Harper International has been awarded several projects for UHT (ultrahigh-temperature) continuous furnace systems. One system, rated at 2800°C (5072°F), will be installed at FISIPE in Portugal. It will be used for the development of high-modulus carbon fiber for applications requiring high rigidity. Harper has developed UHT furnaces in a range of sizes, from as small as 65-mm-wide systems producing 10 tons per year – such as the FISIPE install – to production rates of 400 tons per year.            

In other news, Harper International finalized a contract with a customer in Brazil for a research-scale carbon-fiber processing line. The line will include Harper’s oxidation ovens, LT and HT furnaces, and a state-of-the-art HMI supervisory control interface. The fully integrated and extensively outfitted micro-line has the capacity to process continuous tows of carbon fiber with high precision and outstanding data-collection capabilities. The system will be used largely for investigation into the use of carbon fiber.