Contents
Case Study

A small base oil maker put four surface measurements on one bench, bought in modules to fit its research contract.

Last Updated
October 16, 2026
Industry
Synthetic lubricant base oils
Company size
Small team
Location
United States
Customer since
2024
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Drop shape method validated against a KRÜSS DSA100E in peer review 2 peer reviewed validation papers Modules quoted and ordered as separate items

A small US company that makes synthetic ester base oils wanted to measure how industrial fluids wet and spread on metal. Its federal research contract limited single purchases and allowed extra components to be listed as separate items. It ordered the Dropometer as two packages on the same day, the instrument and the sliding stage with software. One person assembled it and had it set up on the bench a month after the purchase orders.

Product photo: a Droplet Lab Dropometer with manual dispenser. Not a photo of the client's lab.
Abhimanyu Photo
Written by
Abhimanyu Bhandankar
Holds an MBA from Schulich School of Business and a BE in IT. He joined Droplet Lab in July 2019 and now leads sales and marketing.
CEO at Droplet Lab
Read More
Gurdeep-Saini-Photo
Technical Review by
Gurdeep Singh Saini
Holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and an MASc from York University. He develops the automatic edge and baseline detection behind the Dropometer's analysis.
COO at Droplet Lab
Read More
Abhimanyu Photo
Written By

Abhimanyu Bhandankar

CEO at Droplet Lab

Holds an MBA from Schulich School of Business and a BE in IT. He joined Droplet Lab in July 2019 and now leads sales and marketing.

Gurdeep-Saini-Photo
Reviewed By

Gurdeep Singh Saini

COO at Droplet Lab

Holds a BASc in Mechanical Engineering from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and an MASc from York University. He develops the automatic edge and baseline detection behind the Dropometer's analysis.

Primary outcome: four surface measurements in house, within the contract's purchasing rules

Surface measurements available in house

Contact angle, surface tension, surface energy and sliding angle

Before the order 0 of 4 measurements
After setup (November 2024) 4 of 4 measurements

Before the order the team had none of the four measurements in house. Two purchase orders arrived on 21 October 2024: one for the instrument and one for the sliding stage and software. The unit was ready to ship on 31 October, was assembled by one person, and was set up on the bench by 21 November 2024. A remote onboarding call followed on 26 November 2024. The client has not yet shared measurement results.

4 measurements

Contact angle, surface tension, surface energy and sliding angle on one unit.

2 purchase orders

Instrument, then sliding stage and software, itemised for the contract.

31 days

From the purchase orders to the unit set up on the client's bench.

1 person

Assembled and set up by one applications specialist.

Executive Summary

Who

A small US company that makes biobased synthetic ester base oils for hydraulic, marine, food grade, gear and turbine lubricants. One applications specialist ran the project, from writing the proposal to assembling and setting up the instrument.

Problem

The team wanted contact angle and surface tension data on a series of industrial fluids on different metal substrates, for a presentation in January 2025. It had no surface measurement instrument, and its research contract limited single purchases while allowing extra components to be listed as separate items.

Solution

A Dropometer with manual dispenser, sessile stage and manual tilt stage, with apps for contact angle, pendant drop surface tension, surface energy and sliding angle. It was ordered as two itemised packages: the instrument, and the sliding stage with software.

Time to Value

September 2023: first quotes. March 2024: first proposal not funded; the Dropometer is written into a second. September 2024: proposal approved, with the contract signed on 3 October. 21 October 2024: two purchase orders. 31 October 2024: unit ready to ship. 21 November 2024: set up on the bench. 26 November 2024: onboarding call.

Results

The unit was ready to ship 10 days after the purchase orders. The specialist assembled it alone and had it set up on the bench by 21 November 2024, then joined a remote onboarding call five days later. Measurement results have not yet been shared with us.

Highlights

4

Measurements on one bench

2

Itemised purchase orders

31 days

Purchase orders to bench setup

5 weeks

Purchase orders to onboarding call

Quote teaser

“I'm definitely eager to get this work started.”

The client, at a glance

Research focus

Biobased synthetic ester base oils and the lubricants made from them.

Products / applications

Fire resistant hydraulic fluids, marine, food grade, gear, turbine and hydropower oils.

Measurement stage

Research and development under a federal research contract.

Users

One applications specialist.

Materials and surfaces tested

A series of industrial fluids on varied metal substrates, as planned by the client.

Key constraints

A small team, a contract materials limit with itemised purchases, and one person to assemble and set up the unit.

The challenge: a full surface lab for a small team, within a contract's rules

Small companies on research contracts often need the measurement before they can afford the lab.

Why wetting matters for a lubricant

A lubricant has to wet and spread on the metal it protects. Contact angle shows how a fluid wets a given metal, and surface tension measurement shows how strongly the fluid holds together. The team planned both for a series of industrial fluids on varied metal substrates. Where oil meets water, the related property is interfacial tension (IFT), which explains why water forms droplets in oil but oil spreads in water. More context on oils and wetting is in our oil and gas surface science guide.

No surface lab in house

A small company had no contact angle or surface tension instrument. One applications specialist would write the proposal, buy the unit, assemble it and set it up. For a small team weighing its options, see our buying guide on the best tensiometer for surfactant and CMC research.

A purchasing limit on the contract

The research contract limited materials purchases and allowed additional components to be listed as separate items. A single combined order for every measurement did not fit that limit.

What success would require

All four measurements on one unit, ordered in a way that fitted the contract, and running in time for a presentation in January 2025. Useful results would also need a reproducible surface tension measurement routine, so one operator gets the same value from session to session.

The insight: buy the core instrument now, and add measurements as separate items

What Was Deployed

A Dropometer contact angle and surface tension kit with manual dispenser, sessile stage and manual tilt stage, with apps for contact angle, pendant drop surface tension, surface energy and sliding angle. The team ordered it as two itemised packages on 21 October 2024: the instrument with manual dispenser and contact angle software, and the manual sliding stage with the surface tension, surface energy and sliding angle software. Droplet Lab confirmed in March 2024 that every software module can be added later, so the order could be split without losing any measurement. The same pendant drop setup measures oil and water interfacial tension, as in our oil and water interfacial tension experiment. A published microfluidics study we analysed, flow and clogging of capillary droplets, used a Dropometer value for octane in water.
The Origin

A year of proposals before the first drop

In September 2023 the company's applications specialist asked Droplet Lab for quotes for a research proposal. He wanted to know whether surface tension and surface energy were included, and whether the tilting platform could be added later for a follow on project. His proposal only needed flat surfaces at first.

That first proposal was not funded. In March 2024 he wrote the Dropometer into a second proposal and asked for an itemised quote. The second proposal was approved in September 2024. He planned a presentation for January 2025 on contact angle and surface tension of a series of industrial fluids on varied metal substrates, and placed the order in October.

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Decision Rationale

Why two packages instead of one

The contract limited single purchases but allowed separate items, so the shape of the order mattered.

Option A

One combined order

Instrument and every software module on a single purchase order.

Not chosen: did not fit the contract's limit on a single purchase.
Option B

Instrument only, modules later

Contact angle first, with surface tension, surface energy and sliding angle bought in a later project.

Not chosen: the team wanted surface tension from the start.
Option C

Two itemised packages, ordered together

The instrument with manual dispenser, and the sliding stage with software, on two purchase orders the same day.

Chosen
Splitting the order kept every measurement the team wanted and fitted the contract's purchasing rules. The cost of the choice was paperwork: two quotes, two purchase orders and two invoices. The team also chose manual dispensing and a manual tilt stage, which keeps the unit simple but means one person handles each drop by hand. Oil makers can use the same pendant drop method for transformer oil aging and interfacial tension testing. There it is an optical screen between ring tests, and the IEC 62961 ring method remains the reference for reported results.

Next Step

Buying on a grant or research contract, and need each item quoted separately?

The Dropometer is modular: start with the measurement your project needs and add surface tension, surface energy or sliding angle later. We quote each item separately when your funder asks for it. The drop shape method is validated against a KRÜSS DSA100E in peer review. Book a 15 minute demo or request a quote.

Request a quote Book a 15 minute demo

Before vs After

Metric Before After
Contact angle of fluids on metal No instrument in house Sessile drop on the team's own bench
Surface tension of fluids No instrument in house Pendant drop on the same unit
Surface energy and sliding angle Not available Surface energy app and manual tilt stage
How the purchase was structured Quotes with every module together (September 2023 to March 2024) Two itemised packages, ordered the same day: instrument, and sliding stage with software (21 October 2024)
Who set it up Not applicable One applications specialist assembled it, then joined one remote onboarding call

Rollout timeline

Timeline (high level)

September 2023 to March 2024: Proposals

  • Quotes with and without automatic dispensing
  • First proposal not funded
  • Dropometer written into a second proposal; itemised quote sent

September to October 2024: Funding and order

  • Second proposal approved
  • Order split into two itemised packages
  • Two purchase orders on 21 October

31 October to 21 November 2024: Ship and assemble

  • Unit ready to ship on 31 October
  • Assembly and measurement videos sent on 11 November
  • Assembled by the client and set up on the bench by 21 November

26 November 2024: Onboarding

Remote onboarding call with Droplet Lab's engineer

Proof and validation: what we can show so far

Test method

Not yet reported. The client planned contact angle and surface tension measurements of a series of industrial fluids on varied metal substrates.

Sample size and operators

One applications specialist. Sample counts not shared.

Repeatability / reproducibility

Not yet reported.

Notes / assumptions

This page covers the purchase, delivery and setup only. The client has not shared measurement results with Droplet Lab, and none are shown here. Results will be added only with the client's approval.

Outcomes to date

Measured Outcomes

4

Measurements in house

Contact angle, pendant drop surface tension, surface energy and sliding angle, from none before the order.

31 days

Purchase orders to bench setup

The purchase orders arrived on 21 October 2024. The unit was ready to ship on 31 October, and the client reported it set up on the bench on 21 November 2024.

13 months

First quote to order

From the first quotes in September 2023 to the purchase orders in October 2024, through one unfunded proposal and one funded one.

Operational Outcomes

Assembled in house

One applications specialist assembled and set up the unit on the team's own bench.

Order fitted the contract

Two itemised packages fitted the contract's purchasing rules.

Room to grow

The tilt stage adds sliding angle, which the client expected follow on projects to use.

What's next

Delivered

Dropometer with manual dispenser, sessile stage and manual tilt stage (November 2024)
Apps for contact angle, surface tension, surface energy and sliding angle

In Pilot

Contact angle and surface tension of industrial fluids on varied metal substrates

Planned

Measurement results, added to this page with the client's approval

Next Step

Buying on a grant or research contract, and need each item quoted separately?

The Dropometer is modular: start with the measurement your project needs and add surface tension, surface energy or sliding angle later. We quote each item separately when your funder asks for it. The drop shape method is validated against a KRÜSS DSA100E in peer review. Book a 15 minute demo or request a quote.

Request a quote Book a 15 minute demo