Composite Curing

ProTherm has several solutions for composite curing. Our heating blankets and controllers are ideal for manufacturers, composite repair technicians and anyone who works with composite materials.

Composite curing is a critical step in manufacturing quality composite materials. Traditionally, most composite parts required autoclaves for proper curing. Today, low cost out-of-autoclave curing of aerospace-grade composite parts is possible using a vacuum bagging system with a walk-in batch oven. The process is precisely controlled and monitored to ensure void-free composite parts.

Composite curing blanket and controllerComposite materials are a two-part system that consists of a cloth fiber material and an epoxy resin.  The epoxy resin bonds the cloth layers together and through a curing process, forms a strong and lightweight product.  The term “pre-preg” is used to identify cloth materials that are pre-pregnated or pre-saturated with a resin.  They are preferred over typical wet lay-ups because they provide less mess, less waste, faster cure time, better part uniformity, and better appearance.  However, these pre-preg cloth materials can be challenging to fit into the sometimes complex shapes and contours of a mold.  Preheating the mold to approximately 120°F (49°C) softens the pre-preg cloth material as it is hand laid into the mold.  The heat makes the cloth more malleable and easier to work along the sometimes complex geometries of the mold.

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