Quality/Metrology: Inspection - Brighton Science

Bonding, coating, painting, and sealing operations are generally extremely sensitive to the state of the substrate surface prior to establishing the interface. However, preparation processes (sanding, cleaning, treatment, etc.) are often manual and can introduce variation to the substrate surfaces. First generation methods for monitoring surfaces prior to bonding, such as wetting tension measurements via dyne inks and water break tests, are subjective, frequently destructive, pose health hazards, and may not be sensitive enough to reliably predict bond quality.

Water contact angle is a technique used for decades to understand surfaces, providing an objective measurement that can be correlated with adhesion performance. Cleaning, treating, and other surface preparation processes can be improved and controlled using water contact angle to achieve predictable performance.

Second generation water contact angle technology provides a cloud-connected, real-time method for gauging surface quality prior to bonding, coating, sealing, and painting. This Industry 4.0 technology provides a means for process improvement and process monitoring to maintain quality bonds at facilities across the globe. Real-life examples demonstrating water contact angle as a process improvement and monitoring tool across multiple facilities will be discussed.

Kaitlin Carroll

Senior Materials Scientist

Brighton Science

Kaitlin Carroll is a senior materials scientist at Brighton Science, the global leader in surface intelligence. Carroll works directly with Brighton Science customers, leading hands-on investigations aimed at building surface intelligence, solving problems, and controlling manufacturing processes. Carroll also serves as a technical customer success partner, collaborating with customers to extract maximum value as they leverage BConnect technology across their applications. After earning a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Duke University, Carroll spent her career working across multiple manufacturing environments and industries to combine chemical principles with those of lean manufacturing and methodical problem-solving. She is an experienced formulator and problem- solver, leading the quality and formulation departments at Da-Lite Screens before joining Brighton Science in 2023. Carroll has a keen interest in exploring ways to improve manufacturing through creative, data-driven methodologies.

More than 20 years ago, Brighton Science began as a development lab for plasma polymerized coatings. Through research and development work led by Chief Scientist and Founder Dr. Giles Dillingham, Brighton Science made great strides in the field of material science and adhesives in manufacturing. It was during this time that Brighton Science developed the Surface Analyst, the first hand-held contact angle measurement device used in the development of adhesive bonding for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

As a solutions-focused company, Brighton Science has mastered the ability to ensure adhesion for manufacturers in an ever-growing array of industry applications. We’ve refined how research, design, and production affect adhesion to help businesses create adhesion processes that result in quality products.

Through years of experience, our unparalleled products and our unique approach to fixing adhesion problems, we have helped some of the world’s largest companies build better products and develop reliable adhesion processes. Brighton Science combines decades of unmatched surface science expertise with precision diagnostic tools and sophisticated software to bring unprecedented visibility and insight to real-life adhesion, manufacturing, product development, and supply chain challenges. We’ve worked with hundreds of companies to solve thousands of problems, which lets us pinpoint issues quicker and get to solutions faster.

IMTS 2024 booth #134043
https://www.brighton-science.com