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Success Stories
INMS is best known for its work in the development and maintenance of primary measurement standards and calibration facilites. However, in the course of these fundamental activites, our metrologists are continually developing new techniques, technologies and algorithms that often have applications beyond the world of measurements science.
This rich resource of expertise benefits the Canadian economy and the quality of life for Canadians through technological commercialization, advances in health management practices, and safeguards for the environment.
Single trapped ion meter standard accepted by CIPM
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NRC-INMS is part of a small group of scientists worldwide that are making super- accurate measurements and contributing to a new revolutionary way of making a connection between time signals and the oscillations of light waves by using ultra-fast laser systems. Pulsed optical lasers allow time to be divided up into smaller and smaller increments with an accuracy that paves the way for new directions in science and measurement including optical atomic clocks and a closer probing of the limits of current scientific theories of the universe.
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ORMS-2
A new CRM called ORMS-2, a river water spiked with inorganic mercury, has been released by Chemical Metrology. In Canada, NSERC recently contributed 12.6 million dollars to create a Collaborative Mercury Research Network (COMERN). The aim of this group of investigators, composed largely of University and Government agencies, is to provide an integrated research effort to improve our general understanding of how mercury is transmitted and accumulates in the ecosystem.
FULL STORY
Mitutoyo Coordinate Measuring Machine
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The INMS Dimensional Metrology Program has brokered a deal with Mitutoyo (Japan) to be the first foreign NMI to test and use their new high-performance Legex CMM. The new machine has a large working volume (700 x 700 x 450 mm3) with a resolution of 10 nm on each axis. INMS will conduct rigorous tests to verify the claimed accuracy specification of U = (480 nm + 10-6L), which is considerably better than any other CMM available.
FULL STORY
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Proposal to Develop New Methods to Rapidly Measure Important Radionuclides
In September 2002, the Chemical Metrology Group and their project partners – Health Canada (Radiation Protection Bureau),Trent University, and MDS Sciex Inc. – were successful in capturing funding from CRTI for their New Technologies for the Rapid Assessment of Radioactive Contamination proposal.
Rapid measurement is crucial to minimize adverse health, economic and environmental effects.
1. Spin-Off Components
Ionalytics Corporation – Making the Move into Laboratories Worldwide
2. Transferring Science and Technology to Industry
Prolonging the life of the PE983 IR with a new Detection System
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For the last 12 years, metrologists have been concerned about their aging but reliable Perkin Elmer 983 dispersive infrared spectrophotometers. The PE 983 was originally designed for analytical spectroscopy but found a large following in the optics manufacturing community. An easily understood application of infrared metrology in the pharmaceutical industry is the use of infrared transmittance to evaluate the affect of sunshine on the capsule shells of medicinal drugs. For many high accuracy transmission and reflection measurements of optical materials in the infrared, the PE983 still has no peer.
FULL STORY
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Pulp and Paper Bleaching
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INMS used diplomacy and sound science to resolve a disagreement between Canada and Europe concerning pulp-brightness measurement techniques. As the world's largest exporter of pulp, the discrepancy could have had severe consequences for one of Canada's largest industries.
The outcome? The agreement reached on measurement techniques has saved the Canadian paper industry some $100 million per year in extra bleaching costs... not to mention the environmental benefits of the industry using less bleach in order to sell its products in Europe.
"the accurate measurement of optical properties is crucial to the terms of sale for most of our industry's products. In fact, ISO brightness is the key specification in any commercial agreement on the purchase of bleached/ semi-bleached market pulp, of which Canada is the world's leading exporter".
Mr. W. Wood, Executive Director
Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada (PAPTEC)
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