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Brighton Science Blog
Topic: Composites
Beyond Surface Prep: How Manufacturers Are Using Water Contact Angle to Control Adhesion Quality
Introduction Adhesion failures are among the most common yet preventable issues in composite bonding, coatings, and sealants. Whether in aerospace, automotive, or medical manufacturing, poor surface preparation can lead to structural weaknesses, warranty claims, and costly rework. But what if the...
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Posts by Topic
Enhancing Automotive Manufacturing with Surface Intelligence
The Evolution of Automotive Materials and Their Challenges The automotive industry is constantly evolving, with manufacturers adopting advanced materials to improve strength, fuel efficiency, and durability while reducing weight and cost. Traditional materials like steel and iron are increasingly...
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Maximizing Composite Adhesion with Water Contact Angle Analysis: Why Surface Preparation Matters
Composite materials are essential in industries like aerospace, automotive, and medical devices because they offer a combination of strength and lightweight properties. But no matter how advanced these materials are, their performance relies on proper surface preparation. If a surface isn’t...
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The High Cost of Molding Defects: Protect Your Bottom Line
Imagine crafting a colossal mold, a behemoth capable of shaping fiberglass and composites into the intricate contours of a plane wing, the sleek hull of a boat, or even the entire body of a bus. It's a monumental task, requiring months of meticulous preparation and planning. As you gear up to start...
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Gaining a Competitive Edge: The Power of Surface Analysis with Brighton Science
Every manufacturer that bonds, coats, paints, seals, or cleans needs objective surface measurement technology. It's the key to compressing lead times, reducing waste, and improving product consistency. Brighton Science has a versatile suite of solutions for surface analysis based on water contact...
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Guess the Contact Angle: IPA Wiped Composite Material
This 'Guess the Contact Angle' video is the first of our next series of videos focusing on how contact angle changes when a composite surface is cleaned or treated in various ways. The contact angle featured in this demo is formed by a water droplet deposited using the handheld Surface Analyst on...
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Surface Preparation for Primer Coating of Composites in Aerospace Applications
Achieving a flawless, long-lasting paint job on an aircraft is a complex undertaking. This multi-stage process starts well before the final coat graces the wings and tail. Components are meticulously molded, prepared (often involving multiple steps), assembled, and then coated with primers and...
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Surface Treatment of Thermoplastics for Aerospace Components
The Aerospace and Defense Industry is experiencing a market boom right now. Investments in the aerospace industry are an increasingly significant part of the world economy. Last year, almost $1 trillion was spent worldwide, with about $400 billion spent directly on aircraft and space systems...
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Topcoat to Primer Surface Reliability for Aircraft Painting
Adhesion problems don’t have a preference when it comes to the kind of damage they cause. Whether the end result is structural or cosmetic, adhesion-related failure headaches for manufacturers abound. One of the most crucial aesthetic operations for aircraft OEMs is the topcoat of paint, although...
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Surface Quality in Aircraft Sealing and Bonding for Repairs
When an aircraft is manufactured, every single portion of the plane or jet is designed to be able to be serviced and repaired for the next 20-30 years. Aircraft manufacturing OEMs are building aircraft with the expectation that extensive repairs will have to be done later down the road. This is an...
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Everything Breaks: What Reliability Means for Adhesively Bonded Products
The seemingly easy and obvious answer to the question implied in the title of this article is: reliability means no failures whatsoever forever and ever, amen. Sadly, it’s not quite so simple.
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How to Bond Fiber Reinforced Plastics for Harsh Environments
Many manufacturers have a dual performance concern when their products are out there in the world being used in whatever capacity they were designed for. These parallel interests are: how to maintain the appearance and how to guarantee structural integrity through common usage of the products.
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Study Proves the Surface Analyst is Dependable for Process Control
One of our favorite services we provide to manufacturers is to help optimize surface preparation techniques for their particular materials and products. It’s our specialty and one of our biggest passions. We feel so strongly about it because we know that if you, as a manufacturer, are able to...
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Automotive Series: Surface Preparation of Composite Surfaces
Building a More Fuel-Efficient Automobile The pursuit of producing a more fuel-efficient automobile does not rely solely on the efficiency of the engine. A great amount of fuel efficiency gains are possible not because of improvements to engine design but because of improvements in materials....
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