CCM recently initiated a long-term partnership with Mettler Toledo that will provide unprecedented opportunities for training, education, and collaborative research.  Through a unique university-industry affiliation between the University of Delaware and Mettler, a lab equipped with state-of-the-art thermal analysis equipment will be installed at CCM, with an expert in residence to support it.  The new lab will include some $500,000 worth of equipment for thermal mechanical analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and other techniques for materials characterization.

According to CCM Director Jack Gillespie, the collaborative research that will be carried out in the new lab will benefit both the university and the company as new knowledge is developed about the behavior of composites and applied to the continuous improvement of research techniques and capabilities.

“Our researchers will have access to a state-of-the-art lab,” Gillespie says,” which will also serve as a showcase for Mettler and an entry port for the company into the polymers and composites market via our industrial consortium.  And our future research enterprise will benefit from the new applications solutions developed by Mettler as they work in this synergistic environment with us and our other industrial and government partners.”

The partnership provides not only for installation of the equipment but also for maintenance, servicing, and calibration as needed, in addition to upgrading as new technology is developed.  Dr. Steve Sauerbrunn, Technical Manager with MT, is now in residence full-time at CCM to provide training and professional consultation to not only CCM researchers but also employees affiliated with consortium members.

Sauerbrunn, who holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Delaware, has more than 20 years of experience in thermal analysis of polymeric materials.  He worked for the DuPont Company, TA Instruments, and W.L. Gore before joining Mettler six years ago.

“Our intent is to establish a long-term, synergistic relationship that will benefit our respective organizational goals,” says Gillespie.  “Mettler is giving us state-of-the-art thermal analysis equipment and a highly qualified person to maintain it, train our researchers on its use, and collaborate with us on related research.  The Center is providing Mettler not only with access to the capabilities of an internationally recognized center of excellence in composites but also an entrée to others in the advanced materials field.”

Those at MT echo Gillespie’s view of the relationship.  “We’re extremely excited about all the possibilities that this opportunity can create for both organizations,” says Steve Johnson, Business Manager for Analytical Instruments at MT, “and we look forward to a rewarding relationship with CCM.”

Editor’s Note:  Future newsletters will include a more detailed story about the equipment in the TA lab, a profile of Steve Sauerbrunn, and articles about collaborative research conducted as an outgrowth of the partnership.