What ramé-hart instrument does

ramé-hart instrument co. is a privately held, US-based manufacturer of precision contact angle goniometers and tensiometers used to measure surface properties of liquids and solids. Founded in 1961 by Ralph Nussbaum, George Meyer, and John Hertz in Sandy, Utah, the company built its first commercial instrument on the Zisman design developed at the Naval Research Laboratory, and claims to be the original producer of a lab-grade contact angle goniometer. Its portfolio spans ten instrument models (Model 90 entry-level through Model 590 premium), three software tiers (DROPimage CA, Pro, Advanced) incorporating the proprietary ADSA (Axisymmetric Drop Shape Analysis) method developed by Dr. Finn Knut Hansen of the University of Oslo, and a modular accessory ecosystem including automated dispensing, tilting, oscillation, and environmental chambers.

The business sells turn-key optical bench systems to academic, government, and industrial customers across semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, chemicals, oil and gas, textiles, and consumer products. Revenue is generated through one-time instrument sales, accessory and consumable sales (including via the ramehart.us e-commerce storefront), custom instrument and consulting services, and software upgrades. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with NET 30 terms for rated firms. Go-to-market is direct via ramehart.com supplemented by regional sales agents internationally, with lead generation supported by complimentary lab testing services, a YouTube tutorial channel, a monthly newsletter, and technical content on the corporate website.

The company operates with 1-10 employees, has no disclosed external funding or parent company, and has remained under founder/owner control through a 2004 restructuring. It claims thousands of customers globally and instruments still in active service after 30-50 years.

Name

ramé-hart instrument

Legal name

ramé-hart instrument co.

Website

https://ramehart.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ramé-hart instrument co. is a privately held US manufacturer founded in 1961 that designs and sells precision contact angle goniometers, tensiometers, and proprietary DROPimage software to academic, government, and industrial laboratories worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surface Science Measurement Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Metrology, Calibration & Testing Equipment (Balances, pH/DO, Standards) (HLAGAIAL)

Keywords

• Contact angle goniometers
• Surface tension tensiometers
• Surface energy measurement
• Interfacial rheology instruments
• Optical bench instruments

Headquarters

HQ city

Succasunna

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Scientific Instrument Sales: Sale of precision contact angle goniometers and tensiometers — turn-key systems including dedicated PC, pre-installed software, and hardware/cables/accessories. Product line spans entry-level (Model 90) to premium (Model 590), with varying capabilities for contact angle, surface tension, surface energy, and interfacial tension measurement.
2. Accessories and Consumables: Sale of accessories including Automated Dispensing System, Automated Tilting Base, Oscillator, Environmental Chambers, Wafer Supports, Optics Upgrade Kits, and spare parts. Online store at www.ramehart.us for spare parts and consumables. Accessories enhance and extend instrument capabilities.
3. Lab and Demo Services: Complimentary testing services to evaluate customer samples and demonstrate product capabilities. Additional paid consultation and method development services offered. Process variation studies and specialized testing quoted upon request.
4. Custom Instruments and Accessories: Design and build of custom instruments and accessories tailored to specific customer applications. Customization and modification of existing equipment around sample requirements, budget, and design goals. Documentation development and consultation (SOPs, calibration routines, IQ/OQ protocols) also offered.
5. Software Licenses and Upgrades: DROPimage software editions (CA, Pro, Advanced) with one year of upgrades and priority support included. Software upgrade paths available (e.g., CA to Pro to Advanced). Legacy upgrade kits for camera and PC modernization of older instruments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ramé-hart manufactures and sells precision contact angle goniometers and tensiometers (Model 90 through Model 590), bundled with proprietary DROPimage software (CA, Pro, Advanced editions), a dedicated PC, and modular accessories for measuring contact angle, surface tension, surface energy, interfacial tension, and interfacial rheology. The company also offers custom-engineered instruments, accessories, and consultation services for academic, industrial, and government laboratory customers.

Product overview

ramé-hart instrument co. offers a portfolio of precision optical bench-based contact angle goniometers and tensiometers for surface science measurements. The instrument lineup ranges from entry-level (Model 90/90 Pro) through lab-grade (Model 190, 210, 250) to premium models (Model 260, 290, 400, 500, 590). Three DROPimage software tiers serve different capability levels: DROPimage CA for basic static contact angle, DROPimage Pro for surface energy and tension analysis, and DROPimage Advanced for dynamic studies, oscillations, and automated experiments. Accessories extend functionality including Automated Dispensing System, Automated Tilting Base, Oscillator, Environmental Chambers, Wafer Supports, and Optics Upgrade Kits. The company also offers custom instruments and services, coaxial spinnerets, and laboratory testing/consultation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Model 90 Contact Angle Goniometer

Quantifiable outcome

• Contact angle accuracy of ±0.1° and resolution of ±0.1° across all instruments
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bruker: Large diversified analytical instrument manufacturer whose surface science portfolio (e.g., AFM, stylus profilers) overlaps with adjacent characterization needs of ramé-hart's semiconductor and materials science customers. Does not directly compete in optical goniometry but competes for the same analytical budget.
• Agilent Technologies: Broad analytical instrument provider serving pharma, chemicals, and materials testing labs. Overlaps with ramé-hart's pharmaceutical and chemical end users in adjacent characterization categories, and represents a potential channel or acquisition threat in lab instrumentation.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global analytical instrument incumbent with broad surface and materials characterization capabilities. While not a direct goniometer competitor, Thermo Fisher's scale, channel reach, and procurement muscle represent an indirect competitive threat for lab budget share across ramé-hart's end markets.

Direct peers

• Kyowa Interface Science: Japanese manufacturer of contact angle meters (DM series, DropMaster) for surface science and quality control. Kyowa is a long-standing direct peer in the contact angle goniometer category, particularly strong in Asian academic and electronics markets.
• DataPhysics Instruments: German manufacturer of optical contact angle measurement (OCA series) and spinning drop tensiometers. DataPhysics is a like-for-like competitor in the contact angle and interfacial tension space, serving academic and industrial customers with comparable instrument portfolios.
• Biolin Scientific (Attension): Swedish maker of the Attension Theta optical tensiometer line for contact angle and surface/interfacial tension measurement. Biolin directly competes with ramé-hart in research-grade drop shape analysis and is now part of Addlife, giving it larger commercial resources.
• Krüss GmbH: German manufacturer of contact angle goniometers (DSA series), tensiometers, and foam analysis instruments. Krüss is the most direct head-to-head competitor to ramé-hart, offering overlapping product lines for academic and industrial surface science labs across the same end markets globally.
• First Ten Angstroms: U.S. maker of the FTA series contact angle and surface tension analyzers, headquartered in Virginia. First Ten Angstroms is a direct North American competitor with overlapping optical tensiometry and goniometry products aimed at industrial QA and research labs.

Emerging players

• SINTERFACE Technologies: German specialist in interfacial rheology and drop shape tensiometry (PAT-1, ODM). SINTERFACE competes in the higher-end dynamic surface tension and interfacial rheology segments where ramé-hart sells its Oscillator-equipped Model 250/260/500/590 instruments.
• Lorentz Instruments: Provider of optical tensiometry and dynamic contact angle instrumentation with overlap to ramé-hart's pendant drop tensiometry line. Lorentz focuses on dynamic interfacial rheology, partially overlapping with ramé-hart's Oscillator accessory and DROPimage Advanced dynamic measurement capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ramehart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ram--hart-instrument-co.
• Xx.com/ramehart
• Facebookfacebook.com/ramehart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ramé-hart instrument