Companies working on material innovation can experiment with their process at Harper International Corp., Lancaster, N.Y. The firm’s Technology Research Center helps with process development and optimization for clients working toward commercial scaleup or developing thermal processing systems.

According to Harper, customers can use on-site thermal systems to gather data and fine-tune their processes with a focus on varying production rates, temperature regimes, processing times, atmosphere compositions and flow rates.

The research center has a range of thermal systems that can handle a client’s process conditions, and the facility has the ability to modify and tailor existing pilot equipment to specific process requirements. On-site equipment includes:
  • Batch and continuous furnaces.
  • Small kilns to large furnaces with three temperature zones.
  • Furnace conditions from atmospheric to nitrogen or specialty gases.
Harper’s capabilities in thermal process engineering studies include:
  • Process cost models.
  • Economics of increased production capacity with current and future technologies.
  • Analysis of the best-suited technology 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.
For more information about the company, go to www.harperintl.com.