From spark to finish.
Get to market faster and more efficiently with Harper’s Ignite® process. Harper enables companies with R&D testing for advanced materials, from the lab to full commercialization, helping make their innovations a reality. Utilizing our depth and breadth of experience in thermal processing, we partner with our customer to ensure success as they scale up their process operations.
Harper’s support to emerging industries begins in early stages of research and development, whether at corporate R&D centers, universities, government institutions, or start-ups. Our mission is to assist these customers in turning the next generation of material innovations into profitable new markets. Just like our experience in the Carbon Fiber market, we help customers develop unique thermal processes and efficiently and effectively progress them into complete production lines.
Feasibility and Testing
Optimization of process parameters is critical prior to investment in thermal processing equipment to ensure capacity and quality requirements are achieved. At our Technology Research Center, customers utilize Harper’s systems and expertise in their process development and process optimization for use in commercial scale-up and for those systems with unique specifications. Harper also provides a variety of additional analytical services such as gas analysis (critical to ensuring compliance with environmental regulations) electron microscopy, XRD, BET, and other thermal and elemental analysis.
Learn more – Research Center & Pilot Facility
Engineering Studies
Count on our extraordinarily experienced engineering staff to conduct in-depth studies to determine equipment requirements and help define process parameters for optimal plant design to assist with technical and business strategy and financial planning. Our vast capabilities in thermal processing engineering studies include, but are not limited to:
- process cost models
- economics of increased production capacity with current and future state technologies
- analysis of best-suited thermal process technology system for new material innovations
- identification of opportunities for improved product quality and cost reduction
- investigation of solutions for transition from batch to continuous processing
- engineering of material handling solutions for unique processing systems
Learn more – Engineering Expertise
Tolling Services
Harper is pleased to also offer toll processing as an intermediary step of Ignite, further enhancing our complete process development solutions for our clients. On many occasions, clients need sampling quantities for prospective customers, and Harper can satisfy that need with our tolling partners who have a variety of Harper thermal system platforms available for production use. With our Ignite program, Harper’s Ph.D.’s and Engineers are involved from start to finish. To ensure the technical parameters during tolling operations are meeting the same requirements as our lab, our team reviews the process and is dedicated to providing additional support throughout the process.
Tolling is ideal for a variety of atmospheres including air, inert gas, reducing atmospheres and reactive gases. It is generally used for processing powders, pellets and components. Harper’s systematic approach to process development involves optimizing the best process with our customers and our technical experts. Once the process is defined, Harper then collects the data to scale up the system for commercialization with a full scale production furnace system.
Learn more – Material Market Experience
Research Scale, Pilot Scale & Full Production Scale Systems
As customers ramp up their operations, Harper offers a range of solutions in thermal regimes beyond what others can, including furnace technologies and oxidation ovens in lab scale to full production scale sizes. We have the building blocks to design even for the most challenging thermal process, using our years of practice to devise a first-of-a-kind, custom system every time.
Offering a complete solution for your advanced material process plant, from material handling to final product collection and everything in between, Harper is focused on helping customers link the process steps to achieve greater efficiencies in reduced operating costs, increased quality and productivity, and strategic risk mitigation. From first point of engagement, Harper rigorously designs thoughtful operations sequences that ensures a comprehensive perspective is maintained.
Learn more – Thermal Processing Technologies Portfolio