Experimental studies on the curing of alternate un-reinforced mould materials using microwave heating

Abstract

There is an increasing interest of using microwave technology for curing resins. The heating of the epoxy resins greatly relies on various factors which includes the dielectric properties, kind of waveguide used and the frequency and power used. The majority of curing via microwaves were normally performed on epoxy resins like diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) with hardeners like 4,4’ diaminodiphenylmethane (DDM). This paper investigates the experimental use of materials such as Casting Resin ADR 2512, High Temperature Resin ADR 2515 and Laminating Resin GPR 2516. Two high temperature hardeners were used together with the resins, mainly ADH 2403 and ADH 2409. Microwave curing resulted in a shorter curing time to reach the maximum percentage cure. Two moulding techniques were studied, mainly curing by placing the mould in the cavity or by preheating the resins prior to pouring the resin into the mould. By preheating the resin, it decreases gel time and improves production rates.