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JCATI

Carbon Fiber Recycler: Oven Heating System

SERVICES

Introduction

​Recycled carbon fiber is a versatile and useful material used in different machines, clothing, and to create advanced materials. The JCATI (Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation) carbon fiber recycler machine is a multi-part process that breaks down airline wing tips and extracts the carbon fiber to be used elsewhere reducing the amount of material entering landfills and providing manufacturers with cost saving solutions. The initial CWU carbon fiber recycler had multiple dilemmas to be addressed, one was the lack of an oven to melt the resin off the carbon fiber. Because the last oven melted down the entire system needed to be built from scratch. This project will focus on the design and creation of a new heating system for the oven to melt the resin off the wing tips allowing the carbon fiber to be recycled. 

OUR WORK
Image by Eva Darron

Presentation Videos

Presentation Spring Academic Quarter Part 1

Presentation Spring Academic Quarter Part 2

Project Report

ABOUT US
Tropical Leaves

Initial Sketch

Figure 3-Initial Sketch 3
Figure 1-Initial Sketch 1
Figure 2-Initial Sketch 2

Results

The predicted result for the oven heating system operating with a single heating element at 2,000 watts of power was it would take approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. The actual result is unknown due to issues arising during the testing process. To ensure safety the testing process began with using a single heating element to ensure the wiring of the system was done correctly. The first problem encountered was a lack of power going into the heating cartridges, which was discovered that there was no voltage going through the terminal block at that section. After rewiring the system, the heating element was able to receive power and started heating the overall environment. The second issue encountered was the solid-state relay meant to turn on/off the heating element to regulate the enclosures temperature was not working properly. During the third testing cycle the oven heating system reached the targeted goal of 500°C in 2 hours and then held that temperature for the required 30-minute heating cycle. 

Figure 4- Testing Average Temperatures vs Time Graph
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