With all of the gains made in advanced manufacturing, some work still can be dirty, expensive and dangerous. But a Cincinnati area company is working to make manufacturing and medical processes safer, cleaner and less costly.
Brighton Technologies Group, in St. Bernard, has developed nearly a dozen new technologies including pretreatment, coatings and films for metals and wood. They include Oleophic Thin Films that prevent oil from clogging industrial filters, Water Resistant Thin Films that protect decorative metal surface finishes and Polymer Surface Treatment for tough-to-bond materials. All are designed to be cleaner and less hazardous to workers and the environment.
Brighton was founded in 1997 as an independent research and development consulting firm, but eventually evolved to improve and develop coatings for medical and airplane parts. BTG changed course when it invented a viable high performance alternative to the toxic, hazardous, and expensive chromate metal pretreatment processes most commonly used, the company says. Recognizing the gravity of the problem, the EPA and NSF provided substantial financial support for development of BTG's technology.
In June, Brighton was awarded $748,000 in Ohio Department of Development and Ohio Third Frontier grants to bring its Surface Energy Probe, or SEP, to market. The hand-held SEP assesses a surface's readiness for coating, printing and bonding to reduce work failure and rework costs. The automobile and packaging film industries are among those excited by this new technology.
"We plan to deliver beta versions to Lockheed-Martin, Boeing and the US Air Force before the end of the year," says Eric Oseas, BTG's Chief Operating Officer.
Brighton also is developing an anti-microbial coating for medical devices aimed at reducing infections that patients acquire in hospitals.
Source: Brighton Technologies Group news and Eric Oseas, Chief Operating Officer
Writer: Feoshia Henderson