Adhesive bonding using variable frequency microwave energy

A method for adhesive bonding comprising the steps of:

• preparing an assembly of at least two articles, wherein at least one of said articles is electrically conductive, and wherein said articles have at least one common surface forming an interface to be bonded;
• applying a polymeric adhesive to said interface between said common surfaces;
• placing said assembly in a microwave heating apparatus including a microwave furnace including a multimode cavity;
• and
• irradiating said assembly with microwaves of varying frequencies, said varying frequencies selected to avoid damage to said assembly from localized heating and arcing of said electrically conductive article, said varying frequencies defining a bandwidth of at least five percent of a center frequency, whereby a plurality of independent microwave modes are established within said multimode cavity, said plurality of modes being sufficient to allow microwave power to penetrate said interface, thereby heating said adhesive bond to effect curing.