The objective of the current paper was to extend the relationships bet
ween complex polymer structures and microwave absorptivity that were f
ormulated in the first three papers of this series (1-3). The microwav
e processing of composite and polymeric blends via a cylindrical reson
ance wave cavity and a rectangular standing wave applicator is describ
ed. These polymeric materials were irradiated in a low power(< 100W) e
lectric field at 2.45 GHz. Graphite-epoxy laminates were processed in
both standing and traveling wave applicators. Rapid heating and curing
were achieved in both cases. An observation of significance was that,
with proper tuning of the traveling wave device (the precursor of a p
ortable repair tool), it proved to be highly effective in processing.
Additionally, a compatible blend of poly(methyl methacrylate) and poly
(vinylidene fluoride) was heated in an applicator and the rates of tem
perature rise were demonstrated to depend upon morphology.