Patent ID: 9545782
Date: 2017-01-17
CPC Classifications: B29C,B29K,B29L,B32B,Y10T

Claim:
1. A method of bonding materials, comprising: defining a bond interface, having a first shape, between two materials in a cure zone on a surface of an object; and non-conductively heating the bond interface without directly heating the surface of the object outside of the cure zone, wherein non-conductively heating the bond interface includes emitting microwave radiation from multiple microwave emitters coupled to a housing having a second shape; determining a temperature of the bond interface with a temperature sensor; modulating emission of the microwave radiation from at least a subset of the microwave emitters based on the temperature of the bond interface; and enclosing the cure zone with the housing configured to isolate the cure zone from the surface of the object outside of the cure zone, and from a space surrounding the housing; wherein enclosing the cure zone within the housing includes adjusting the second shape of the housing and sealing a flexible portion of the housing against a curved portion of the surface of the object.