Thermal Characterization of Microwave Assisted Foaming of Expandable Polystyrene

Microwave range had been widely used for heating processes. In this work theoretical and experimental results on manufacturing of expandable polystyrene using specific frequencies of 2.45GHz are presented. Simulations of temperature distribution were performed using the software Comsol Multiphysics®. In order to increase the material absorption to microwaves, several solvents as ethanol, a mixture of ethanol/water and hydrogen peroxide were tested. Temperature distribution inside material was measured with an infrared laser sensor. Microwave heating allows Expanded Polystyrene Styrofoam (EPS) molding in 180seconds, reaching a considerable manufacturing time reduction compared with traditional processes where drying time may take up to one day.