Video Contact Angle Systems

Contact angle measurement is a simple-to-adopt method for surface analysis related to surface energy and surface tension. Contact angle describes the shape of a liquid drop resting on a solid surface. By drawing a tangent line from the drop shape to the touch of the solid surface, contact angle is defined as the angle between the tangent line and the solid surface. The measurement provides information to study the bonding energy of the solid surface and surface tension of the liquid droplet. Because of the simplicity in technique and measurement, it has been broadly accepted in various research environment and industries for material surface analysis related to wetting, adhesion and absorption.

Medical applications for contact angle analysis

• Adhesion – Studies of wetting, spreading, and bonding characteristics and qualification of surface pre-treatment.
  
• Biomedical – Evaluation of surface treatment for catheters, implantables, contact lenses, and other biomaterial. It is also used in biocompatibility studies.
  
• Cleanliness – Qualification of cleaning methods and cleaning process control.
  
• Coatings – Studies of adhesion, wetting, and spreading characteristics and development of coating process.
  
• Polymers – Studies of surface modification, process development, and quality control.

AST VCA (Video Contact Angle) Systems
VCA Systems combine precision optics, high definition camera, computerized image processing and specially designed software to perform surface analysis based on contact angle measurement. Because of the user-friendly software, these systems require minimal training and interaction. Each unit can be customized with software and hardware accessories to meet individual measurement requirements.

AST Products, Inc., 9 Linnell Circle, Billerica, MA 01821-3902. Tel: 978-663-7652; Fax: 978-663-7746.