manufacturing, with automation and repeatable process control, to wind blade fabrication – a process that has historically been manual, making blades prone to imperfections and weight variations, and exposing wind turbine manufacturers to warranty and replacement costs.

The use of composite materials also increases the life of components. Existing widely used materials may be adversely affected by extreme weather conditions, increasing repair and maintenance costs for energy providers.