Large Volume Metrology in Industry

Project LUMINAR (Large volume Unified Metrology for Industry, Novel Applications & Research) is being undertaken to tackle several fundamental issues affecting user of Large Volume Metrology in industrial environments.

Large volume metrology (LVM) - the ability to measure size, location, orientation and shape of large objects, assemblies or machine tools - is a critical requirement in many high value industries where the EU is globally competitive, such as aerospace, automotive, civil engineering, and power generation.

LVM is also an underpinning technology used in critical periodic alignment of large advanced science facilities such as those at CERN or ESRF, in the preparation of particle beam-based therapy systems for healthcare, and in the civil engineering and surveying industries.

Almost all modern large volume metrology instruments employ optical techniques in which electromagnetic beams propagate in ambient air. However, fundamental technical and environmental issues, including the difficulty of establishing traceability to primary standards of length and the determination of reliable measurement uncertainties, are preventing wider uptake of LVM or limiting the available accuracy or applicability.

This project aims to unleash the true potential of large volume metrology by tackling some of the fundamental issues holding back significant further progress.

The research within this EURAMET joint research project receives funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme, ERA-NET Plus, under Grant Agreement No. 217257.

End of Project

The project ends on 31 May 2016.

End of Project Workshop

09:00 Wednesday 18 May 2016 to 14:00 Thursday 19 May 2016

The workshop was held at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, TW11 0LW, UK.

Presentations from the workshop are available on the workshop webpage