#1
Rotor and blades: the main contributor to wind turbine unavailability.
Sandia National Laboratories CREW database
Wind energy · Blade inspection
Smart wind turbine inspection
We detect, classify and prioritize blade damage using drones, artificial intelligence and a 3D digital twin. You get maintenance decisions, not thousands of photos.
- 15–60 minof downtime per turbine
- No crewsworking at height or on ropes
- 1 reportper turbine, with an action plan
- 24/7private portal for your team
The challenge
Blades are the leading cause of downtime and lost output on a wind farm
>50 %
Of annual operation and maintenance spending goes to unplanned failures.
Wood Mackenzie: USD 8.5 billion a year worldwide
2–10 %
Of annual energy production can be lost to leading-edge erosion.
Range in the technical literature, depending on severity
Sources: Sandia CREW via EC&M; Wood Mackenzie via Recharge; J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1618 (2020) 052015.
The solution
One service, four layers of value
From flight to decision: everything your maintenance team needs to act in time.
Drone
48 MP photos with RTK positioning, with no one working at height.
Artificial intelligence
Detects, classifies and prioritizes every defect so you know what to fix first.
3D digital twin
The turbine rebuilt in 3D, so you can review it from the office.
Private portal
All of your wind farm's information, with exclusive access for your designated manager.
Every AI finding is validated by a specialist before it reaches your report.
Method
Five steps, from turbine to decision
- 01
Planning and safety
Coordination with your team, turbine stop and lockout, flight plan.
- 02
Inspection flight
Four passes per blade with an industrial-grade drone and RTK positioning.
- 03
3D reconstruction
Point cloud and georeferenced model of the turbine.
- 04
AI + specialist
AI detects and classifies; a blade expert validates every finding.
- 05
Report and action plan
One report per turbine, 3D twin and priorities in your private portal.
The flight takes 15 to 60 minutes per turbine, according to industry figures.
Artificial intelligence
AI turns thousands of photos into decisions
1,284high-resolution photos
31possible defects detected by AI
24findings validated by a specialist
4priority actions with deadlines
Detects 9 types of damage
Classifies severity 1–5
Prioritizes by risk
Compares year over year
Figures from an example turbine. Photo: public WTBD dataset (Ji, Cheng and Wu, CC BY 4.0) with detection by the fX Industrial model.
Savings
Less downtime, more energy produced
≈ 85 %
less downtime per inspection
On a wind farm with 30 turbines of 3 MW: ≈ 116 fewer hours of downtime per campaign, equal to ≈ 120 MWh that do get generated.
Ranges published by ESVAGT, SkySpecs and Heliguy. fX Industrial estimate using midpoints and a 35 % capacity factor; we calculate it with your wind farm's data.
3D digital twin
Your entire turbine, on your office screen
Navigate and measure
Rotate, zoom and measure on the model, without climbing the turbine.
Anchored findings
Every defect in its real position, with its photo and technical sheet.
Year-over-year history
Compare inspections to see which damage is growing, and how fast.
Georeferenced model rebuilt from the flight photos. Illustrative animation.
Private portal
All your information, in one place, for your eyes only
- Only the manager you designate can access your company's information.
- Encrypted connection and data kept separate for each client, at its own address.
- Photos, reports, 3D models and data tables for every inspection.
- Available 24/7, from any office.
Illustrative screen. Every client has its own space on fx-industrial.com.
Deliverables
What you get for each turbine
- PDF report with priorities and deadlines
- 3D viewer with anchored findings
- Photos, original and annotated
- Data table for your maintenance system
- Action plan, preventive and corrective
Pages from a sample report (in Spanish).
Roadmap
A two-phase path
Phase 1
Smart blade inspection
External drone inspection, AI analysis validated by a specialist, 3D digital twin and a private portal with every turbine's reports.
Wind farm baseline and history from the very first flight
Phase 2 · Optional, from year 2
On-demand response, outside and inside the blade
Sized with the experience gained in phase 1.
DJI Dock 3 + Matrice 4TD
A drone that lives on your wind farm: it takes off from its station on its own and we operate it remotely, with a thermal camera, for inspection, emergencies and site security.
Flyability Elios 3
Caged drone with LiDAR 3D mapping to fly inside the blade, with no one entering confined spaces.
Manufacturer data. Operations subject to flight conditions and to Mexican aviation (AFAC) regulations.
Why fX Industrial
Engineering, technology and judgment in one team
Industrial-grade equipment
DJI Matrice 4E drone with RTK positioning and professional photogrammetry processing.
Human judgment
AI proposes; a specialist validates. We adapt severity to your company's criteria.
Your data is yours
We do not share it with third parties; any other use is agreed in writing in the contract.
Nationwide coverage
Office in Puebla, Mexico, serving wind farms nationwide, in Spanish and English.
FAQ
What clients usually ask us
Does the turbine need to be stopped?
Yes. During the flight the turbine is stopped and locked out, for 15 to 60 minutes according to industry figures. We coordinate the stop with your team to minimize production impact.
Does artificial intelligence replace the technician?
No. AI reviews every photo and proposes possible defects; a blade specialist confirms, corrects or discards each finding. The final decision always rests with your maintenance team.
What do I get for each turbine?
A PDF report with priorities and deadlines, original and annotated photos, a data table for your maintenance system and the 3D digital twin, all available in your private portal.
Do you use my company's severity criteria?
Yes. In the technical meeting we review your criteria and adapt the classification so the report speaks the same language as your maintenance team.
Who can see my wind farm's information?
Only the manager you designate and the people they authorize. Every client has its own space, with an encrypted connection and separate data.
Where do you work?
Throughout Mexico. Our office is in Puebla and we work in Spanish and English. All operations follow flight conditions and AFAC regulations.
Next step
Let's start with a technical meeting
Tell us about your wind farm. We review scope, site safety and your severity criteria, and propose a tailored plan.