Weyerhaeuser Company Limited

Enwave Corporation

Trus Joist Macmillan a Limited Partnership

Macmillan Bloedel Limited

Trus Joist Macmillan Limited

Robert L Pike

Mark Trelawny Churchland

Timothy D Durance

Jun Fu

Parastoo Yaghmaee

Norbert Kott

Marek Jan Gnatowski

Derek Barnes

Binh Pham

Douglas Elliot Rogerson

David Fookes

Vu Truong

Derek Alexander Templeton

An apparatus and method for dehydrating biological materials, such as vaccines and microorganism cultures, in which the materials are dehydrated in an evacuated container which is in a microwave waveguide that is open to the atmosphere. The apparatus comprises means for freezing the container of biological material, a microwave generator, a waveguide, means for introducing the container into the waveguide, means for applying a vacuum to the container and means for removing the dehydrated material from the waveguide. In the method of the invention, the container of biological material is put in a microwave waveguide open to the atmosphere, a vacuum is applied to the container, the material is frozen and is radiated to dehydrate it. The dehydrated material is then removed from the waveguide.

Apparatus and method for dehydrating biological materials with freezing and microwaving

An apparatus for dehydrating a liquid sample of biological material has a microwave waveguide that is open to the atmosphere. It has a microwave generator, means for introducing a container of the material into the waveguide, means for evacuating the container, means for rotating the container and means for removing the container from the waveguide. It can include means for moving the container through the waveguide and for sealing it. In a dehydration method, a container of the liquid sample is put into the open waveguide, evacuated, rotated at high speed and microwaved. The container of dehydrated material is then removed from the waveguide. The apparatus and method are particularly suitable for dehydrating vaccines.

Apparatus and method for dehydrating biological materials

The present invention is a microwave preheat press. The microwave preheat press includes a first and a second press section which define a press passage therebetween. A compression belt movable along the press passage is contiguous with one of the press sections. The press passage is configured such that it has an initial press section leading into a final press section. A microwave generator is in communication with a microwave waveguide applicator structure assembly such that microwave energy is created and transmitted through the microwave waveguide assembly into the initial compression section.

Microwave preheat press assembly

A method of drying veneer sheets by continuously shingling discrete wood veneer-sheets to form a layup where the leading edges of adjacent sheets are offset by a distance X with the lower, veneer sheet leading in the direction of movement the one there above and continuously feeding the so formed layup in the direction of movement into a drier where the veneer sheets while still in the layup are dried. The dried veneer sheets are then separated into discreet dried veneer sheets and are thereafter individually tested.

Method of drying wood veneer

A method of producing a consolidated composite wood product composed of discrete wood elements and a binder by forming a layup and preheating only a central longitudinal portion of the layup by application of microwave energy across the longitudinal axis and then pressing to consolidate the layup and applying further microwave energy in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the application of the preheating microwave energy through the sides of the compressed layup in the press.

Method of making a composite wood product from wood elements

The resistant to biological degradation of composite wood products is improved by applying a suitable aqueous dispersion of zinc borate onto the fibers to uniformly distribute and to adhere the zinc borate to the strands of the wood composite, applying a suitable adhesive to the wood strands, forming a strand lay-up and consolidating a lay-up under heat and pressure to form a consolidated product with zinc borate uniformly distributed therethrough.

Composite products

A composite wood product made from discrete wood particles secured together by a cured bisphenol A formaldehyde resin cured from an A-stage bisphenol A formaldehyde resin having an A-stage bisphenol A to formaldehyde mole ratio of 1 to between 2.5 and 4 and between 3 and 11% of caustic measured as sodium hydroxide based on the weight of resin solids. Preferably the resin will include 2 to 10% urea based on the resin solids. The cured bisphenol A formaldehyde resin secures the wood particles together to form a composite wood product having light colored glue lines that substantially corresponds in color with the wood so that the glue lines tend to be unnoticeable.

Wood composites with light colored glue lines

Microwave energy applied to a wood-resin composition such as plywood is used to cure the resin in a very short time, as compared with a conventional hot press process, and yet avoids the arcing and tracking problem that results when R.F. dielectric heating is used to reduce cure time. Pressure is applied to the plywood or other article being made either simultaneously with the microwave energy or shortly after the lather has been applied.

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Vancouver, Canada

Robert L Pike