Oftentimes, to boost innovation and improve processes, you have to think outside the common practice. You have to take the restraints off of creativity. Freedom to design and build to the limits of our imaginations is ...
Manufacturers who produce products with surfaces that require paints, adhesives, or sealants face a challenge in determining the quality and reliability of the final product. The ...
In response to customer inquiries regarding surface energy, the Materials and Process Specialists at BTG Labs launched a research project to determine whether contact angle ...
What is the Difference Between Surface Tension and Surface Energy
How to Measure Surface Tension
The Water Break Test as a Surface Measurement Gauge
The Water Break Test as a Surface Measurement Gauge
What is the Best Fast & Accurate Alternative to Dyne Testing?
Surface Treatment Processes: Flame Treatment
In manufacturing, a final assembly is only as reliable as its constituent parts and the bonding or joining method used to hold them together, or the coating method used for ...
"Materials Science" sounds niche, and even a little peculiar, but no manufacturer is a stranger to the implications of material science principles for building reliable products. ...
The water break test is a common way for manufacturers to test the surface cleanliness of metals. Compared to other legacy cleanliness tests, it is relatively simple to perform, ...
The attractive force of the molecules present at the surface of a liquid towards each other is called the surface tension of that liquid. It may seem like a little thing (and in ...
Using adhesives in manufacturing is becoming increasingly common for building everything from massive machines to everyday tech devices. But companies' reliance on the science of ...
Construction companies and the manufacturers who build the parts and materials that create buildings are relying on adhesives more than ever. When it comes to modern flooring, ...
We’re all thinking a lot more about the surfaces we touch and the invisible things that might be on those surfaces. Manufacturers have been thinking about how surfaces interact ...
The Study of Goniometer Measurements Contact angle goniometry is the study of the characterization of liquid/solid interactions. The first benchtop goniometer designed at the NRL ...
BTG Labs has several opportunities coming up for you to connect with our Materials Science and Manufacturing experts. Webinars are a great way to learn more about technologies and ...
An exciting development is taking place to make surface quality and cleanliness inspection technology more available to all manufacturers. We have collaborated with ASTM ...
When thinking about what manufacturing looks like, most people envision sparks flying, metal clanking and fires blazing. This isn’t too far off the mark since metals have been ...
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 ...
Lately, the whole world has been having variations on the same conversation. Whether the discussion centers on N95 masks, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, or what ...
Cleanliness in manufacturing gains avid devotees all the time. Once the importance of cleanliness is grasped, it’s nearly impossible to think about manufacturing processes without ...
There’s no shame is asking for help. Adhesion problems have a tendency to be persistent and resilient to most solutions, causing frustration and long-term headaches at best, ...
When adhesion issues become apparent in a manufacturing process, they can seem to come out of nowhere. When coatings on circuit boards delaminate and cause shorts; when automotive ...
Excellent adhesion relies on manufacturer’s ability to understand and control three distinct yet interrelated elements. In manufacturing, adhesive bonding takes many forms but the ...
Adhesion is a powerful phenomenon that can hold massive structures together and fuse microscopic compounds. It is also extremely dependent upon delicate and fragile processes to ...
New Product Development is an essential component to the successful growth of companies who always challenge themselves to improve and innovate. Getting this design stage right is ...
In manufacturing it is extremely difficult to eliminate all inefficiencies and production deficits. Setbacks that come in the form of scrap rates and rework resulting from product ...
Adhesion processes vary widely across different industries that incorporate bonding, sealing, printing, coating, painting or cleaning into their manufacturing operations. Every ...
Dyne solutions have been the most common method of quality checking material surface cleanliness for decades. Their ubiquity and low cost have led them to be heavily relied upon ...
Cleanliness and adhesion go hand-in-hand. If you’re looking for an adhesion process to be successful then you are also absolutely interested in cleaning the materials involved in ...
Regulatory specifications in manufacturing exist to ensure that the highest quality, safest and most useful products are created. These are devised internally through research and ...
Production processes don’t just materialize, fully-formed on the manufacturing floor. Procedures and operations go through a full research and development cycle which can take ...
Manufacturers utilize research and design laboratories all the time. To scale new products up to the production line, years of toiling in testing labs is done to ensure that ...
When adhesion failure becomes apparent in manufacturing processes it can seem to come out of nowhere. Very often, there is no problem until suddenly there is. It feels ...
There are numerous obstacles to maintaining a material surface that is clean and fully prepared for adhesion in a manufacturing process. But there is one element that carries ...
Adhesion problems are an insidious concern to manufacturers in any industry with printing, painting, bonding, laminating or coating applications. These problems settle into a ...
What manufacturers know about the crucial role a successful adhesion process plays in a high-quality production operation and what manufacturers do about this fact can be widely ...
Various industries have different names for ways they change material surfaces during a production process. In medical fields and other industries dealing with high-reliability ...
There are times when trying to discern if adhesion in manufacturing will succeed seems like a deeply mysterious and opaque puzzle. The water break test is a simple and fairly ...
When adhesion failure plagues a manufacturing process it can be particularly disruptive. A production process may be humming along just fine and then it suddenly becomes clear ...
Manufacturers are constantly fighting against adhesion problems. Surfaces not sticking and adhesives not working is the daily reality facing manufacturers looking to make high ...
For the past five years BTG Labs has been a major presence at the annual meeting of the Adhesion Society. This year we are heading to Hilton Head, SC ...
Disclaimer: this article is not about COVID-19, it is about a surface treatment process for better adhesion in manufacturing. If you're looking for information about cleaning, ...
It’s easy to be dazzled by the advancements in electronic and medical devices that are constantly being made and discovered allowing manufacturers to work on increasingly micro ...
The BTG Labs suite of tools, that enable manufacturers and technicians to fully control their adhesion processes, has a new addition. The Surface Analyst 2001 introduces new ...
Parts washers are the heavy-duty, hardworking machines that have become irreplaceable staples in any automotive or machined part manufacturing process. As manufacturing processes ...
Co-written with Elizabeth Kidd, BTG Labs' Custom Applications Scientist. There's a logical fallacy akin to a "what's good for one is good for all" mindset that is devastating ...
The pervasiveness of electronics in every manufacturing industry has provided unique challenges. Manufacturers are tasked with protecting these componentsin environments that make ...
Plastics are ubiquitous a material as they come, and there is nary an industry that does not utilize them in an adhesion application; medical device, automotive, aerospace, ...
This Tuesday, December 11 at 2pm EST we'll be partnering with Plasmatreat, a developer of surface treatment systems, to present a webinar hosted by Plastics Technology magazine. ...
When a material begins its journey through a manufacturing process it becomes crucial to know and control everything that happens to that material as it makes its way down the ...
Ever wonder what a hungry BTG Process Engineer is pondering while preparing the turkey for the feast of gratitude to be shared around the Thanksgiving table? The sharp minds at ...
What is a Critical Control Point? A Critical Control Point (CCP) is any point in the manufacturing process where the surface condition of a material has the opportunity to ...
This article was co-written by Elizabeth Kidd, BTG Labs' Custom Applications Scientist and Research and Development Chemist. Coating and adhesive bonding are extremely common ...
We've collaborated once again with Composites World for a webinar elucidating a surface prep tool that's widely used and seldom understood. Watch the video of the webinar ...
Autumnal vibes have landed at BTG Labs and along with football-watching, apple-picking, Halloween costume-planning we have an array of opportunities for you to interact with us ...
In the diverse and ever-growing world of medical devices, particularly those involving polymeric tubing, it is always crucial, and not always easy, to test and definitively ...
Partnering with Plastics Technology, BTG Labs held a webinar about a topic that’s attracting a lot of attention.
What do both of these statements about surface adhesion have in common? “We need to measure surface quality of the teeth on a gear to make sure the coating stays on.” “We need to ...
Adhesion failure in manufacturing is an opportunity in disguise for exceptional business growth...if you do the work to understand the why behind your failures. Say what?
Your Technicians are Solvent Wiping Aluminum Wrong “We need to be solvent wiping our aluminum before it’s coated/painted/sealed/insert adhesion-intensive process here.” ...
10 Minutes to Fix your Manufacturing Operations What could happen in 10 minutes? Well, if you work to improve a manufacturing operation, you know that means quite a bit...
On May 21-24, BTG Labs heads back to Long Beach, CA but this time for the SAMPE 2018 Conference & Exhibition. Recently in Long Beach for AeroDef, one of the aerospace and ...
Real-time data. New industry buzzword? Or a new generation of process and quality control?
“We didn’t even know we were having process problems.” It’s an all-too-common phrase we hear from our customers, when they realize the level of understanding available to them now ...
Incoming! What’s that sound? That’s the sound of manufacturers not having a supplier specification created for incoming materials in their operation. It’s like the old piece of ...
“We’re manufacturing catheters, but currently we don’t have a reliable way to prove to the FDA that our plasma treatment process is effective and in control” It's no surprise ...
The quality of a process should be left up to chance. This is commonly the approach that has been taken by manufacturers when working to control their adhesion preparation ...
When it comes to preparing raw materials for adhesion in manufacturing, optimizing the level of surface preparation is directly related to achieving the highest quality final ...
The desktop goniometer is a widely-used and accepted method of obtaining surface energy measurements of materials in the lab setting. For those unfamiliar, the goniometer uses the ...
We get our circuit boards from an international supplier and don't have a clear understanding of what the , so how can we trust they understand our concerns and are objective with ...
Image above: Medical catheters used with a custom fixture
How do we obtain FDA validation on our medical tubing when there’s no way to show quality in a measurable and specific way? A question all too commonly faced in the medical ...
Last week, BTG Labs exhibited and presented at the largest composites show and conference: CAMX 2017. Despite a set-back due to Hurricane Irma, causing the date to be rescheduled ...
BTG Labs will exhibit at CAMX 2017, The Composites and Advanced Materials Expo, which will run December 11-14 in Orlando, FL. BTG Labs will host booth N17. Visit our booth for ...
Manufacturing a product to withstand the environmental stresses of wind, rain, and sediment is challenging enough. But, when you add saltwater and wave action to the mix, the ...
In some industries--including film and flexible packaging--dyne is the primary language. BTG Labs’ Surface Analyst uses water contact angle measurements as a fast easy, objective, ...
Of all the challenges manufacturers face, creating and optimizing critical surface processes for various materials can be very difficult. Traits such as location, size, shape, and ...
In 2014, a large manufacturer of automotive exteriors and interiors encountered a problem consistently adhering paint to their dashboards due to an inappropriate use of their ...
Watch BTG Labs’ latest video and learn how to gain total surface quality control with surface preparation with the push of a button. This video offers a way to better understand ...
Watch the latest BTG Labs’ video showing the Surface Analyst’s revolutionary method for optimizing critical surface processes in manufacturing. This video demonstrates how the ...
BTG Labs presented yet another successful webinar. Hosted by Composites World, and presented by Dr. Giles Dillingham, “Development and Control of Surface Treatments for Adhesive ...
Join BTG Labs for another webinar presented by Chief Scientist Dr. Giles Dillingham. Tune in Tuesday, October 17 at 2 pm ET for this highly anticipated seminar. Hosted by ...
Last week, SAMPE hosted a one-day technical conference, the High Desert Chapter, to provide an opportunity for composites manufacturers to touch base before the next full length ...
Check out BTG Labs’ recent article published in Converting Quarterly’s Q3 issue. The official publication and technical journal of International Metallizers, Coaters, and ...
Performing any kind of inspection on small parts can be difficult. When measuring for surface cleanliness, accessing small parts can be even more challenging, especially when ...
BTG Labs Lead Sales Engineer Lucas Dillingham will present “What Manufacturers Need to Measure When Controlling Surfaces for Adhesion” at AMI’s Polymer Testing & Analysis 2017 ...
BTG Lab's recently held another successful webinar. Hosted by Products Finishing and presented by Dr. Giles Dillingham, the webinar emphasized the importance of monitoring ...
Next week, BTG Labs will exhibit and present at SPE ACCE (Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Composites Conference and Exhibition) the world’s leading automotive ...
Challenges often arise when verifying critical surface processes on the factory floor when measuring hard to reach areas and varying angles. The Surface Analyst conquers those ...
Join BTG Labs August 29 at 2pm EDT for the webinar “How to Establish Quantitative Control of Cleaning Processes” hosted by Products Finishing, presented by Chief Scientist Dr. ...
Contrary to popular belief, print isn’t dead: at least not printed packaging, an industry growing to a worth of $8 billion of the $20 billion global print market. The printed ...
Nestled in the tall pines of the Jemez Mountains lies the Los Alamos National Laboratory. This center of scientific excellence, brings together some of the top minds in the world ...
Teflon is a household name that commonly invokes images of eggs sizzling on a skillet, spatulas flipping pancakes, or rice steaming in a pan. But, there is much more to this ...
In the BTG Labs’ Materials and Processing laboratory, magic happens. Or, at least it seems that way. In the BTG Lab our specialists see the unseen. They reveal the invisible. ...
BTG Labs’ Surface Analyst is more than just a fast, easy, accurate, hand-held, non-destructive, objective surface cleanliness gauge. It encompasses features to personalize your ...
Dr. Carlos Barrios, a colleague of mine from 3M St. Paul, asked over dinner at the last meeting of the Adhesion Society if I would like to take part in teaching a week-long course ...
Thanks to advancements in powertrain manufacturing, sealing processes have improved assembly efficiency. Formed-in-place gaskets (FIPG) are replacing traditional mechanical ...
Plastics manufacturers are all too familiar with the challenges of bonding thermoplastics. Last week, BTG Labs successfully hosted a webinar with Plastics Technology to discuss ...
SAMPE is the “Society of Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering,” and annually they host a conference and exhibit hall where Scientists and Engineers gather to learn ...
Every plastics manufacturer knows that bonding low energy thermoplastics can be challenging. In the upcoming webinar hosted by Plastics Technology, BTG Labs’ Chief Scientist Dr. ...
Every year for Memorial Day weekend, my family would pack up the station wagon and head to the lake. The weekend would be filled with red, white and blue, firing grills, festive ...
Last week, BTG Labs exhibited and presented at ANTEC 2017. We were pleased to connect and exchange intelligence with leaders in the plastics industry. Our booth featured the ...
Manufacturers often encounter a similar puzzle, when cleaning invisible contaminants from a surface, how do you know when the surface is clean; how clean is clean enough? This is ...
There’s nothing like arriving at the course on a fresh spring morning. The sun is low, casting long shadows across the green mounds, foggy rays bring hints of warmth, a fresh, ...
What is known as The Plastics Technology Conference, ANTEC (Annual Technical Conference) 2017 brings together diverse members of the plastics industry from around the world. ...
Roosevelt University, a liberal arts college in the Loop of downtown Chicago perfectly contrasts antiquated and contemporary architecture. Roosevelt’s first venue, constructed in ...
Image above: In 1987, Giles earned his PhD and moved to Midland, Michigan to begin laboratory work at Dow Chemical. The office of Giles Dillingham is unique, eclectic, and full ...
BTG Labs is gearing up for Earth Day; after all, we proudly manufacture an instrument that is valuable in a variety of industries from aerospace, automotive, packaging, and even ...
Manufacturers are all too familiar with the challenges of getting a bond to stick and hold. The success of a bond relies on the surface created prior to that bond, so, monitoring ...
Image above by Cincinnati Reds via Cincinnati Business Courier It’s Opening Day in Cincinnati, Ohio! Now this isn’t just any season opener, Opening Day in Cincinnati is an ...
This week, BTG Labs will travel to Hayward, California to attend Plasmatreat’s Open House and Surface TechDays. As a partner of BTG Labs, Plasmatreat recruits the Surface Analyst ...
Manufacturers working with metal and worrying about metal performance are all too familiar with the obstacles that come along with coating, painting, bonding, printing, or sealing ...
It’s the first day of spring. Depending on where you live, this could mean opening the windows, planting seeds, rolling out the motorcycle, and waiting for Opening Day. Here at ...
This week, BTG Labs will attend the CMH-17 PMC Coordination Meeting in conjunction with ASTM D-30 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The purpose of this gathering is to present and ...
BTG Labs' Chief Scientist Dr. Giles Dillingham recently presented at the 40th annual meeting of the Adhesion Society. An elected Fellow of the Adhesion Society, Dr. Dillingham has ...
This week, BTG Labs’ Chief Scientist Dr. Giles Dillingham will be co-hosting a booth and presenting a 3-hour long workshop with BTG Labs’ valued partner, Louis (Lou) Dorworth, ...
The utilization of composites increases daily in manufacturing as more ways in which to use this advanced material are discovered. Composite is a smart material that provides a ...
Flame treatment is a surface treatment process used to chemically modify a surface for better adhesion. This process is typically used on low energy surfaces that can be difficult ...
The water break test is a common way to test for surface cleanliness. It allows the user to test for the presence of hydrophobic contaminants, which can be detrimental to ...
AeroDef Manufacturing 2017 is the pivotal event for world leaders of the aerospace and defense manufacturing industry. BTG Labs is excited to exhibit, speak, and teach a course ...
BTG Labs excitedly anticipates Plasmatreat's Open House and Surface TechDays. Held March 30 & 31 in Hayward, California. The 2-day event brings together leaders in the ...
BTG Labs is proud to have the Surface Analyst featured on the cover of the January/February issue of SAMPE Journal (Society for the Advancement of Material and Process ...
Broadening the Abilities of the Surface Analyst The Surface Analyst™ has the unique ability to measure on almost any surface: vertical, horizontal, smooth, rough, mirrored and in ...
Smarter Surface Processes For over a decade, manufacturers and suppliers have spoken the language of dyne when dealing with surface preparation and treatment verification. Because ...
A Meeting of the Adhesion Society Annually, scientists, engineers, manufacturers, and students professionally concerned with the science and technology of adhesion, gather for a ...
The New BTG Labs 2016 was a big year for BTG Labs. The year brought new members and growth, to improvements on the Surface Analyst and a new company look. The BTG Labs team ...
Monthly Lunch & Learn As a science based company, BTG Labs emphasizes the importance of continually sharing and gaining knowledge. Once a month, the office gathers together ...
A Frequently Asked Question BTG Labs Decided to Answer When measuring and quantifying surface energy, a common question arises: "Does roughness impact contact angle measurements ...
BTG Labs recently hosted another successful webinar through Composites World Magazine. The webinar, presented by BTG Labs' CEO and Chief Scientist Dr. Giles Dillingham, entitled ...
Lab Capabilities The history of BTG Labs is rooted in adhesion research. Originally a development lab, BTG Labs specialized in plasma polymerized coatings. The engineers worked ...
1. Does surface roughness affect the measurement? Can you measure on curved parts? Because the Surface Analyst uses patented Ballistic Deposition to deposit liquid drops, the user ...
Ongoing Advancements in the Field of Composite Materials BTG Labs maintains an important connection to CMH-17, the Composite Materials Handbook. BTG Labs recently attended a ...
Obtaining Quality and Consistency with the Surface Analyst BTG Labs' Surface Analyst™ uses a micro-liter of highly purified water to quantifiably measure contact angle. This ...
Image above: BMW i8 with a body constructed with carbon fiber composite, aluminium and special plastic. Building a More Fuel-Efficient Automobile The pursuit to produce a more ...
For years, manufactures have implemented a conventional method of testing surface energy using a solution called dyne inks. Dyne ink, when applied to a surface, can reveal the ...
With the exciting release and testing of the F-35 Lightning II, BTG Labs swells with pride over its involvement in the development of this remarkable aircraft. The F-35 Lightning ...
Water Contact Angle as a Quantitative Measurement of Surface Energy BTG Lab's Surface Analyst™ uses contact angle of highly purified water ballistically deposited on a material to ...
Evolution of Aircraft Manufacturing: Moving Towards a Lighter Material In the early 2000s, the U.S. Airforce recruited BTG Labs to aid in the development of bonding technologies ...
The Importance of Surface Cleanliness BTG Labs' Surface Analyst™ is a fast, easy, accurate, nondestructive, handheld device. It uses contact angle to measure the cleanliness level ...
Elemental Threats to Circuit Boards Today, the range of when and where we use electronics broadens constantly. Consequently, electronics encounter threats such as water, extreme ...
A Gathering of Chemical Professionals Dr. Giles Dillingham, BTG's CEO and Chief Scientist, will present at the American Chemical Society (AMS) National Meeting and Expo 2016. The ...
Surface Requirements of Aluminum Castings Automotive manufacturers widely utilize aluminum castings as the most successful way to create aluminum parts. However, this process can ...
Adhesive Bonding Repair The two principle materials used in aircraft manufacturing, metals and polymers, tote particularly reactive surfaces. This leaves them highly susceptible ...
Surface Cleanliness Gauge Comparison As part of its development, BTG Lab's Surface Analyst™ has undergone countless studies to demonstrate its effectiveness as a surface ...
Webinar: Measuring Surface Energy in Manufacturing and Repair of Composites to Assure Quality of Bonded Interfaces Thu, Jun 9, 2016 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT OVERVIEW This interactive ...
SAMPE: Leading Advanced Materials and Processes Conference
BTG Labs will be attending the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) AMS Aerospace Organization Coatings Committee (AMS G-8)’s annual meeting May 3-5. Dr. Giles Dillingham and ...
BTG Lab's Collaborations This paper, written as part of an ongoing collaboration between BTG, Southwest Research Institute, and Lockheed Martin Skunkworks. Funded by the Defense ...
Polymers are some of the most common base materials used in automotive parts. Polypropelenes, Polyolefins, and ABS plastics are used in dashboards, door panels, bumper fascias, ...
Image above: The Surface Analyst uses Ballistic Deposition to deposit water on diverse surfaces to measure contact angle. Fluid Deposition Style of Contact Angle Measurements ...
Automotive manufacturers who bond, seal, coat, paint, or print now have a reliable way to verify the cleanliness of their surface.
Controlling Surface Condition in FIPG Application Increasingly, FIPG processes are replacing traditional gaskets for a variety of automotive applications such as air filters, oil ...
Handheld Solution for Verifying Surface Cleanliness The Surface Analyst™ is an innovative handheld solution for use in the lab and on the factory floor. It reduces waste, rework, ...
A Deep History in Materials Science President and Chief Scientist of BTG Labs, Dr. Giles Dillingham's fascination by the connections between the invisible (the molecular structure ...
When Polymer Surfaces are Not Easily Accessible A recent collaboration between BTG Labs and 3M scientists demonstrates that the Surface Analyst™ can provide receding contact ...