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SEPTEMBER 2005 INDUSTRY NEWS

 

NIST Improves Accuracy of 'Watt Balance' Method for Defining the Kilogram

A leading experimental method for defining the kilogram in terms of properties of nature is now more accurate than ever, scientists at the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reported. The advance may move the scientific community closer to redefining the kilogram, the only one of the seven basic units of the international measurement system still defined by a physical artifact.

The latest NIST work, described in the October 2005 issue of Metrologia and published online (see this story on NIST website), confirms the institute’s 1998 results using the same method while reducing the measurement uncertainty by about 40 percent, thanks mainly to improvements in the hardware used in the experiments.

The fact that we got the same values gives us confidence that the uncertainties we're quoting are probably reasonable, says NIST physicist Richard Steiner, lead author of the paper.

Scientists at NIST and other institutions around the world have spent years conducting experiments to find a reliable definition based in nature to replace the current international standard for the kilogram, a century-old cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy about the size of a plum. The new results mean that the NIST method, using an apparatus called the watt balance or electronic kilogram, is almost accurate enough now to meet the criteria for redefinition.

Any decision about when and how to redefine the kilogram would be made by an international group, the International Committee for Weights and Measures, CIPM, and ratified by a General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), which next meets in 2007. The CGPM likely will delay a redefinition until other groups confirm the new NIST results.

The primary kilogram standard is currently maintained at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) near Paris. Although the cylinder is housed in a special vault under controlled conditions, its mass can drift slightly over time and can change because of contamination, material loss from surface cleaning or other effects. Moreover, the standard is accessible only at BIPM and could be damaged or destroyed. By contrast, a property of nature is by definition always the same and can, in theory, be measured anywhere.

The other six basic units of the international measurement system are the meter (unit of length), second (time), ampere (electric current), kelvin (temperature), mole (amount of substance) and candela (luminous intensity). All six are defined in terms of properties of nature and can be measured at any suitably equipped laboratory.

This news story continues on NIST's website, click here to continue.

 

Tektronix Reports Results For First Quarter of Fiscal 2006

Tektronix, Inc. reported net sales of $235.1 million and net earnings from continuing operations of $14.2 million or $0.17 per share for the first quarter ended August 27, 2005. This compares with net sales of $250.5 million and net earnings from continuing operations of $36.5 million or $0.43 per share for the same period last year. Excluding acquisition-related costs, business realignment costs and one-time items, net earnings from continuing operations were $21.3 million or $0.25 per share for the first quarter ended August 27, 2005, as compared with $36.9 million or $0.43 per share for the same period last year.

"We are very satisfied with our overall performance this quarter," said Rick Wills, Tektronix Chairman and CEO. "We managed through a comparatively tough period, and delivered earnings which were in line with our expectations. In addition, we were encouraged by a pick up in demand in August after a slower start at the beginning of the quarter."

 

6th International Symposium of Fluid Flow Measurement (ISFFM)

The Hacienda Galindo in Queretaro, Mexico will be the setting for the 6th International Symposium on Fluid Flow Measurement (ISFFM) being held May 16-18, 2006. This beautiful facility with its quiet authenticity will provide the perfect atmosphere for the world wide sharing of information, ideas and perspectives on flow measurement.

The 6th ISFFM will cover a broad scope of research and technology development topics associated with all areas of fluid flow metering. Papers are invited from industrial research laboratories, universities, government laboratories and industrial field studies.

The following proposed topics are for general orientation purposes:
1. flow meter performance
2. meter calibration facilities
3. international comparisons among national metrology institutes
4. issues of domestic traceability to national standards
5. installation effects on meter performance
6. multiphase and wet gas flow meters
7. new flow technologies, energy meters, new transducers
8. computer modeling applications in flow metering
9. gas quality and physical properties of fluids
10. using the internet to improve flow measurement
11. uncertainty analysis of flow metering systems

Visit CEESI for further Symposium information.

 

Keithley Sponsors Weblog for RF and Telecom Test Industry

Keithley Instruments, Inc., a leader in solutions for emerging measurement needs, has co-developed and sponsored the first Weblog, or Blog, designed exclusively for engineers interested in RF and wireless test. The RF Test Weblog keeps visitors abreast of the latest news in the RF and telecom industries through frequent posts of technical and business developments. The Weblog is coordinated by Microwaves & RF magazine and can be accessed directly at www.mwrf.com/blog/rftest/index.cfm?action=blogindex&DepartmentID=86 or from the magazine's Website at www.mwrf.com.

Jack Browne, Technical Director of Microwaves & RF, hosts, moderates, and updates items for the RF Test Weblog. "The nature of RF testing is changing constantly, due to emerging applications in commercial and military areas. With the support of Keithley, this Blog gives visitors to the Microwaves & RF Website a quick update on the latest trends and technologies in RF test," says Browne. "The growth of broadband communications is forcing test-equipment suppliers to design and produce new measurement solutions to meet these new test requirements. Just keeping up with the latest test developments is a challenge. We try to make it a little easier to stay informed on RF test with this dedicated Blog. The RF Test Weblog functions as a natural adjunct to our own Website and printed issue of the magazine, allowing engineers to problem-solve with each other."

Visitors to the RF Test Weblog can post responses to particular items or post questions to other Weblog visitors. There is also a link to a literature library and announcement of upcoming meetings and conferences of interest to the RF test and measurement community.

For more information on Keithley's RF Test Weblog or any of Keithley's RF, wireless, and telecom test and measurement solutions, visit http://www.keithley.com/pr/020.

 

Hamilton Receives 2005 IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Electrical Measurement

The IEEE has named Dr. Clark A. Hamilton as the recipient of the 2005 IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award in Instrumentation and Measurement. Hamilton, President and CEO of VMetrix, LLC, in Boulder, Colorado, is being recognized for making the DC Josephson junction array voltage standard a practical reality. His work has revolutionized the field of voltage calibration by bringing faster and more accurate voltage standard systems into the labs of end users.

The award, sponsored by Keithley Instruments, Inc. (NYSE:KEI) in memory of the company's founder, is presented for outstanding contributions in the field of electrical measurement. It consists of a bronze medal, a certificate, and an honorarium.

A Fellow of the IEEE and NIST, Dr. Hamilton’s numerous honors include the IEEE-USA Electrotechnology Transfer Award, two U.S. Department of Commerce Gold Medals, and the National Conference of Standards Laboratories International William A. Wildhack Award.

Criteria considered by the award’s IEEE Evaluation Committee include innovation or development, social value, uniqueness of concept, other technical accomplishments, and the quality of the nomination. The award is administered through the Technical Field Awards Council of the IEEE Awards Board and is independent of Keithley Instruments.

For more information about this award visit Keithley.

 

Mr Test Equipment Announces Increased Services

Mr Test Equipment is pleased to announce free delivery for all sales and free pick-up and delivery for all service, repair and calibration work within Ontario Canada.

“Free delivery for all sales of equipment and free pick-up and delivery for all service, repair and calibration work within Ontario Canada is a serious value-add for our clients… we usually get things done within 24 hours and our clients value the timely, complimentary service... it really elevates our overall level of service to the client” states Stephen Hopkins, Director, Mr Test Equipment.

Mr Test Equipment is a Canadian company that specializes in sales of refurbished, calibrated, electronic test and measurement equipment like oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, signal generators, logic analyzers, etc. All service, repair and calibration work is done in an NIST traceable metrology laboratory. For more detailed information, contact Stephen Hopkins, Mr Test Equipment by email at info@mrtestequipment.com or call 905-274-6200.

 

Accelerometer Calibration Expands Davis Inotek's Aerospace Capabilities

Coming off the heels of the recent acquisition of Northwest Calibration Systems, Davis Inotek Calibration Laboratory announced the addition of accelerometer calibration capabilities.

Davis Inotek's accelerometer calibration capabilities range from 10Hz to 10,000 kHz and has acceleration ranges from 0.5g to 10g with industry leading accuracies.

This capability will ostensibly attract aerospace, automotive and defense industries. Laboratory shake testing, high frequency measurements, and production screening are aspects standardized throughout the accelerometer calibration.

Davis Inotek's Austin Texas Calibration Lab Manager, April Bell, is pleased with the addition of the new capability. Our physical dimensional and electrical calibration standards will surely suit a wide array of calibration programs, and simultaneously expand the company's well-established aerospace and automotive capabilities.

Davis Inotek has 15 calibration labs nationwide with nearly a century of expertise in test and measurement.  Davis Inotek Calibration Laboratory is a division of Davis Inotek Instruments.

 

News From ASQ's Measurement Quality Division

The Measurement Quality Division (MQD) supports, assists and guides ASQ members and others in the measurement field in the application of both established and innovative tools of measurement and quality. The goal is to improve measurement-based decisions in laboratory, calibration, manufacturing, and management processes at all levels of accuracy.

The MQD supports standards development, disseminates measurement and quality-related information, offers technical support, provides education, sponsors research, fosters professional interaction in the measurement of quality and the quality of measurement, and emphasizes the importance of measurements in the quality process.

A short version of MQD's quarterly journal The Standard is now available. Click here to view short version. Information about the CCT exams, the upcoming MQD and Inspection Division Joint Conference, and more is included in the quarterly journal.

 

Sypris Primary Standards Laboratory Open House

Sypris will be holding an Open House  (pdf) October 14th, 2005 at their headquarters in Orlando, FL . Come tour the new Primary Standards Laboratory, see the latest demonstrations of calibration & test procedures, demo Sypris's current senors and gaussmeters, and mingle with some of the area's most influential decision makers!  

Contact Leanna Wilson at leanna.wilson@sypris.com by October 1st to register for this great event!

 

Integrated Service Solutions, Inc. Announces Acquisition of New Facility

Integrated Service Solutions, Inc., announced the acquisition of a new facility located less than one mile from Exit 31 of the Lansdale Interchange of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike., I-476, in the Kulpsville Business Center, on Bustard Road, in Eastern Montgomery County, Kulpsville, Pennsylvania.

The nearly 20,000 square foot brick and stone building (with expansion capabilities of an additional 8,400 sq. ft.) will more than triple the size of the Company’s current headquarters.

In announcing the acquisition, Joseph Uricchio, Founder and President of Integrated Service Solutions, Inc., said, "Over the last few years, Integrated Service Solutions, Inc., has grown to nearly 60 full-time employees and now provides technical equipment services to more than 150 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Future growth in staffing levels as well as the dramatic increase in our Metrology Lab business were key drivers behind the decision to expand to a much larger and more conveniently located facility.”

Integrated Service Solutions, Inc., moved into its current headquarters in the Fall of 2001, and, at the time, thought the design would accommodate growth over the next ten years. However, in large part to obtaining its ISO 9001:2000 registration last summer, the Company has been able to firmly establish its commitment to the highly-regulated life science industry.

"Our growth expresses the success we have achieved by providing excellent service and a broad product portfolio to our customers," says Uricchio. Our new facility will support our future growth potential and new product development.”

The single-story structure will undergo extensive renovations beginning in the Fall and scheduled for completion during the 3 rd quarter of 2006. The renovations will be similar in design to the current facility and will include the signature feature of glass walls, visible open spaces, and back lit displays showcasing the Company’s history. Explains Joe Uricchio, “because of the sheer scope of the project, the ultimate appearance of the new building will be incredibly different. However, on the other hand, customers will easily identify the continuation of important features that have always made our headquarters unique.”

In addition to housing executive, customer service, administration, and quality assurance departments, the facility will also include a 4,000 sq. ft. environmentally controlled Metrology Lab containing the very latest in highly specialized test and measurement devices for precisely calibrating customers’ equipment. A separate training area inside the facility will feature theatre-styled seating and will host regular training sessions for customers, technicians and industry conference meetings.

The contemporary structure will also be outfitted with the latest telecommunications software allowing for video conferencing, paperless processing and wireless communications. Its visibility will be an invitation, and its convenient location will allow customers and employees easier access, adds Uricchio. We're 4 miles from the Lansdale train station and 35 miles from either the Lehigh Valley or Philadelphia airports. Likewise, the nature of our business requires pharmaceutical companies to regularly audit us. Having the convenience of the world's largest hotel chain right next door along with a wide variety of eateries makes it much easier for our out-of-town guests.

Integrated Service Solutions, Inc., is an ISO 9001:2000 registered company headquartered in a company-owned, contemporary facility in Schwenksville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The privately owned Company, founded in 1998, provides comprehensive service solutions equipment calibration, validation, engineering, certifications, and preventive/corrective maintenance to the world's leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

 

Gulf Calibration Services, Inc., the Exclusive US Distributor for Alpha Electronics Resistance Standards and Metrology Products

Gulf Calibration Services Inc. (GCS), was founded in 1969 under a different name to support and distribute the products of its affiliate Canadian company who were manufacturers of high precision instruments for the fields of metrology and oceanography. Many of these instruments were developed in conjunction with government research institutions such as the National Research Council of Canada (NRCC), the National Institute of Standards Technology (NIST), the Bedford Institute of Oceanography (BIO), the Institute of Ocean Sciences (IOS) and other national standards laboratories and research establishments around the world. Some instruments were unique and represent the only commercially available instrument of their type. 

The 36 year relationship with the Canadian company has ended. We are now known as Gulf Calibration Services Inc. (GCS), a Florida corporation. GCS will be focusing its efforts on its other product lines and its calibration services. The GCS accredited laboratory, located in Lake Mary , just outside Orlando , maintains some of the best uncertainties available, from a commercial laboratory, in the field of electrical metrology. The GCS laboratory offers calibration of all the major brands of metrology equipment including, Agilent, Fluke, Guildline, Keithley and many others.

In addition new product lines are being added to the distribution side of the business, including the first product specially branded for GCS. This new product, called G Temp  is a wireless, temperature and humidity monitoring system for calibration and standards laboratories. Other branded products will be added shortly.

GCS continues as the US distributor for Accubeat, Time & Frequency instrumentation,  Generation, Measurement and Distribution products and Transmille, manufacturers of Multi-product & Electrical Test Equipment Calibrators. New products are expected shortly from these manufacturers including a new calibrator from Transmille. In Ocean products GCS distributes the products of Ocean Scientific International Ltd., including the IAPSO Standard Seawater, and Low Nutrient Seawater.

GCS is proud to continue its commitment to the metrology community, which spans nearly four decades. Visit www.gcscalibation.com to learn more.

 

Metrology Society of Australia's 6th Biennial Conference

The Metrology Society of Australia will stage its 6th Biennial Conference in the Australian Capital. The Conference venue will be Australian National University (ANU). Accommodations will be available at ANU and a block of rooms have been reserved at approximately $110 per room including breakfast. The Conference Dinner will take place on Thursday 20th at the Australian War Memorial. The Dinner will be held in the new section of the War Memorial under G for George, the famous WW II bomber.

With its theme Smart Measurements: Metrologists Advancing Industry the Conference will focus on issues such as measurement techniques, education, practical application of measurement, as well as showcasing metrology and its relevance to industry to a wide range of stakeholders, including Government.

The Conference will commence with an evening cocktail party on Wednesday 19th October 2005. Presentations and tutorials will proceed over the two days of October 20th and 21st. For more information visit the Metrology Society of Australia.

 

College of Engineering Settles in New Home at UNC Charlotte

UNC Charlotte students in mechanical engineering, precision metrology and motorsports engineering will begin 2005 classes in facilities that rival any in the nation, and likely the world, according to one director.

The new William States Lee College of Engineering building is part of the Charlotte Research Institute cluster along North Tryon St., on the UNC Charlotte campus. It holds 40,000 square feet of laboratory, classroom and office space, more than 300 tons of precision equipment and a glimpse of the future of university-corporate partnerships at UNC Charlotte.

Finding a home on the first floor of the new building, the Center for Precision Metrology is funded by the National Science Foundation.

Center Director Bob Hocken spent 15 years with the National Bureau of Standards (now the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST) before coming to Charlotte.

"The facilities here are as good as anything I've seen anywhere in the U.S. or in Germany," said Hocken.

For more information about the new facility housing the Lee College of Engineering, visit http://www.coe.uncc.edu/index.html.

 

Integrated Service Solutions, Inc. Launches Expanded Metrology Lab Services

A newly expanded range of Metrology Lab services was unveiled by Integrated Service Solutions, Inc.

Integrated Service Solutions, Inc., Metrology Lab is located in the Company’s corporate facility in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia, offering a convenient single source alternative to a variety of OEMs for Mass Flow Meters (now including high Laminar flow to 100 slpm and high Sonic flow to 1000 slpm), Pressure Equipment (now including high Vacuum Calibrators to 1000 TORR), and Relative Humidity (RH) Equipment (now including Dewpoint Meters, 15 ppmV to 75 ppmV, and 3-Point Humidity and Temperature Calibrators).  A full range of services will continued to be offered for Validation Test Equipment, including the GE-Kaye Validator KL, 2000, and Specialized Testing including Air Flow Anemometers, Low and Mid Range Pressure testing, calibration of Deadweight Testers, Particle Counters, Mass Calibration, and High Temperature to 1100 degrees Celsius.  Additionally, a full range of services continues to be offered in the categories of Temperature Equipment and Process Instrumentation (DC and Low Capability).

The Metrology Lab's extensive corrective and preventive maintenance of Pipettes now includes a choice of Gravimetric (allowing a minimum TAR calibration of 4.00:1 for 20 ml pipettes and above) or Photometric ( below 20 ml, for enhanced TAR specifications) calibration. This applies to all major brands and types single or multi-channel and repeators including Eppendorf, Gilson, Brinkman, VWR, Rainin, Hamilton, and more. Integrated Service Solutions, Inc., continues to offer 48-hour turnaround for mail-in pipette service and free regional pick up and delivery on large orders.

The Integrated Service Solutions, Inc. Metrology Lab continues to provide fully NIST-traceable documentation for all services performed and all calibrations are performed per manufacturer's specifications. The Metrology Lab is fully temperature and humidity controlled. A complete list of Metrology Lab services is available at www.integratedservicesolutions.com.

 

NACLA 2006 Accreditation Forum-AGM On March 28-29, 2006

The National Cooperation for Laboratory Accreditation (NACLA) will hold its annual Forum-General Meeting (AGM) on March 28-29, 2006, at the Sheraton Columbia Hotel, in Columbia, Maryland.

NACLA members and all individuals in the various stakeholder groups that NACLA serves are encouraged to attend this conference. All these groups will find value in the conference: industry, government, laboratories and accreditation bodies.

The Forum Program is now being developed. The Preliminary Program and Registration Form for the 2006 Forum-AGM will be available in September. A major subject will be assessment of early months of implementation of the new international standard for accreditation bodies (ISO/IEC 17011) and a look ahead to the new version of ISO/IEC 17025, due for implementation next year.

During the AGM portion of the event, NACLA officials will discuss the progress NACLA has made in the past year and its plans for 2006. Attendees will have ample opportunity to ask questions of and offer suggestions to the NACLA leaders.

 

NIST's Advanced Measurement Lab

Completed in 2004, the Advanced Measurement Lab (AML) located at National Institute of Standard & Technology's (NIST) Gaithersburg, Maryland campus has few if any equals among the world's research facilities. It offers an unprecedented combination of features designed to virtually eliminate environmental interferences that undermine research at the very tip of the leading edge of measurement science and technology.

Accomplishments at the AML will translate into new high-accuracy measurement technologies, databases on the fundamental properties of nano-structured materials, and other essential supporting tools and capabilities. U.S. industry and its university and government partners require these infrastructural technologies if they are to succeed fully in scaling today’s feats of molecular science and engineering into nanotechnology products and processes for domestic and international markets

Consisting of five wings, including two that are entirely underground, the 49,843 square-meter (536,507 square-foot) AML houses 338 reconfigurable laboratory modules and a Class 100/ISO 5 cleanroom, the 8,520 square-meter Nanofabrication Facility. While environmental-control requirements are tailored to categories of scientific need, no other facility of this size has so successfully achieved the combined features of strict temperature and humidity control, vibration isolation, air cleanliness, and quality of electric power.

Read more about NIST's AML.

 

AMETEK to Acquire Roxboro's Solartron Group

AMETEK, Inc. announced it has agreed to acquire the Solartron Group ("Solartron") from Roxboro Group PLC for approximately GBP 42 million ($75 million). Solartron, with annual sales of approximately GBP 27 million ($50 million), is a leading supplier of analytical instrumentation for the process, laboratory and other industrial markets. This acquisition, expected to be completed in the third quarter, is subject to normal closing conditions, including approval by Roxboro's shareholders.

"Solartron is composed of an excellent set of differentiated, niche-focused businesses that fit nicely with several of our current process and analytical instrument businesses," comments AMETEK Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frank S. Hermance. "Solartron enables us to broaden our product offering, expand our geographic reach, and capitalize on significant synergy with our existing businesses," adds Mr. Hermance.

Solartron is composed of three businesses: Solartron Analytical, Solartron Metrology and Solartron ISA.

-- Solartron Analytical produces high-precision analytic measurement instrumentation and software for the characterization of materials. Solartron Analytical's products are used for electrochemistry, corrosion analysis and advanced materials analysis and are sold to research, metals, and other industrial markets. Together with our Princeton Applied Research business unit, AMETEK will be the market leader for these types of instruments.

-- Solartron Metrology is a leading manufacturer of digital and analog gauging probes, displacement transducers and associated instrumentation used primarily to measure the size and form of machined or fabricated parts. Its products are used in the aerospace, glass manufacturing, semiconductor and other industrial markets. Solartron Metrology complements AMETEK's Taylor Hobson business, a leader in the ultra-precision metrology field.

-- Solartron ISA designs and manufactures flow measurement devices for the oil and gas industry. A rapidly growing market for ISA is Wet Gas metering. Based on patented technology, ISA's Dualstream(R) Wet Gas meters are able to differentiate between liquid and gas flows in an on-line, real-time process for flow metering at the well-head or transmission pipeline. ISA's product line is an excellent addition to AMETEK's existing oil and gas instrument businesses.

Solartron will join AMETEK as part of its Electronic Instruments Group (EIG) -- a recognized leader in advanced monitoring, testing, calibrating, and display instruments. AMETEK EIG sells its instruments to the process and analytical, aerospace, power, and industrial markets worldwide and had 2004 sales of approximately $667 million.

AMETEK is a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electric motors with annualized sales of $1.4 billion.
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