Open AccessEnergy Saving Glass Lamination via Selective Radio Frequency Heating
Author(s) -
Shawn M. Allan,
Patricia M. Strickland,
Holly S. Shulman
Publication year - 2009
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/967327
Subject(s) - lamination , materials science , radio frequency , process engineering , process (computing) , photovoltaics , throughput , energy (signal processing) , efficient energy use , mechanical engineering , automotive engineering , electrical engineering , engineering physics , nuclear engineering , composite material , engineering , computer science , telecommunications , photovoltaic system , statistics , mathematics , layer (electronics) , wireless , operating system
Ceralink Inc. developed FastFuse™, a rapid, new, energy saving process for lamination of glass and composites using radio frequency (RF) heating technology. The Inventions and Innovations program supported the technical and commercial research and development needed to elevate the innovation from bench scale to a self-supporting technology with significant potential for growth. The attached report provides an overview of the technical and commerical progress achieved for FastFuse™ during the course of the project. FastFuse™ has the potential to revolutionize the laminate manufacturing industries by replacing energy intensive, multi-step processes with an energy efficient, single-step process that allows higher throughput. FastFuse™ transmits RF energy directly into the interlayer to generate heat, eliminating the need to directly heat glass layers and the surrounding enclosures, such as autoclaves or vacuum systems. FastFuse™ offers lower start-up and energy costs (up to 90% or more reduction in energy costs), and faster cycles times (less than 5 minutes). FastFuse™ is compatible with EVA, TPU, and PVB interlayers, and has been demonstrated for glass, plastics, and multi-material structures such as photovoltaics and transparent armor