Walk-In Batch Oven Cures Composites for Aerospace Industry

Wisconsin Oven designed and manufactured a gas-fired walk-in batch oven to cure composite material for the aerospace industry. The customer manufactures various parts for several aircraft manufacturers. The oven is divided into two (2) independent chambers that are separated by a vertical lift door which can be opened to combine the chambers for curing long parts. The front section of the composite curing oven has a useable chamber length of 25’0”and the rear section has a useable chamber length of 20’0”. When the center door is open the curing oven has an overall useable chamber length of 45’0”. The oven was designed with the capacity to heat a 3,500 pound load (per oven section) of composite material and steel structure from 70° to 300° F within one (1) hour when loaded into an ambient oven.
The composite curing oven has total chamber dimensions of 12’0” wide x 46’0” long x 8’0” high and a maximum operating temperature of 500º F. The composite curing oven is constructed with 6” thick tongue and groove panel assemblies and 20 gauge aluminized steel interiors and ductwork. Each individual chamber utilizes a 1,500,000 BTU per hour industrial air heat burner including a motorized gas control valve, flame detector and flame relay with alarm horn. The front chamber recirculation system has a 37,000 CFM @ 30 HP blower and the rear chamber has a 30,000 CFM @ 25 HP blower. A combination airflow design was used to maximize heating rates and temperature uniformity.
The industrial batch oven is specifically designed with composite curing features for precise temperature and pressure control. The exhaust features motorized dampers on both the fresh air inlet and the exhaust outlet for enhanced heating and cooling capabilities. The vacuum system has a total of eighty (80) interior vacuum stubs and forty (40) vacuum ports located throughout the oven. The oven also has eighty (80) type “J” thermocouple jacks and a jack panel wired to the data acquisition system for control and recording. All of these composite curing features provide the customer with the ability to closely monitor part temperatures for a high quality cure. For more information on composite curing ovens visit our website.
The customer required a 60-point (30 points per chamber) temperature uniformity survey for +/-10°F at 300°F as required by testing requirements for AMS2705D Class 2 furnaces. The oven has a UL certified NEMA 12 control enclosure with IEC style motor starters, push buttons, and pilot lights.
For further details on this equipment, or to work with The Wisconsin Oven Corporation on another application, call Jim Lucas at (262) 642-6010, or by email at jlucas(at)wisoven(dot)com. To request a quote for a composite curing oven please visit the website and fill out the online batch survey questionnaire with equipment specifications.