Microwave heating and its applications in surface engineering: a review

Microwave energy has the potential to become one of the most popular sources of energy for material processing in the future. In the microwave processing of materials, electromagnetic energy is directly delivered to materials through molecular interaction. This causes rapid and volumetric heating of materials which leads to reduction in processing time and saving in energy. This paper provides some basic characteristics of microwaves and briefly describes the known mechanisms of microwave material interactions. Fundamental aspects of microwave heating have been presented. Applications of microwave energy for various surface engineering applications, particularly in cladding, coating and glazing, have been highlighted.