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.

In addition to Harper’s rotary, box and elevator furnaces, we also offer microwave testing as a part of our Research and Piloting facility. All non-metallic and electrically non-conducting materials can be tested in temperatures ranging from 600°-1800°C. Applications include, but are not limited to; ceramic processing, shaped ceramics, activated carbon, battery materials, and food processing.

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