The history of Brighton Science (formerly BTG Labs) is rooted in adhesion research. Originally a development lab, Brighton Science specialized in plasma polymerized coatings. The engineers worked with coatings containing corrosion-resistant and anti-microbial properties. Brighton Science worked to improve adhesives and surface treatment processes. This brought about the Surface Analyst, and today, Brighton Science still utilizes its twenty-plus years of Materials Science expertise to assist manufacturers in understanding how the Surface Analyst fits into their production process and how their surfaces affect the overall manufacturing processes.
As an innovative and investigative materials science company, Brighton Science boasts a highly sophisticated lab with several analytical instruments. Brighton Science not only produces the ideal surface measurement device, but it can help develop surface preparation processes, troubleshoot existing surface-sensitive processes, and diagnose surface chemistries.
Surface chemistry directly relates to surface energy and can predict a surface's ability to maintain a bond. Thus, when developing or remodeling surface processes, knowing the chemistry of one's surface is a good starting point. Our X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS) uses X-Rays in an ultra-high vacuum system to provide elemental information about specific surface chemistry. Sensitive to the top two molecular layers of a surface, the XPS reveals to the customer exactly what is on the surface of their product.
The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), another powerful technique utilized for surface analysis, uses infrared light to detect the presence of functional groups on the surface of your material. It is also capable of coating characterization (i.e., liquid films, contaminant residue, coupling agents, etc.). With specular reflectance, attenuated total reflectance (ATR), transmission, and diffuse reflectance accessories, Brighton Science is equipped to analyze a vast array of materials and surfaces.
Once the chemical species on a surface have been identified, the next step is to correlate surface chemistry to bondability. In an ideal situation, manufacturing floors would be free of contamination. However, this “ideal” does not exist. A more realistic approach is to identify possible contaminants and define a threshold for the amount a bond can endure. With our custom-made contamination apparatus, Brighton Science can apply controlled amounts of contaminant onto a surface. These contaminated surfaces can then be characterized with the Surface Analyst, FTIR, or XPS, bonded, and used for mechanical testing in our Instron for push-off, lap shear, or fracture toughness tests.
Furthermore, it is equally important to understand how cleaning procedures affect surface chemistry; operator techniques and various cleaning media affect surfaces in different ways. Years of materials science experience allow Brighton Science to provide customers with the best surface preparation process for their application. In-house cleaning capabilities include solvent cleaning, sanding, grit blasting, and atmospheric plasma treatment.
Using the Surface Analyst, Brighton Science can deduce the amount of cleaning required to achieve the desired surface energy. Furthermore, Brighton Science can quantify the amount of contaminant a bond line can endure. The Surface Analyst provides a fast, easy, and non-destructive means of surface characterization before bonding, coating, priming, and painting: a 2-second quality assurance check to increase bond reliability.
The contamination apparatus applies a controlled amount of contamination to a surface. Brighton Science can then examine the surface in the XPS or FTIR. These processes help to develop a surface treatment process from the first steps to the last by identifying surface chemistry, identifying and dissecting contaminants, testing those contaminants mechanically, treating a surface, and using the Surface Analyst to compile the appropriate surface preparation process for the desired application.
Visit the Expertise page to learn how Brighton Science can partner with your business to help solve, prevent, and control real-world adhesion issues.
To read more about managing surfaces in manufacturing, download this eBook and checklist, "Adhesion Failure Root-Cause Analysis for Manufacturers."