MeProVisc

NPL is a world-leading centre in the development and application of highly accurate measurement techniques. As the UK's national standards laboratory, NPL underpins the national measurement system, ensuring consistency and traceability of measurements throughout the UK. Other areas of expertise include the design and characterisation of engineering materials, and the development of mathematical software, especially its application to measurement and instrumentation.

http://www.npl.co.uk

BAM's main homepage

The division taking part in the project.

The BAM Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing is a senior scientific and technical Federal Institute with responsibility to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). The technological productivity of the Federal Republic of Germany is based on competitive high-quality products, which are to be ensured by innovative measurement and testing technology. BAM has its responsibility in:

• Advancement of safety in technology and chemistry
• Physical and chemical inspections of materials and plants including supply of reference methods and reference materials
• Promoting the transfer of knowledge and technology in BAM's key areas
• Collaboration in developing legal regulations like on safety standards and threshold values
• Consulting on safety aspects of materials technology for the Federal Government and industry.

The Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) is a technical and scientific senior federal institute under the authority of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour (BMWA). BAM is responsible for the performance and evaluation of physical and chemical testing of substances and constructions including provision of reference methods and reference materials, the advancement of safety and reliability in chemical and materials technologies and special tasks according to the Explosives Act, the Weapons Act and the Transport of Dangerous Goods Act.

The main work for this project will be done in the Working group "Thin Film Technology, Electrochemistry, surface Test Methods of the Division VI.4 Surface Technologies.

The Working Group has a wide experience in research in the field of nano-materials and especially in the correlation between preparation conditions, micro- and nanostructure and properties. For this project BAM is equipped with a unique combination of characterisation techniques suited for mechanical, structural and chemical characterisation coatings at the micro- and nanometre scale. The Working group is also very active in the field of standardisation on the national and international level (CEN/TC 184/WG5 - test methods for ceramic coatings; ISO/TC 164/SC3 Hardness)

www.bam.de

On 1st January 2006, the Istituto Elettrotecnico Nazionale "Galileo Ferraris" (IEN) and the Istituto di Metrologia "Gustavo Colonnetti" (IMGC) merged to establish the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (I.N.RI.M.). INRIM is the national public body under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research. with the task of carrying out and promoting scientific research in metrology (the study of the science of measurements) and into materials; furthermore it works on developing innovative technologies and devices.

With the handover of the tasks of primary metrology institute previously assigned to IMGC and the IEN, INRIM has become the focus of most scientific metrology activities in Italy (except for the field of ionising radiation, where ENEA-INMRI maintains its role). Performing the duties of primary metrological Institute, INRIM realises the primary standards for the basic and derived units of the International System of units (SI), assures the maintenance of such standards, their international comparison, provides the national measurements traceability to the SI, represents Italy in international metrological organisms.

We develop, apply and disseminate research- and technologically-based knowledge for the Danish and International business sectors. As such we participate in development projects which are of use to society in close collaboration with leading research and educational institutions both in Denmark and abroad.

Our most important task is to ensure that new knowledge and technology can quickly be converted into value for our customers in the form of new or improved products, materials, processes, methods and organisational structures. In 2010 DTI delivered services to 14,895 companies of which 9,449 were Danish.

Its main research activities deal with the fundamental physical constants (e.g. Avogadro and Boltzmann constant), new primary standards, innovative materials, nanotechnology, quantum technologies (quantum information, imaging and metrology) metrology for chemistry and artificial vision.

INRIM supports local and European technological innovation for industry, participates in EU research programmes (e.g. it’s partner in the Galileo project as for Time metrology), collaborates for the accreditation of the calibration laboratories in Italy, provides technical certification and consultancy services, promotes and divulges research supervising diffusion of the results by scientific literature, in the productive sectors and in the society.

INRIM has its main premises in Turin, Strada delle Cacce 91; further operational centres are located in Turin and Pavia.

Link:www.inrim.it

Dr. Alessandro Schiavi
Researcher
Mechanics Division
INRIM-Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica
strada delle cacce, 73 - 10135 - Torino, Italy
Tel. +39 011 3919 625 - Fax. +39 011 3919 62

The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) is the national institute for science and technology and the highest technical authority of the Federal Republic of Germany for the field of metrology and certain sectors of safety engineering. PTB comes under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. It meets the requirements for calibration and testing laboratories as defined in the EN ISO/IEC 17025. It has a staff of about 1800 employees of whom about 500 are graduates. It is a fundamental task of PTB to realize and maintain the legal units in compliance with the International System of Units (SI) and to disseminate them, above all within the framework of legal and industrial metrology.

http://www.ptb.de/index_en.html
http://www.ptb.de/en/kontakt/kontakt.html

CSM Instruments provides equipment that allows the mechanical characterization of a wide range of surfaces and bulk materials. Adhesion of paints, optical thin films or hard coatings can be defined using one of our Scratch Testers. These span the nano to the macro range to analyze the widest range of materials. Dynamic testing measurements can be performed to define not only the hardness of the material, but also to evaluate the plastic and elastic deformation, the elasticity module, creep and much more. For wear testing we offer the Tribometer, based on the pin-on-disc principle, that operates both in the Micro and Nano regime; to record the frictional coefficient and measure the wear volume. Other equipment measures film thickness. Additionally, CSM provides three dimensional viewing capabilities of sample surfaces under most testing regimes.

The Chair Manufacturing Metrology contributes to the project MADES with new methods for the evaluation of wear to tool materials based on 3D optical assessment of wear volume. Aim is the preparation of a good practice guide on the assessment of wear to tools.

CSM Instruments has been leader in the development of instruments for advanced materials testing for over thirty years. Our products include Hardness Testers, Scratch Testers, and Tribometers of varying load ranges. 3D-imaging options are available with the ConScan or AFM objective. Additionally, we have a thorough sample testing service laboratory.

Werth VideoCheck UA equipped with chromatic aberration probe, image processing sensor, tactile sensor and opto-tactile fiber probe.

CSM Instruments has been leader in the development of instruments for surface mechanical properties characterization for over 30 years in both research and industrial fields.

Our product line includes:

• Scratch Testers: Used to measure characteristics such as adhesion of a coating, delamination effects, or cracking in order to optimize coating techniques and determine failure points of the film-substrate system. Adhesion of paints, optical thin films or hard coatings can be defined using one of our Scratch Testers. These span the nano to the macro range to analyze the widest range of materials.
• Indentation Testers: Used to determine the hardness and elastic modulus of coatings and surfaces with extremely high precision at the macro-, micro-, and nano-scales to aid in material selection and development. Dynamic testing measurements can be performed to define not only the hardness of the material, but also to evaluate the plastic and elastic deformation, the elasticity module, creep and much more.
• Tribometers: (high temperature and linear reciprocating options) Used to measure the frictional coefficient and wear rate between material pairs, as well as perform lifetime analyses. Based on the pin-on-disc principle, that operates both in the Micro and Nano regime.
• Imaging:3D-imaging options are available with the ConScan or AFM objective.

Our focus on research and development helps us to continue our tradition of cutting edge technology and superior performance specifications. We manufacture testing modules that can be configured alone or combined together on a testing platform for a single instrument capable of multiple analysis modes.

In the design of our instruments, we integrate the testing module(s) with imaging module(s) for a seamless testing and imaging process. The modules and microscopes are positionally synchronized so the instrument automatically moves the point of interest under the appropriate imager with a single click. It also allows us to correlate optical coating failures (like cracks) to the exact force, depth, and frictional force… that was occurring at that time.

Additionally, we have a thorough sample testing service and demonstration laboratory in Boston, MA where you can send us your samples for evaluation or take a firsthand look at our instruments.

www.csm-instruments.com

NGF EUROPE Limited is a subsidiary company of the NSG Group of Japan, one of the World's leading manufacturers of glass products for building, automotive and information electronics applications.

Situated in St. Helens, Merseyside, in the north west of England, NGF EUROPE is at the forefront in the manufacture and marketing of specialised Glass Cord products. Glass Cord is used mainly in the automotive industry for the reinforcement of synchronous drive belts. The best example of a synchronous drive belt is the motor car timing belt that is used in the engine to operate the overhead camshaft system.

NGF EUROPE supplies Glass Cord to timing belt manufacturers worldwide, in all the major car-manufacturing countries.

The website for NGFE is: www.ngfeurope.com
point of contact Dr Chris Stevens
Technical Manager
NGF EUROPE Limited
Lea Green Road
St Helens
WA9 4PR
UK
tel +44 1744 853092
email chris.stevens@nsg.com

SIO is a modern high-tech institute specializing in analysis, engineering, and optimization of arbitrarily structured surfaces under all kinds of mechanical loading and other influences. It explicitly concentrates on scale invariant, completely analytical solutions for problems in mathematical physics especially contact and fracture mechanics, defects, temperature fields and diffusion equation. A great variety of analyzing and modeling software tools like ELASTICA, FilmDoctor, IndentationScratchAnalyser ISA, ScratchStressAnalyzer SSA, Oliver&PharrForCoatings OPfC, OptiWear, IndentChecker for nanoindentation, scratch and tribo test analysis and rather arbitrary, sophisticated forward modeling are based on these solutions. The company is constructed as a "partnership organized under the Civil Code" GBR with Dr. rer. nat. habil. Norbert Schwarzer as the leading scientist within the team consisting of up to 15 partners.

Point of contact Dr. Norbert Schwarzer