Percy Roc participated in the 18th International Conference on Microwave and High-Frequency Applications: AMPERE 2021, on September 13-16 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The AMPERE conference focuses on the multidisciplinary fields of microwave and radiofrequency applications, including heating and microwave sources.
The conference provides a unique opportunity for the presentation and discussion of the most recent advances in microwave technology and its applications. In short, a perfect fit for Percy Roc’s novel microwave curing technology. At this occasion, we shared how we cure carbon fiber reinforced composite materials with our groundbreaking industrial microwave heating technology.
Carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are increasingly sought after in large industries such as automotive and aerospace because of their high tensile strength and low density. Traditional industrial curing processes of such composites involve long heating times in an autoclave oven. The ovens rely on convective heating, where the whole body of the oven has to be heated, not only the composite materials. Microwave heating, on the other hand, has the advantage of heating only the composite material. This method saves time as well as energy – our solution can reduce the curing time and energy consumption by as much as 90% thanks to our novel Microwave Rapid Magnetic Induction Heating process.
In addition to only heating the composite material, our method uses infrared (IR) cameras connected to a machine learning based control system – meaning the system oversees and controls the heating in real time – to make adjustments and ensure a highly homogeneous heating result. Homogeneous heating – where the entire surface of the processed material is heated at the same time – works better than a traditional autoclave, as it allows selective heating which is not possible with conventional hot air heating, the resulting effect is a reduction of defects occurring during the curing process.
So, apart from saving you time and energy costs, our solution also provides you with composite materials of superior quality. Want to know more? Email info@percyroc.se to set up a meeting.
Fig. 1: Interior of our microwave curing device with a carbon fiber composite.