Chamber oven

reheatingpreheatinginfrared

Overview
Industrial oven solution designed for aerospace applications to accelerate the industrialization of thermoplastic composites through fast-response medium-wave infrared heating with high spatial uniformity. Targets complex 3D parts, variable thicknesses and higher production rates while ensuring repeatability, process safety and full traceability.

Thermal challenges for aerospace

• High precision: heat rapidly at high temperature with uniformity across each part area.
• Complexity & adaptability: 3D geometries, variable thicknesses and composite stacks require continuously adaptable processes.
• Faster production rates: transition to thermoplastics demands shorter cycle times without compromising quality.
• Safety and traceability: each cycle must be controlled, recorded and reproducible for programmes with strict quality standards.

Sopara thermal response & solutions
Sopara provides an integrated thermal approach combining fast-response medium-wave infrared emitters, high-density multi-zone heaters and an intelligent control cabinet. Solutions are validated on critical aerospace materials and production rates to deliver precision, uniformity and reproducibility.

Thermal performance (highlights)

• Carbon-PEEK heating up to 450°C.
• Uniformity validated at ±10°C; development ongoing to reach ±5°C.
• Cycle times reduced from ~20 minutes to 5–10 minutes on validated processes.
• Reduced thermal gradients and drift.
• Production rate improvements up to 4× versus legacy technologies.

Medium-wave infrared: direct energy transfer
Faster, more stable and reproducible cycles through direct absorption by the material. Benefits include:

• Low-inertia medium-wave infrared suitable for high temperatures.
• Direct absorption by the material (eliminating inefficient air heating).
• Removal of cooling air flows incompatible with required uniformity.
• Fast, targeted energy transfer with energy per part reduced by ~4× versus some legacy systems.

High-performance heaters — IRM HP Aero V5™
Patented infrared heating architecture combining thermal pixelization, elimination of cold zones and adaptation to complex 3D thermoplastic preforms. Key points:

• IRM HP Aero V5™: patented high-performance heater architecture.
• 100% usable surface area with elimination of peripheral cold zones.
• Miniaturized high-density heaters (up to 132 zones/m²).
• Adaptation to complex 3D preforms (long parts, variable thickness).
• Miniaturized heater panels (~0.7 m²) enabling localized, high-resolution heating.

Intelligent control — ThermalCore™ cabinet
Real-time multi-zone control and supervision for precise power regulation, traceability and immediate drift/failure detection. Highlights:

• Simultaneous control of up to 200 independent zones.
• Dynamic power regulation and real-time supervision interface (control loops).
• Automatic failure detection in roughly 10 seconds.
• Full native traceability with temperature curve recording for each part.

Applications for aerospace
Heating and forming solutions for a wide range of aerospace uses including:

• Thermoplastic sheets (Organosheet) — heating and preforming.
• Transition from 2D to 3D — heating of laid-up or welded preforms with reheating and pressure compaction.
• Infrared preheating of thermoset composite parts (~60–70°C) prior to stamping.
• Paint and resin touch-ups as complementary processes.
• Thermoplastic mirror welding — rapid surface heating and immediate assembly to form welds.

Industrial achievements & client cases
Sopara reports deployments on aerospace production lines with results such as industrializing up to 300,000 parts/year in 3D thermoplastic composites, global adoption of IRM HP Aero V5™, validated thermal uniformity at high temperatures and documented energy savings. Projects span pilots to fully industrialized processes with audits, testing and progressive validation.

Credibility & deployment
Collaboration with OEMs and specialised laboratories, progressive methodology (audit, testing, pilots, industrialisation, training, predictive maintenance). Solutions have been deployed with major manufacturers and equipment suppliers and are founded on multi-year R&D and patented innovations.

Technical specifications

• Maximum material heating: up to 450°C (example: Carbon-PEEK).
• Thermal uniformity: validated ±10°C at 450°C, target ±5°C.
• Typical cycle times: reduced from ~20 min to 5–10 min depending on application.
• Production rate improvement: up to 4× vs legacy technologies; in some lines 1 part every ~3 minutes achievable.
• Thermal pixelization: up to 132 zones/m² (high-density multi-zone heaters).
• Control capability: up to 200 independently controlled zones (ThermalCore™).
• Heater panel footprint: miniaturized panels around ~0.7 m².
• Energy efficiency: direct IR transfer reduces energy per part (audits report up to ~4× reduction vs legacy).