Surface Intelligence Platform Targets Surface Preparation Verification for Composites Bonding

Brighton Science (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) offers BConnect, a surface intelligence platform designed to help manufacturers quantify and control surface preparation processes critical to bonding, coating, sealing and composite part fabrication. The platform is built around the company's Surface Analyst technology, which measures surface energy through water contact angle (WCA) analysis to verify that surfaces have been properly cleaned, treated or prepared before downstream operations are performed.

The Surface Analyst approach provides rapid, nondestructive surface quality verification across aerospace, automotive, defense and advanced composites manufacturing applications. By delivering objective, measurable readings at the point of process, the technology allows manufacturers to assess surface readiness before bonding or coating takes place rather than relying on visual inspection or process assumption. Brighton Science's solutions are used to evaluate a range of preparation methods — including plasma treatment, mechanical abrasion, solvent cleaning and peel ply removal — each of which directly influences bond strength and long-term durability.

Beyond discrete surface checks, BConnect supports digital manufacturing initiatives by generating repeatable surface quality metrics that can be integrated into production workflows and process validation records. Surface intelligence data captured through the platform provides manufacturers with a quantifiable basis for process control decisions, supporting reductions in rework and bonding failures through consistent, objective surface characterization.

In addition to booth demonstrations at CAMX, Brighton Science will also present technical research titled “Identifying Inconsistencies in Surface Preparation Through Robotic Water Contact Angle Mapping.” The presentation demonstrates how robotic heat mapping of WCA measurements can reveal preparation inconsistencies across composite surfaces that are not detectable using conventional inspection methods. The work shows how spatially resolved surface energy measurements can strengthen process control and bonding reliability in advanced composites manufacturing.

Read more about Brighton Science’s capabilities: “Advancing bonding, coating and sealing to 4.0 systems for composites, metals and more”