Original Date: 11/03/1996
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

In 1992, a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)-sponsored meeting discovered that no gear calibration services existed in the United States. American industries and government agencies had to rely on European services for gear calibration. U.S. research and education were also falling behind its foreign competitors. In response, the Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) established the Gear Metrology Center. As an alliance between government, industry, technical societies, and academia, the Center provides a national infrastructure for gear measurements which are traceable to the international standard for length. The Center applies existing precision metrology, facilities, equipment, and expertise toward gear metrology needs.

The Metrology Center develops methodologies for artifact and master gear calibration; designs training courses in the proper use of calibrated artifacts; and participates in the correlation of measurements from various methods, equipment, and facilities. In collaboration with NIST, the Center offers the calibration of involute-profile master artifacts with a stated 95% uncertainty of + 36 millionths of an inch. Calibration services for lead masters and pin masters were made available in 1997, and calibration services for index masters and master gears were made available in 1999. The calibration services are National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) accredited.

With the establishment of ORCMT’s Metrology Center, U.S. facilities can now receive traceable calibration service in the United States. Benefits of the Center include increasing rates, decreasing costs, eliminating overseas delivery, and supporting the U.S. economy by keeping the money within the country.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.