Design of a Small Scale Hot Press for Making Aerogels

Union College is the birthplace of the Rapid Supercritical Extraction Method (RSCE) used to make aerogels. Aerogels are porous nanostructured solids that have high surface areas and the lowest density, thermal conductivity, speed of sound, and electrical conductivity. A Tetrahedron MTP-14 industrial automatic hotpress with 14-inch by 14-inch platens is currently used to make aerogels up to sizes of 5" by 5". The goal of this project is to design a small-scale, inexpensive hot press capable of making 2" x 2" aerogels. The design implements the four steps of the RSCE method: seal, heat, release, and cool. The structure of the hot press is designed to hold a 4" x 4" x 0.5" mold with a 2" x 2" x 0.5" cut out area for the aerogel. A Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in SolidWorks assessed transient thermal and static performance on a simple model. The transient analysis confirmed that 200 W of power per platen heats up the mold to 550 °F in under two hours. The static analysis examined a combination of the thermal load provided by the transient analysis and a compressive force of 6000 lbf on the top of the mold. The analysis verified the structural integrity of the model with the applied loads. Specified components include: heaters, a hydraulic jack, sensors, and a solid state relay. Detailed drawings and a bill of materials have been constructed. The next steps will include validating the design and the designated components before seeking funding to manufacture the small scale press.