IMTS 2024 Conference: Quality Control of Surfaces in the Digital Age

Monday September 9 11:00 AM CST
IMTS05 Room W193-B

About the presentation
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.

Meet your presenter
Kaitlin Carroll is a senior materials scientist at Brighton Science, the global leader in surface intelligence. Kaitlin works directly with Brighton Science customers, leading hands-on investigations aimed at building Surface Intelligence, solving problems, and controlling manufacturing processes. She 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, Kaitlin 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. Kaitlin has a keen interest in exploring ways to improve manufacturing through creative, data-driven methodologies.