The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has announced the launch of its new Instruments division, bringing its world-class measurement instruments and expertise still closer to industry, improving quality, productivity and efficiency.
Supporting both public and private organizations
As an exemplary national laboratory with over 600 measurement scientists and a unique relationship between research and industry, NPL has been supporting both public and private organizations in reaching their full potential for over a century: from scientific organizations looking to measure the fundamental forces of the universe to manufacturers looking to streamline processes and improve productivity.
Ensuring that business and commerce benefit from this expertise
In launching its Instruments Division, NPL furthers its commitment to ensuring that business and commerce benefit from this expertise. It does this by providing confidence that their products and processes perform as they should and to the highest quality, and by maximising the reliability and efficiency of their systems.
Organizations already benefitting from this new service
Organizations like NASA, the MOD, Defra and the European Space Agency (ESA) are already benefitting from this expertise. NASA, for example, uses the most accurate machines in the world to craft the mirrors in its space telescopes. NPL was uniquely placed to create the laser systems that control and operate these machines. For the European Space Agency, NPL has developed a unique vibration test facility that underpins the performance of satellite components for European space missions. Defra has made use of new environmental monitoring techniques from NPL that track greenhouse gas emissions in 3D over large areas, allowing it to manage sites such as landfills much more effectively.
Supporting the continued growth of the relationship with industry
To support the continued growth of this relationship with industry, the Instruments Division will be putting £1.5m towards new machining centers and state of the art laboratories, as well as the recruitment of new engineering specialists and advanced engineering apprentices.
