Jun 16 2009
Materials companies now have somewhere to turn for instant measurement advice. The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has launched a new materials hotline, GEMM (Gateway to Expertise in Materials Metrology), to give companies access to its materials expertise.
The hotline is designed to provide a totally impartial and confidential service, to help businesses overcome measurement challenges such as improving processes and properties, ensuring safety and increasing durability.
UK businesses producing and processing materials have an annual turnover of around £200 billion, 15% of the UK's GDP, so are vital to competitiveness and innovation across all sectors of industry, from manufacturing to the environment.
Dr Steve Mason, Knowledge Transfer Business Partner at NPL, commented:
"Successfully developing materials for commercial use depends upon being able to understand, characterise and measure them throughout their working life. NPL's helpline aims to give businesses the opportunity to exploit our expertise to gain a competitive advantage".
Materials work at NPL covers three main areas of expertise: structural materials; surface engineering and materials chemistry; and multifunctional materials. Advice can be obtained from the experts at NPL, and other sources, on problems resulting from a wide range of deterioration mechanisms, including the effects of wear, fatigue and high temperature exposure, and other processes specific to polymers, composites and ceramics.
Because of its major impact on the economy, corrosion and failure analysis are expected to figure prominently in the new service.
NPL helps a wide range of companies to overcome business challenges through accurate measurement. An example of recent work has included ensuring the safety of the wheels and rockets of the Bloodhound land speed record bid.