The EU-funded ORGANIC project is a four-year project aimed at developing 3D printing technology that combines bio-inspired structures with artificial intelligence. Led by Spain’s Aimen Technology Centre, the project began on June 1, 2025, and involves 13 partners across eight European countries. The initiative will focus on creating wind turbine blades using bio-based materials and AI-driven manufacturing processes.
“Additive manufacturing is highly promising but has its challenges,” explains Andrea Fernández Martínez, AI researcher in Aimen and project coordinator. “It’s a young technology which needs to improve before it will yield first-time-right products. The bio-intelligent approach we take in ORGANIC is based on data and will give us the opportunity to create a system that will correct itself by comparing what has been produced with the ideal state towards a first-time-right fabrication.”
The project targets wind turbine blade manufacturing, specifically the core layer of the three-layer sandwich structure currently made from PET, PVC, or balsa wood. By 3D printing customized cores from bio-based materials, the team aims to improve recyclability while maintaining technical performance. The approach could potentially reduce costs and increase sustainability in wind turbine production.
The consortium includes Spanish wind turbine manufacturers, 3D printing companies specializing in large composite parts, universities, research organizations, and software companies. Iconiq Innovation from the UK leads the work package for “boosting bio-intelligence adoption in AM.” The project will develop prototype printing heads equipped with sensing technology and test them at Aimen’s Laser Applications Centre.
The software component will feature an AI-driven cognitive and evolutionary control system based on digital twins and reinforcement learning. The team plans to integrate Asset Administration Shell-based digital twins for standardization and interoperability. While initially focused on wind energy applications, the technology is designed to be adaptable across various manufacturing sectors that could benefit from bio-based materials.
Source: compositesworld.com