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From the Executive Office of the

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JANUARY 2018
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IN THIS ISSUE:
The Circle Game: The use of the
Lunar Distance and Related Measurements
for Celestial and Satellite-Based Navigation
and Timekeeping

Two-Color One-Way Frequency

Transfer in a Metropolitan Optical
Fiber Data Network

Experimental and Simulation Study for

a Time Transfer Service via a
Commercial Geostationary Satellite

A Survey of Time Transfer via

a Bidirectional Fiber Link for Precise
Calibration Services

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 IN THIS ISSUE
•••

JANUARY 2018

SPECIAL FEATURES

16 
Calibration Occupations
Calibration Christopher L. Grachanen
Occupations
20 
••• 16 Measurement Is Vital to
Delivering the Vision of the
UK Government’s Life Sciences
Industrial Strategy
Michael Adeogun, NPL

32 
Measurements International
30 Years of Measurement
Uncertainty

48 
Interface Inc. Gold Standard
Calibration System
Load Cell Calibration 101
Measurement Is Vital (NPL) Elliot Speidell
••• 20

DEPARTMENTS
2 
From the President

4 Membership
10 Technical Exchange 2018

Measurements International 28 NIST News

••• 32 30 NCSLI Workshop & Symposium 2018

40 Regional News

52 
Ad Index

Interface Inc.

••• 48
NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 1
••• FROM THE PRESIDENT

Join Us at the Jacob Ricke

r, NIST (right)

FEBRUARY
Join Us for
26–28, 20
Three Days
18

2018 Technical Exchange

Measureme of
nt Training
by Experts Conducted
in the Fie
ld of Metro
Dr. Jun Bautis
ta, GEO Calibr
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ation
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cific hands-o will build
and
of measure n skills in
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Visit NCSL
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Scott Mimb
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ormation.
AL AVENUE, 39 | NCSLI
) SUITE 150 .ORG
| BOULDER,
COLOR ADO
80301

Dr. James Olthoff

Page 10.
Director, Physical Measurement Laboratory, NIST
NCSLI President 2017-2018
james.olthoff@nist.gov

So, what did you get for Christmas? Did you get some-
thing you really wanted, or was it another pair of socks?
For many of us, if we didn’t get quite exactly what we
wanted, we are now shopping the after-holiday sales.
Perhaps buying something really nice for ourselves.
Let me suggest, that one thing you might consider buying
for yourself might be training that could advance your
career, improve the performance of your employees, or
promote your company’s capabilities. One excellent place
to get that training is the NCSL International Technical
Exchange. The Technical Exchange builds and enhances
hands-on skills using calibration and test equipment. It
also teaches best practices, introduces new and innova-
tive measurement hardware, and educates attendees on
the important changes taking place in the measurement
world. Every training session is taught by a recognized
measurement expert. There is still time to sign up for
this extraordinary training event.
This year the Tech Exchange is again being held in
Orlando, Florida (February 26–28). We are offering 25
unique sessions covering a broad range of topics ranging
from: ISO/IEC 17025, electrical metrology, risk assessment,
dynamic sensors, just to name a few. The complete pro-
gram can be found online at www.ncsli.org/te. Even more
impressive is the list of premier measurement organiza-
tions and companies that have provided instructors. These
include: A2LA, Fluke Calibration, NIST, Sandia National
Labs, Tegam, National Instruments, NRC-Canada, Duke
Energy, Transmille, Mettler Toledo, Mitutoyo America,
Ametek, and The Modal Shop. You would be hard pressed
to find a more impressive group of measurement experts
in one place.
So, if the idea of attending the Tech Exchange (or send-
ing some of your employees) appeals to you, and you are
still in post-holiday sale-shopping mode, let me remind
you that you can get a 10% discount if you send three or
more attendees from your company. An even better way
to save is for you or your company to become a mem-
ber of NCSL International. It is easy to recoup most or
all of the cost of membership with the registration dis-
counts you can receive if you fully participate in the Tech
Exchange and the Conference this summer in Portland,
Oregon. Hopefully I will see you at both events.

Orlando, Florida, site of the 2018 Technical Exchange.

2 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1


From The Boardroom
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Dana Leaman
NCSLI Secretary
dana.leaman@nist.gov
The NCSL International Board of Directors met in Coeur
d’Alene, Idaho on November 6 and 7 for the fall meet-
ing. Participating were 13 of the 18 members of the
Board. These working meetings included an Executive
Committee meeting prior to the full Board meetings
which included several working sessions on assessment
of the 2017 activities and goal development for 2018.
The Executive Committee considered several items
in its meeting, some of which were discussed in greater
detail during the Board meeting. The administrative
documents that had been presented for approval at this
meeting were reviewed to ensure that they were cate-
gorized appropriately. Some minor edits were noted and
presented for consideration. After a discussion the revi-
sions to administrative procedures for fees charged for
services and products and William A. Wildhack Award
and process were approved.
The Executive Committee also discussed the current
Board structure and potential candidates for future
nomination. The committee also shared its thoughts as
we continue to implement changes based on adoption of
the new governance model. It was concluded that fur-
ther discussions were warranted before any additional
board structure changes would be implemented.
NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 3
•••
While not discussed during the meetings, the out-
come from the ballot of the Slate of Candidates had
been finalized. The ballot closed with the following elec-
tions to the Board for the next term: Timothy Osborne,
Executive Vice President; Paul Packebush, Vice President;
and Bob Sawyer, Vice President. Since the finalization of
the results, Mr. Packebush had notified the Board that
he would not be able to continue on the Board due to his
retirement. In accordance with the bylaws, President Jim
Olthoff will review the Board makeup for 2018 and make
appropriate appointments to fill any vacant positions.
Other highlights included: Update on the plan for a
review and revision of the NCSLI administrative guide-
lines, policies and procedures, and approval of the
2018 budget.
Looking forward, the Board will not have a face-to-face
winter meeting. Our next meeting is scheduled for April
2018 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Due to several open
work items, the Board will likely hold a WebEx meeting
prior to its next meeting. Everyone is always welcome to
attend any of our meetings, and we look forward to see-
ing you then.
••• MEMBERSHIP
Welcome New Members
HIOKI E. E. CORPORATION
81 Koizumi
Ueda, Nagano 386-1192
Japan
Contact: Masayuki Harano
+81-268-28-0562
harano@hioki.co.jp
www.hioki.com/en
Electrical measuring instruments, the products that lie
at the core of our business, play a vital role in the devel-
opment of science, technology, and industry. Our great
hope is that by providing such instruments we can help
enrich the society of the future and build communities
that are more conducive to human happiness. From a
head office that is situated amid the natural beauty of
Hioki Forest Hills in the city of Ueda in Nagano Prefecture,
HIOKI works daily to develop and manufacture creative,
highly reliable products in line with its commitment to
pursue and provide customer value. We also operate a
network of other facilities in Japan and around the world
so that we can offer customers higher-reliability products
along with the ultimate level of service.
At HIOKI, the corporate philosophy of Respect for
Humanity and Contribution to Society informs the
personal value system of all employees, anchors the
company's ultimate mission, and defines its social
responsibility. To this end, we are dedicated to becoming
a high value-added company unique in both culture and
accomplishment so that we might both earn the trust of
all stakeholders and provide customers with products of
exceptional quality and services of the highest caliber.
KBRWYLE
14409 Hermitage Rd.
Harrisville, NY 13648
Contact: Jan Mosher
(715) 418-4199
jan.mosher@kbrwyle.com
ww2.wyle.com
4 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
BECHTEL MARINE PROPULSION
CORPORATION
2401 River Road, MS 143
Niskayuna, NY 12065
Contact: Anthony Friello
(518) 395-7488
anthony.friello@unnpp.gov
www.bechtel.com/services/defense-nuclear-security/
us-naval-programs/
Since 2009, Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation has
operated the Bettis and Knolls Atomic Power Laboratories
for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear
Security Administration and the U.S. Navy. Each lab
develops advanced naval nuclear propulsion technology
and provides technical support for the safe and reliable
operation of reactors in nuclear-powered submarines and
aircraft carriers, including the new FORD-class carriers.
Bechtel also operates Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc.,
which serves the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
The company provides manages design and procurement
for the fabrication, testing, delivery, installation, and
field support of high-quality nuclear power plant com-
ponents used in U.S. submarines and aircraft carriers.
In addition, BPMI provides upgraded and replacement
components during refueling and overhauls, as well as
delivers information technology solutions to improve
the fleet’s efficiency and effectiveness. Bechtel Marine
Propulsion is a subsidiary of Bechtel National, Inc.
THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION
P.O. Box 91055
Los Angeles, CA 90009-1055
Contact: Joseph Kamkar
(310) 336-5789
joseph.kamkar@aero.org
www.aero.org
The Aerospace Corporation has provided independent
technical and scientific research, development, and advi-
sory services to national security space programs since
1960. We operate a federally funded research and devel-
opment center (FFRDC) for the United States Air Force
and the National Reconnaissance Office and support all

national security space programs. We also apply more
than 50 years of experience with space systems to proj-
ects for civil agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, commercial compa-
nies, universities, and international organizations in the
national interest.
From our inception, our highly skilled technical staff
has focused on ensuring the success of every mis-
sion and developing the most effective and economic
space-related hardware and software in the world. Our
insight and involvement in space programs has signifi-
cantly reduced the risk of launch failure and increased
both satellite endurance and performance. Avoiding a
single catastrophic failure resulting in the loss of oper-
ational capabilities can save the government more than
three times the total annual Aerospace FFRDC budget.
Our greatest asset is the technical expertise of our peo-
ple. Our involvement spans all facets of space systems,
including systems engineering, testing, analysis, and
development; acquisition support; launch readiness and
certification; anomaly resolution; and the application of
new technologies for existing and next-generation space
systems. Our state-of-the-art laboratory facilities are
staffed by some of the leading scientists in the world.
FIRST COAST CALIBRATION
1954 Parental Home Road
Jacksonville, FL 32216
Contact: Stephen Stubblefield
(904) 724-6711
firstcoastcal@bellsouth.net
firstcoastcalibration.com
First Coast Calibration has been locally owned and operat-
ed in the Jacksonville, FL area since 1983, offering honest,
professional and quality service for 34 years. We offer
convenient in-lab calibration services, so customers can
either ship instruments to us or drop them off. We know
how important your equipment is to the daily operations
of your business, therefore we offer a fast turnaround
time of 3-5 business days with the option of expedited
service. Our facility is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 stan-
dards and all calibrations are traceable to the National
Institute of Standards Technology (NIST).
NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 5
MEMBERSHIP
•••
BC GROUP INTERNATIONAL, INC.
3081 Elm Point Industrial Dr.
St. Charles, MO 63301-4333
Contact: Ken Racen
(314) 638-3800
kracen@bcgroupintl.com
www.bcgroupintl.com
BC Group International, Inc. is a leading provider of bio-
medical and general-purpose test equipment for the
biomedical engineering community. Since our forma-
tion in 1988, we have provided a "one-stop-shop" for the
sales, calibration and repair for most types of test equip-
ment. Our quality system is ISO 0991:2008 registered,
ISO 13485:2003 certified, and our calibration laboratory
is ISO/IEC 17025:2005 accredited.
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
GIDDINGS METROLOGY LABORATORY
P.O. Box 12847
Austin, TX 78711
Contact: Lisa Corn
(979) 542-3231
lisa.corn@texasagriculture.gov
www.texasagriculture.gov/RegulatoryPrograms/
WeightsandMeasures/MetrologyLab.aspx
The Giddings Metrology Laboratory (GML) is in the
Weights and Measures Program of the Texas Department
of Agriculture. The Weights and Measures Program
exists to protect Texas consumers and businesses by
ensuring that equity prevails in all commercial trans-
actions involving determinations of quantity. The lab
is recognized by NIST at the levels of Mass, Echelon III
and Volume Transfer, II. Currently, calibration services
include large mass weights, weight carts, small mass
weights, volumetric calibrations ranging from 5 gallons
to 1000 gallons and LPG calibration. GML is the singular
state agency metrology laboratory, employs three metrol-
ogists and a total staff of six employees.
 Additel 760 Automatic Handheld Pressure Calibrator
World’s First Handheld Automatic Pressure Calibrator
Taking portable pressure calibration to a whole new level!
Fully automatic calibrator with built-in pump and controller
Switchable internal pressure modules for expandable ranges
Accuracy (1 year) of 0.02%FS
External pressure modules available (measure only)
Less than 4 lbs (1.8 kg) for handheld operation
Source pressure, measure pressure and electrical
Optional HART communications
Optional data logging and task documenting
USB, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth communications
4 Channels

Pressure Specifications
Specification 760-LLP 760-D 760-MA
±30 inH2O -12.5 to 35 psi -12.5 to 300 psig
Max Pressure Range
(75 mbar) (-0.86 to 2.5 bar) (-0.86 to 20 bar.g)
Accuracy 0.05%FS[1] 0.02%FS[1] 0.02%FS[1][3]

Stability <0.005%FS[2] <0.005%FS[2] <0.005%FS[2]

Pressure Type Differential, Gauge Differential, Gauge Gauge, Absolute

Resolution 6 digits

Barometric Accuracy N/A N/A 60 Pa[4]

Hose, 5 ft (1.5 m), with built-in Hose, 5 ft (1.5 m), with built-in
Connection
1/4BSPF, 1/4NPTF, and M20F 1/4BSPF, 1/4NPTF, and M20F
adapters adapters

[2] Stability based on FS of the internal pressure module. Stability is 0.005%FS or 0.05 pa whichever is greater. Internal module is switchable.
[3] Specification based on gauge measurement. An additional 60 pa uncertainty will need to be included when measuring in absolute mode.
[4] 60 Pa uncertainty (k=2) includes calibration uncertainty, linearity, and long-term stability (<30 Pa per year). Barometer range of 60 to 110 kPa.

Electrical Specifications
Specification Range Resolution Accuracy Note

mA Measure ±30 mA 0.0001 mA 0.01%RD+0.005%FS Impedance <10Ω

V Measure ±30 V 0.0001 V 0.01%RD+0.005%FS Impedance >1MΩ

mA Source 24 mA 0.001 mA 0.01%RD+0.005%FS 20 mA @ 1K

Loop Power Source 24 V N/A ±0.5 V 50 mA (Max Loading)

Pressure Switch Open, close. Support for mechanical switches and NPN/PNP digital switches.

Temperature Compensation 41°F to 95°F (5°C to 35°C)

Temperature Coefficient < ± ( 0.001%RD + 0.001%FS ) / °C outside of 5°C to 35°C

Phone: 714-998-6899 Corporate Headquarters Salt Lake City Office

Fax: 714-998-6999 2900 Saturn Street #B 1364 West State Rd. Suite 101
E-mail: sales@additel.com Brea, CA 92821, USA Pleasant Grove, UT 84062, USA
www.additel.com
••• MEMBERSHIP
INTERFACE INC.
7401 East Butherus Drive
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Contact: Nat Handler
(480) 948-5555
nhandler@interfaceforce.com
www.interfaceforce.com
Founded in 1968, Interface Inc. is a U.S. based family
and woman-owned technology manufacturing compa-
ny located in Scottsdale, Arizona. We are the trusted
world leader in force measurement solutions; designing,
manufacturing, and guaranteeing the highest quality
performance load cells, torque transducers, multi-axis
sensors, and related instrumentation available.
Our world-class engineers provide solutions to the
aerospace, automotive/vehicle, energy, factory automa-
tion, medical and health, and test and measurement
industries, from grams to millions of pounds in hundreds
of configurations, constructed using Interface propri-
etary alloy strain gages, ensuring the highest degree of
performance possible.
Our reach and influence is global as the preeminent
supplier to Fortune 100 companies worldwide, includ-
ing Boeing, Airbus, NASA, Ford, GM, Johnson & Johnson,
the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), the National Metrology Institute of Germany
(PTB), and thousands of certified calibration labs. Our
in-house calibration labs, certified to ISO/IEC 17025 and
ANSI/NCSL Z540.1, support a variety test standards
including ASTM E74, ISO-376, and many others. When the
world's most respected companies need to perform static
and fatigue tests on their products, they use Interface
load cells.
RBR LTD.
95 Hines Road
Ottawa, Ontario K2K 2M5
Canada
Contact: Shabeba Bucknor
(613) 599-8900
shabeba.bucknor@rbr-global.com
rbr-global.com
Since 1976, RBR has been designing and manufacturing
oceanographic instruments in Ottawa, Canada.
From the ocean abyss to the polar ice cap, our sensors
track water parameters: temperature, depth, salinity,
dissolved gases, pH, and many others.
7 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
LOCKHEED MARTIN AERONAUTICS
1 Lockheed Blvd, MZ 5920
Fort Worth, TX 76108
Contact: Jack DiMarco
(817) 777-3069
jack.s.dimarco@lmco.com
www.lockheedmartin.com/us/aeronautics.html
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, home of the
world renowned Skunk Works®, turns visionary air-
craft into reality and is known for building the finest
military aircraft in the world. This recognition is con-
tinually earned through our commitment to relentless
research and development of high-performance aircraft,
continuously seeking innovative, low-cost design and
manufacturing strategies, and delivering operational
readiness for our customers' missions to ensure contin-
ued relevancy for the life cycle of our products.
Our products play an important role in the national
security of the United States and more than 70 other
countries, ensuring peace and stability around the world.
Highly trained and specialized personnel and facilities
are key to the company's unrivaled success in the aero-
nautics industry. Our workforce of more than 25,000 has
pre-eminent expertise in advanced aircraft design and
production, modification and support, stealth technology
and systems integration.
Sustainment is a facet of every program at Lockheed
Martin Aeronautics to ensure our customers’ products
are mission ready and have relevant capabilities through-
out the entire lifecycle. Our capabilities span across all
product support elements which allows the flexibility to
deliver the relevant capabilities required to meet your
most demanding operational requirements at the lowest
total cost.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is headquartered in Fort
Worth, Texas, with additional production and operations
facilities in: Clarksburg, West Virginia; Greenville, South
Carolina; Johnstown, Pennsylvania.; Marietta, Georgia;
Meridian, Mississippi; Palmdale, California; and Pinellas
Park, Florida. We also have offices and personnel in vari-
ous countries throughout the world.

C-FER TECHNOLOGIES
200 Karl Clark Road
Edmonton, Alberta T6N 1H2
Canada
Contact: Jeffrey Webb
(780) 450-3300
j.webb@cfertech.com
www.cfertech.com
C-FER Technologies works with energy industry compa-
nies to identify, develop and evaluate the best available
technologies to improve safety, efficiency and envi-
ronmental performance. C-FER provides full-scale
equipment testing and qualification, applied research
and development, and engineering consulting services.
C-FER works with companies across the full spectrum of
the energy industry from challenges such as well design
integrity and artificial lift, to challenges such as pipeline
design, integrity management, and leak detection.
MEMBERSHIP
•••
THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC
1726 Hyclone Road
Logan, UT 84321
Contact: Avery Stewart
(435) 792-8533
avery.stewart@thermofisher.com
www.thermofisher.com
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is the world leader in serv-
ing science, with revenues of more than $20 billion and
approximately 65,000 employees globally. Our mission
is to enable our customers to make the world healthier,
cleaner and safer. We help our customers accelerate life
sciences research, solve complex analytical challenges,
improve patient diagnostics, deliver medicines to mar-
ket and increase laboratory productivity. Through our
premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems,
Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services – we
offer an unmatched combination of innovative tech-
nologies, purchasing convenience and comprehensive
services.

BAE SYSTEMS
4050 Peppers Ferry Road
Radford, VA 24141
Contact: Michael Pierce
(540) 639-8263
michael.pierce2@baesystems.com
www.baesystems.com

BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems

Plc, an international defense, aerospace and security
company which delivers a full range of products and ser-
vices for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced
electronics, security, information technology solutions
and customer support services.

NCSL International Mission

To provide the best opportunities for the world’s measurement science
experts and practitioners
• t o network • to promote measurement • t o develop means for
and exchange education and skill organizations to resolve
information development measurement challenges

NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 8

 Jacob Ricker, NIST (right)
Dr. Jun Bautista, GEO Calibration
Andy Brush, Tegam
Jim Salsbury PhD, Mitutoyo
Scott Mimbs, American Association
for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA)
FEBRUARY 26–28, 2018
Join Us for Three Days of
Measurement Training Conducted
by Experts in the Field of Metrology!
The NCSLI Technical Exchange will build and
enhance specific hands-on skills in the calibration
of measurement and test equipment. This three-day
training will also teach best practices along with
introducing new and innovative calibration hardware,
software and calibration services. Each training
session is taught by measurement science experts
from throughout the industry.
PRICING AND REGISTRATION
Training Member Non-Member
1/2-Day Course (4 hours) $180 $205
1-Day Course (8 hours) $360 $410
2-Day Course (16 hours) $720 $820
Registration Includes:
• Monday Evening Reception, Materials Bag, Continental Breakfast, Lunch
and Expert Measurement Training for that day!
Discounts:
• 10% discount when registering 3 or more attendees from your company.
Must call the NCSLI Business office at 303-440-3339 to register and receive
discount.
• Non-Members: Join NCSL International and receive member pricing on your
Technical Exchange registration.
Visit NCSLI.ORG for more information.
NCSL INTERNATIONAL | 303-440-3339 | NCSLI.ORG
5766 CENTRAL AVENUE, SUITE 150 | BOULDER, COLORADO 80301
2018 TECHNICAL EXCHANGE HOTEL INFORMATION NCSL International
Room Rate: $149
The Florida Hotel & Conference Center Rate Ends: January 29, 2018

1500 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32809 Call for Reservations:

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 Tim Osborne, American Association
for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA)
TECHNICA L E XCHA NGE ME ASUREMENT TR AINING PROGR A M
TE-1 | Monday, February 26
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Gap in English
Instructor: Tim Osborne, American Association for Laboratory
Accreditation (A2LA)
This course is an abbreviated review of the International Standard
and focuses on the core philosophies, requirements, and general
applications of the International Standard. It is designed for
participants who have a working knowledge of previous version
of the International Standard. In this course, the participant will
become aware of the significant and subtle changes to existing
ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory systems, as well as the necessary steps
to ensure conformity to the new Standard.
TE-2 | Monday, February 26
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
Temperature and Humidity: Chamber Use and
Calibration
Instructor: Dr. Jun Bautista, GEO Calibration
This course will focus on the Best Practices in the use of portable
temperature and humidity chambers, the maintenance do’s
and don’ts, calibration techniques and methods to certify the
temperature and humidity chambers. Finally, an explanation of
some of the most common and not so common uncertainties
associated with the measurement results while using the
portable chambers. Several different types of temperature and
humidity chambers will be introduced. A few minutes will be
dedicated to a glimpse of future developments in temperature
and humidity measurements and the impact of Quantum SI on
these measurement disciplines.
TE-3 | Monday, February 26
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
RF & Microwave Measurement Basics
Instructor: Ronald Ginley, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST)
Have you ever wanted to learn more about microwave
measurement techniques? This session is the place to be! An
introduction to the measurement concepts for microwave power
and scattering-parameters will be covered. Specific topics
covered will include transmission line theory, practical handling
or the do’s and don’ts for transmission lines and microwave
connectors, Vector Network Analyzer calibration/measurements
and real world sources of uncertainties, microwave power
detectors types, power measurements and uncertainties, and the
session will conclude with a discussion of verification techniques
for microwave measurements.
NCSL INTERNATIONAL | 303-440-3339 | NCSLI.ORG | 5766 CENTRAL AVENUE, SUITE 150 | BOULDER, COLORADO 80301
Ronald Ginley, NIST Jonathan Bailey, Transmille
TE-4 | Monday, February 26
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
Basic Metrology Principles
Instructor: Michael Johnston, Fluke Calibration
With the changing calibration community, many technicians
on the bench do not have the training or background that gives
them a full understanding of the measurements they are making.
Understanding the terms and reasons behind the measurements
helps them grow as a technician and expand their workload. This
course addresses some of the elements most important to a
skilled calibration technician.
TE-5 | Monday & Tuesday, February 26 & 27
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 2-Day (16 Hours)
Selection, Calibration, and Use of Contact
Thermometers
Instructors: Dawn Cross, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST); Karen Garrity, National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST)
In this course, we will discuss contact thermometers commonly
used in industry for applications that use platinum resistance
thermometers, thermistors, thermocouples and digital
thermometers. You will learn how to make and use an Ice Melting
Point, calibrate a digital thermometer using a dry well block, and
wiring thermocouples for measurements.
TE-6 | Monday & Tuesday, February 26 & 27
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 2-Day (16 Hours)
Pressure and Vacuum Metrology
Instructors: Jacob Ricker, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST); Julia Scherschligt, National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST)
This course will discuss pressure sensors and standards,
including an in depth look at how they work. The material will
cover the pressure range of 1x10 -6 Pa (~1x10 -8 Torr) up to 280 MPa
(40,000 psi). This broad pressure range is covered by several
different types of gauges and we will discuss basic design
principals of a calibration system for each of these different
ranges. Students will receive hands-on experience with the
equipment needed and will learn about gas connections and
fittings along with gaining experience with several gauge types
and calibration equipment.

Patrick Timmons, The Modal Shop Julia Scherschligt, NIST
TECHNICA L E XCHA NGE ME ASUREMENT TR AINING PROGR A M
TE-7 | Monday, February 26
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
Realization and Dissemination of Mass in the “New SI”
Instructor: Patrick Abbott, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST)
This course will provide information on realization and
dissemination of mass after the redefinition of the kilogram is
adopted in 2019. Details will be presented on the motivation for
redefining the unit of mass, the experiments involved in tying the
kilogram to an invariant of nature, and the Planck constant. The
effect of the redefinition on uncertainties of the NIST mass scale
and customer calibrations will also be presented.
TE-8 | Monday & Tuesday, February 26 & 27
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 2-Day (16 Hours)
NIST Gage Block
Instructor: Eric Stanfield, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST)
This is a 2-day course on the maintenance, care, use, and proper
calibration of gage blocks for dimensional measurements.
Included in this seminar will be a discussion of how to best
analyze and use master calibration history, gage block stability
and predictability, methods for dealing with differential
deformation when mechanically comparing dissimilar materials,
statistical process control, uncertainty determination...what
matters and what doesn’t, thermal considerations and strategies,
and the propagation of the unit of length through NIST to your
master gage blocks (a.k.a., the NIST measurement process).
TE-9 | Monday, February 26
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
Calibration of Torque Instruments
Instructor: Andrew Mackrory, Sandia National Laboratories
This course will feature hands-on calibration of torque wrenches,
and discuss procedures that meet the ASME B107.300-2016
standard. In addition, we will develop a data sheet based
procedure to calibrate a torque wrench. We will discuss other
types of torque instruments; calibration of torque cells; and
develop uncertainty budget and statement for the calibration of a
torque wrench.
VISIT NCSLI.ORG FOR UPDATES AND CURRENT INFORMATION
Michael Johnston,
Scott Crone, Ametek (right) Fluke Calibration
TE-10 | Tuesday & Wednesday, February 27 & 28
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 2-Day (16 Hours)
Measurement Decision Risk for Conformity Assessment
Instructor: Scott Mimbs, American Association for Laboratory
Accreditation (A2LA)
This 2-day course provides the information needed to evaluate
the decision risk for measurements used in conformity
assessments and to develop decision rules that mitigate the
risks. The technical and mathematical details are based on
International standards and internationally accepted practices.
There is a focus on metrology’s influence throughout a product’s
lifecycle, and where key elements reside within the Quality
Management System (QMS), specifically ISO 9001:2015 and
AS9100D. This course provides the background and details for
meeting the 2 % risk requirements of ANSI/NCSL Z540.3-2006 and
the decision rule additions to ISO/IEC FDIS 17025. This information
can be used to strike a balance between the cost of reducing the
likelihood and the cost of negative consequences resulting from
an incorrect measurement-based decision.
TE-11 | Tuesday, February 27
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM | 1/2-Day AM (4 Hours)
Low Power, High Frequency Power Sensor Calibration
Instructor: Greg Tolentino, Tegam
This course is designed to provide an overview of microwave
power measurement methodology and the elements that must be
considered in the development of traceability and the calculation
of error budgets. Course will include a discussion of power
terminology; power flow equations; measuring power using
DC substitution methods; and tracing of power measurements
through DC and VNA measurements. Course will also discuss the
construction and calibration of power standards and sources of
error in RF measurements.
TE-12 | Tuesday, February 27
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM | 1/2-Day AM (4 Hours)
Oscilloscope Fundamentals
Instructor: John Meier, National Instruments
This hands-on course introduces users to the basics of using
oscilloscopes, including making time and frequency domain
measurements, probes and proper probing techniques, and how
to identify sources of error and best practices to avoid them. In
the process, you will be exposed to a graphical programming
environment to customize your tests and get the most out of your
hardware. We will also touch on specifications when choosing
an oscilloscope and how certain specifications can affect your
measurements.
 TECHNICA L E XCHA NGE ME ASUREMENT TR AINING PROGR A M
TE-13 | Tuesday, February 27
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM | 1/2-Day AM (4 Hours)
Risk Based Thinking in Metrology
Instructor: Andy Oldershaw, National Research Council Canada
(NRC)
Risk based thinking has been a growing trend spreading to
all aspects of the economy and society for many years. It will
become more prominent for laboratories with the adoption of
the upcoming ISO/IEC 17025 revision. This module will help those
involved planning, managing, implementing and reviewing any
aspect of laboratory management systems to apply risk based
thinking to determine what the emphasis on risk means to their
laboratory. Tools and techniques to identify, analyze, respond
to, monitor and review risks will be introduced. Participants will
have the opportunity to put them into practice during class room
exercises.
TE-14 | Tuesday, February 27
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
Improved Performance via Process Mapping
Instructor: Dean Williams, Duke Energy
This workshop starts by providing a brief history and background
for TLS (Theory of Constraints, Lean, Six Sigma) as an integrated
performance improvement strategy. The workshop will then go on
to describe the principals and practices from TLS associated with
process mapping as a basic tool of continuous improvement.
Included will be specific metrics that can be used to measure
current and future performance of process flows within a
calibration lab environment. With that basic knowledge in hand,
class members will then work in teams to optimize sections of an
existing calibration lab process description that is a compilation
of various less than optimal process flows found in calibration
labs throughout a cross-section of industries. The team
members will identify “rocks” in the flow stream that will need
to be removed to reduce drag and increase process flow. Once
the rocks are identified, the team will come up with strategies
to improve the process flow and prioritize those actions. Based
on those lessons learned, one or more of the attendees, as time
permits, will be able to volunteer to have the class evaluate
their real-life process flow and come up with suggestions and
recommendations for reducing waste and improving the flow.
TE-15 | Tuesday, February 27
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing (GD&T)
Application to Gage Calibration Requirements
Instructor: Tony Bryce, Sandia National Laboratories
A basic introduction to the concepts of GD&T and the application
to gage certification requirements. This course is suitable for
those individuals needing a basic understanding of the concepts
related to drawing and CAD model definition. The course will
cover symbol interpretation, feature control frames, datums
and datum reference frames (DRF), material conditions (MMC
& LMC), positional tolerancing, profile tolerancing, orientation
(parallelism, angularity and perpendicularity), profile tolerancing
and runout. Application of concepts to gage requirements. This
course is based on ASME Y14.5 standard.
NCSL INTERNATIONAL | 303-440-3339 | NCSLI.ORG | 5766 CENTRAL AVENUE, SUITE 150 | BOULDER, COLORADO 80301
TE-16 | Tuesday, February 27
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM | 1/2-Day PM (4 Hours)
Basic Concepts of Validation, Metrological Traceability
and Measurement Uncertainty
Instructor: Andy Oldershaw, National Research Council Canada
(NRC)
The revision of ISO/IEC 17025 represents a paradigm shift away
from prescriptive requirements for procedures towards risk based
thinking. The requirements related to risk are aimed at assuring
the validity of laboratory activities. This tutorial will explore
the basic concepts of validation, metrological traceability and
measurement uncertainty. How these concepts are addressed in
the new ISO/IEC 17025 will be discussed and through a series of
exercises, participants will learn how risk based thinking can be
applied.
TE-17 | Tuesday, February 27
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM | 1/2-Day PM (4 Hours)
High Power Measurement and Wattmeter Calibration
Instructor: Andy Brush, Tegam
This course will discuss issues that surround the measurement
of RF power above 10W and how to establish traceability and
develop error budgets in this environment. Attendees will learn
how to measure RF power using flow calorimetry; how to trace
power through AC power standards; and how to identify sources
of error and create and error budget. Course will also discuss the
construction of transfer standards and how to calibrate them.
TE-18 | Tuesday, February 27
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM | 1/2-Day PM (4 Hours)
Introduction to Calibration: Handheld DMM’s
Instructor: Jonathan Bailey, Transmille
A brief overview of basic multimeter calibration in an electrical
laboratory. This will cover the different aspects of calibration
from understanding the testing requirements to providing a
comprehensive set of test results suitable for originations. This
course will also include basic fault-finding techniques associated
with electrical multimeter calibration.
TE-19 | Wednesday, February 28
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Gap in Spanish
Instructor: Marcela Shkolnik, American Association for
Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA)
Este curso consiste en un resumen de un día de los cambios
realizados a el ISO/IEC 17025 en su última revisión. En este curso,
el estudiante se dará cuenta de los cambios significativos y
sutiles a los sistemas de laboratorio existentes ISO/IEC 17025, así
como los pasos necesarios para garantizar la conformidad con el
nuevo Estándar.
TE-20 | Wednesday, February 28
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
Temperature and Humidity: Chamber Use and
Calibration
Instructor: Dr. Jun Bautista, GEO Calibration
This course will focus on the Best Practices in the use of portable
temperature and humidity chambers, the maintenance do’s
 TECHNICA L E XCHA NGE ME ASUREMENT TR AINING PROGR A M
and don’ts, calibration techniques and methods to certify the
temperature and humidity chambers. Finally, an explanation of
some of the most common and not so common uncertainties
associated with the measurement results while using the
portable chambers. Several different types of temperature and
humidity chambers will be introduced. A few minutes will be
dedicated to a glimpse of future developments in temperature
and humidity measurements and the impact of Quantum SI on
these measurement disciplines.
TE-21 | Wednesday, February 28
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
Good Weighing Practices
Instructor: Ian Ciesniewski, Mettler Toledo
Did you know that a balance calibration is incomplete, without
a statement of measurement uncertainty? Or that balance
uncertainty is largely independent of loaded mass? Most
analytical balance weighing inaccuracies occur outside of the
balance, but are attributable to influences within the control of
the user. Most calibration regimes contain elements of legacy
metrology programs that have been passed directly down from
mechanical weighing instruments, even though the components
of measurement uncertainty exhibit themselves differently, for
an electronic weighing instrument. Many organizations “Over
test” without generating much meaningful metrology. During
this session, we will break down how measurement uncertainty
exhibits itself, across the capacity of an electronic balance or
scale. We will cover how to assess and assign a Measurement
Uncertainty budget for an electronic balance or scale, and
discuss robust, risk-based approaches to the assessment and
estimation of significant, contributing uncertainty components,
in order to build a thorough, yet scientifically-sound risk based
metrology program for bench or floor weighing instruments. We
will cover overcoming potential errors, and optimize a balance
metrology regime.
TE-22 | Wednesday, February 28
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
Introduction to Dimensional Calibration
Instructor: Jim Salsbury, PhD, Mitutoyo America
This course is an introduction to common dimensional
calibrations and will include a variety of hands-on exercises.
This course focuses on the calibration of small dimensional
measuring instruments, such as micrometers, calipers, and
indicators, and will include procedures, worksheets, and example
Ian Ciesniewski, Mettler Toledo Dean Williams, Duke Energy
VISIT NCSLI.ORG FOR UPDATES AND CURRENT INFORMATION
certificates. The hands-on use of important measurement
standards, such as gage blocks, ring gages, and optical flats will
also be covered, as well as what to look for in the calibration of
the standards. Lastly, this course will briefly discuss the field
calibration of major instruments such as optical comparators and
coordinate measuring machines.
TE-23 | Wednesday, February 28
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | 1-Day (8 Hours)
RF & Microwave Measurement Basics
Instructor: Ronald Ginley, National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST)
Have you ever wanted to learn more about microwave
measurement techniques? This session is the place to be! An
introduction to the measurement concepts for microwave power
and scattering-parameters will be covered. Specific topics
covered will include transmission line theory, practical handling
or the do’s and don’ts for transmission lines and microwave
connectors, Vector Network Analyzer calibration/measurements
and real-world sources of uncertainties, microwave power
detectors types, power measurements and uncertainties, and the
session will conclude with a discussion of verification techniques
for microwave measurements.
TE-24 | Wednesday, February 28
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM | 1/2-Day AM (4 Hours)
Theory and Operation of Dry-Block Temperature
Calibrators
Instructor: Scott Crone, Ametek
This course will describe the construction, evolution, and
practical use of dry-block temperature calibrators. This will
include the basic design, the added features that are bringing
later generations closer to the precision of calibration baths, and
how they should be used as well as common misuses.
TE-25 | Wednesday, February 28
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM | 1/2-Day AM (4 Hours)
Dynamic Sensors and Calibration
Instructor: Patrick Timmons, The Modal Shop
This 1/2-day course on dynamic sensor calibration will dive into
calibration theory, standards, and methodology for dynamic
sensors as well as explanations of different sensor types and the
operational theories behind them.
Tony Bryce,
Sandia National Laboratories Andy Oldershaw, NRC
••• SPECIAL FEATURE

From the Executive Office of

the President of the United States:
Calibration Occupations
Christopher L. Grachanen
Technical Director of Metrology, Transcat Inc.
chris.grachanen@transcat.com

Now that I got your attention let me elucidate. On As background,

November 28, 2017 I received an email from U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics (BLS) regarding a Standard Occu-
pational Classification (SOC) update. With bated breath
I clicked on the hyperlink and saw that the 2018 SOC
Manual (a PDF file of 285 pages) had been published
along with the 2018 SOC User Guide published on behalf
of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the
Standard Occupational Classification Policy Committee
(SOCPC).
“The 2018 Standard Occupational Classification
(SOC) system is a federal statistical standard
used by federal agencies to classify workers
into occupational categories for the purpose of
collecting, calculating, or disseminating data. All
workers are classified into one of 867 detailed
occupations according to their occupational
definition. To facilitate classification, detailed
occupations are combined to form 459 broad
occupations, 98 minor groups, and 23 major
groups. Detailed occupations in the SOC with
similar job duties, and in some cases skills,
education, and/or training, are grouped together.”

16 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1

 SPECIAL FEATURE
•••

The SOC is used by the following governmental agen-

cies in determining occupation titles, task assignments,
pay scales, etc.,
• Department of Commerce Census Bureau
• Department of Defense
• Department of Education
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Labor
• Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Employment Projections Program
• Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population
Survey As many readers may know in the Fall of 2016 the
• National Compensation Survey SOCPC agreed with the petition for creating a new SOC
• National Longitudinal Surveys occupation for Calibration Technologist and Calibration
• Occupational Employment Statistics Technicians but rejected the proposal for creating new
• Occupational Health and Safety Statistics occupations for Calibration Engineers and Metrologists.
• Occupational Requirements Survey Their denial prompted a response petition of 37 pages
• Employment and Training Administration specifically addressing the reasons for their denial, 1)
• Employment Standards Administration occupation uniqueness and 2) collectability of occupa-
• Department of Transportation tional information for U.S. census. With the publishing of
• Bureau of Transportation Statistics the 2018 SOC it was learned that the SOCPC decided not
• Department of Veterans Affairs to include job descriptions for Calibration Engineers and
• National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics Metrologists.
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission With that said, what exactly was changed from the
• National Science Foundation 2010 SOC?
• National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics
“In comparison with the 2010 SOC, the 2018
• Office of Personnel Management
SOC had a net gain of 27 detailed occupations
and 1 minor group. The net number of broad
Work on the 2018 SOC started in 2013 with a kick-
off meeting with the following governmental agencies occupations fell by 2 and the number of major
represented; groups remained unchanged. The 2018 SOC
• Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics system contains 867 detailed occupations,
• Department of Labor, Employment and Training aggregated into 459 broad occupations. In turn,
Administration the SOC combines these 459 broad occupations
• Department of Commerce, Census Bureau into 98 minor groups and 23 major groups. Of
• Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data the 867 occupations in the 2018 structure, 391
Center remained completely unchanged from the 2010
• Department of Education, National Center for SOC, 355 had at least a definition change, 131
Education Statistics
had at least a title change, and 115 had at least a
• Department of Transportation, Bureau of
code change. Most of the definition changes (254)
Transportation Statistics
were editorial revisions or clarifications that did
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
not change occupational content. Therefore, no
• Department of Health and Human Services, Health
Resources and Services Administration substantive change occurred for about 88 percent
• National Science Foundation, National Center for of the detailed occupations in the 2010 SOC.”
Science and Engineering Statistics
• Office of Personnel Management
• Office of Management and Budget, Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs

NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 17

••• SPECIAL FEATURE
The 27 new detailed occupations that stemmed from
splitting out occupations within 2010 SOC “All Other”
occupations were noted in the 2018 SOC per the following;
“Table 3. Occupations new to the 2018 SOC
due to breakouts of 2010 SOC “All Other”
occupations 2018
2018 SOC Title
• 11-9072 Entertainment and Recreation
Managers, Except Gambling
• 11-9179 Personal Service Managers, All Other
• 13-1082 Project Management Specialists
• 15-2051 Data Scientists
• 17-3028 Calibration Technologists and
Technicians”
The following is the official 2018 SOC occupation
description for Calibration Technologists and Technicians;
“17-3028 Calibration Technologists and
Technicians
Execute or adapt procedures and techniques
for calibrating measurement devices, by
applying knowledge of measurement science,
mathematics, physics, chemistry, and
electronics, sometimes under the direction of
engineering staff. Determine measurement
standard suitability for calibrating
measurement devices. May perform
preventive maintenance on equipment.
May perform corrective actions to address
identified calibration problems. Excludes
“Medical Equipment Preparers”
(31-9093) and “Timing Device Assemblers
and Adjusters” (51-2061).
Illustrative examples: Calibration Technician,
Calibration Technologist, Hydrometer
Calibrator”
18 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
Even though the 2018 SOC does not contained job
descriptions for Calibration Engineers and Metrologists,
the SOCPC decided for the first time to specifically denote
these unique occupations within the 17-0000 Architecture
and Engineering occupations under illustrative exam-
ples laying the foundation for future recognition of these
occupations
“17-2190 Miscellaneous Engineers
This broad occupation is the same as the
detailed occupation:17-2199 Engineers,
All Other
17-2199 Engineers, All Other
All engineers not listed separately. Excludes
“Sales Engineers” (41-9031), “Locomotive
Engineers” (53-4011), and “Ship Engineers”
(53-5031).
Illustrative examples: Calibration Engineer,
Metrologist, Optical Engineer, Ordnance
Engineer, Photonics Engineer, Salvage Engineer”
I would like to express my sincere appreciation for
all who were involved in creating 2018 SOC calibration
occupations petitions. Without your help, dedication
and enthusiasm we could not have achieved this land-
mark milestone. I am happy to relate that the 2018
Occupational Outlook Handbook will, for the first time,
include calibration occupations, stay tuned.
2018 SOC Manual
(entire manual, PDF, 285 pages)
www.bls.gov/soc/2018/home.htm
2018 SOC User Guide
(entire guide, PDF)
www.bls.gov/soc/2018/home.htm
Occupational Outlook
Handbook
www.bls.gov/ooh
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••• SPECIAL FEATURE

20 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1

 SPECIAL FEATURE
•••

Measurement
Is Vital to Delivering
the Vision of the
UK Government’s
Life Sciences
Industrial Strategy
Michael Adeogun
Head of Life Sciences and Health at NPL

The UK government's Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, launched in

August, was the first of many sector-specific announcements on the
Industrial Strategy, which seeks to further UK R&D in order to benefit
the economy and society.
Commissioned by the government and written by industry repre-
sentatives, the report identifies the key areas for development with the
view to: grow the UK life sciences sector, help improve the standard of
healthcare and accelerate medical innovation.
Good measurement is vital to achieving this. It enables better under-
standing of diseases and the effectiveness of new innovations to fight
them. It also ensures accurate dosage and application of treatments, and
helps to reduce last stage failure of new pharmaceuticals by enabling
these compounds to "fail fast" by spotting issues sooner.
NPL, the UK’s National Measurement Institute is one of the organi-
zations responsible for delivering the National Measurement System
(NMS) that provides the framework, facilities and expertise to enable
measurements to be reproduced with confidence, and with quantified
uncertainty in the UK. This helps to ensure confidence in new innova-
tion and treatments, assurance of consistency of care, and turn health
data into decisions. Many of the issues raised by the report, such as
the need to accelerate access, foster growth of UK industry and ensure
effective use of data, are priority areas for the NMS too.
NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 21
••• SPECIAL FEATURE
Accelerating access
One key theme of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy is
collaboration between the UK’s National Health Service
(NHS) and industry, to speed the adoption of innovative
treatments. This builds on the government’s Accelerated
Access Review. Two of the stages to provide access to
new treatments and diagnoses are: the development of
innovative treatments, and ensuring they are adopted as
quickly as possible.
Developing new treatments
Collaboration between all groups in the sector is required
to ensure that industry focus matches user need. In order
to achieve this, the strategy has established a body to
bridge the gap between government and industry, the
Health Advanced Research Program, which will look to
pursue potential big winners like AI or genomics.
Working in closer partnership is especially important
in reducing drug attrition and ‘failing fast’ – to the benefit
of industry and the patients. It takes the pharmaceuti-
cal industry 10-15 years and more than £1bn to develop
a drug to clinical trial stage1, with Phase II clinical pro-
grams the lowest success rate of the four development
phases, with only ~30% of developmental candidates
advancing to Phase III. Failure at Phase II is very expen-
sive and is most often due to the drugs being ineffective,
having safety problems or intolerable side effects, and
this is despite all of the work to develop the product up
to this stage. With an improved measurement infra-
structure in place, many drugs that go on to fail could
be eliminated much earlier in the development process.
Building on its current capabilities in mass spectrom-
etry imaging, NPL has received funding through the UK
government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (which
aims to bring together UK business and research to meet
major industrial and societal challenges) to strengthen
its UK high-resolution mass spectrometry imaging facil-
ity to improve drug development and our understanding
of disease states, which can be easily accessed by UK
industry. Such a world-leading imaging facility with new
medical imaging technologies was identified by industry
as a pivotal route to understanding drug delivery, uptake
and metabolism. The facility, the first of its kind in the
UK, is supporting drug development through providing
an understanding of where unlabeled drugs go in tissues
and the changes induced by these treatments as well as
better characterizing disease tissue.
22 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
In addition to collaboration between different groups,
better cooperation between scientific disciplines is also
required. The Life Sciences Industrial Strategy report
recognizes the increasing role of physical sciences in the
sector, and the value of interdisciplinary activity.
NPL is working on a ground-breaking project funded
by Cancer Research UK (the largest cancer research and
awareness charity in the country) to revolutionize the
prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by creat-
ing a reproducible, standardized way to fully understand
different tumours in unprecedented detail. The team
involved is highly multi-disciplinary, from a range of part-
ner institutions, bringing new skills and approaches to an
established problem. Furthermore, NPL is also working
with CERN, one of the world’s largest and most respected
research facilities, to develop novel radioisotopes for
diagnostic, therapeutic and theranostic applications.
Ensuring they’re adopted
Developing new innovations effectively is just half of the
journey – there is a new set of challenges presented when
ensuring their uptake. This includes understanding how
new treatments can be adopted into patient pathways
and the NHS infrastructure, along with demonstrating
cost-effectiveness. Another aspect is reproducibility of
research: Reproducibility is vital in realizing new innova-
tions, achieving scientific consensus earlier to help speed
the uptake of discoveries. And across all this work is a
drive to make life sciences and biomedical research more
reproducible.
Standards provide certainty in the consistency of
the product performance which is crucial in address-
ing these challenges and deciding which products are
adopted and commercialized by industry. NPL, work-
ing with SynbiCITE at Imperial College London, LGC
and NIBSC, is establishing a new £7 million virtual lab
to help the UK synthetic biology industry improve the
manufacturing and adoption of new products through
standardization. The new lab, which will underpin a joint
Centre of Engineering Biology, Metrology and Standards,
will develop and provide relevant reference materials
and methods in the form of a toolbox, aiming to improve
the reproducibility of research results that will help
convert innovation in synthetic biology into valuable
products and services.
Standardization remains vital when new treatments
reach market, particularly in healthcare, to improve
patient outcomes and end the postcode lottery in health.
 SPECIAL FEATURE
•••

Despite research excellence, the report identifies that

the UK currently “does not consistently offer a gold stan-
dard of care.”
As a result, the NMS is working to foster a better
connection to end-users. NPL currently provides the
underpinning confidence in radiotherapy treatments
across all UK treatment centres, to ensure accuracy and
effectiveness of cancer treatment while minimizing side
effects. We are now developing a code of practice that
will be the world’s first protocol written specifically for
proton beam therapy (PBT) and will allow treatment cen-
tres to calibrate their beams so they know how much
radiation dose they’re giving to a patient – reducing
the treatment’s side effects. While the UK has adopted
high-energy PBT later than other countries, it now has
cutting-edge technology that will be accessible from
2018, meaning that patients will no longer have to travel
abroad for this front line treatment. NPL, in partnership
Michael Adeogun, Head of Life Sciences and Health
with the NCRI Radiotherapy Trials Quality Assurance at NPL.

(RTTQA) group, plays a key role in ensuring the safe

and optimized uptake of new radiotherapy techniques
and credentialing into clinical trials in support of the
Commissioning through Evaluation program. NPL’s end-
to-end treatment verification services have provided
centers with confidence in the delivery of new techniques
and have resulted in significantly reduced variation in
the dose delivered to the patient. The unique relationship
allows the further development of end-to-end audit for
new advanced techniques such as proton beam therapy,
MRI guided radiotherapy and molecular radiotherapy
that will allow the establishment of new clinical trials
for these modalities

Fostering growth
Another key theme to the Life Sciences Industrial
Strategy is the need to create an environment that nur-
tures start-ups and growth across the UK by building on
strengths, including access to finance and the expansion
of manufacturing in the sector.
As part of the strategy, the government announced
£146 million to help fund new manufacturing centres
for vaccines, cell and gene therapy and medicines man-
ufacturing, in addition to announcing increasing R&D [ 1 ] www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/publications/tomor-
investment, to 2.4 per cent of GDP2, to ease cooperation rows-pharmacist/drug-development-the-journey-of-a-medi-
cine-from-lab-to-shelf/20068196.article
between academia and industry in this area.
[ 2 ] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/record-boost-to-
NPL is working to discover, screen and validate new rd-and-new-transport-fund-to-help-build-economy-fit-for-
classes of antimicrobials with Ingenza, a world leader the-future

NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 23

••• SPECIAL FEATURE

Dr. Josephine Bunch, with mass spectrometry imaging instrument.

24 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1

 SPECIAL FEATURE
•••

in the application of industrial biotechnology and syn-

thetic biology, and the University of Plymouth, through
an Innovate UK grant, to tackle antimicrobial resistance
(AMR), a problem that could cause up to 10 million deaths
each year by 20503. The project will use a class of anti-
microbials, called epidermicins, which naturally target
superbugs like MRSA, to enhance the range of bacteria
they can kill as well as the potency at which they can do
this. The project will also look to scale up production of
these antimicrobials for further testing and clinical tri-
als, helping to accelerate their development.
The report outlines the need for solid regulation. Good
standards and measurement are key to sound policy-
making and to enabling simplification of regulation, or
deregulation. Manufacturing technologies are required
that deliver a step-change in the way we make estab-
lished medicines through process innovation, advanced
therapeutics such as cell and gene therapies, oligonucle-
otides, viral vectors and therapeutic vaccines. The work
of the Advanced Therapies Manufacturing Taskforce has
developed a clear set of actions to drive up investments
in commercial manufacture of cell and gene therapies.
This includes identifying the inherent challenge in the
standardization of complex Advanced Therapy Medicinal
Products (ATMPs) and the importance of standardization
in supporting the development of manufacturing pro-
cesses to address different aspects of cell, gene and viral
vector materials, as well as their manufacturing pro-
cesses and products.

Data and digital health

Finally, the report outlines the need to make the best use
of data and digital tools to support research and better
patient care.
The UK is unique in having a long-running national
health service. This means we have long-term data
sets that we can analyse to improve healthcare. Such
data can provide immense value in identifying trends,
co-morbidities and effectiveness of treatments. A stated
need is accessibility to this quality data, and samples,
and the ability to bring together information from differ-
ent databases. Both industry and biomedical researchers
need high quality data and longitudinal samples at scale,
with long-term follow up, and scope to explore multi-
ple technologies. This also requires standardization and

[ 3 ] https://amr-review.org/background.html

NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 25

••• SPECIAL FEATURE
regulation to be embedded to ensure different systems
can be correlated and combined such as radiology and
pathology systems. Through high quality, validated and
standardized data, AI and machine learning tools can be
developed. NPL is also exploring how metadata around
data quality might be stored at a machine-readable level,
to make this data more accessible.
NPL is working with the Royal College of General
Practitioners’ Research and Surveillance Centre (RCGP
RSC) network to provide more accurate surveillance of
diseases and epidemics in the UK. The network has been
running for 50 years and uses patient records to iden-
tify and measure incident rates e.g. the RCGP RSC was
vital in understanding and responding to the 2009 swine
flu epidemic. However, medical records are not always
accurate. NPL will be addressing this by using its data
mining expertise to improve the accuracy of the data
sets and help optimise retrospective data in identifying
trends, and assessing the efficacy of treatments. NPL is
26 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
also developing data standards to ensure the integrity of
data, accelerate its use in critical applications like health-
care and drug development, and ease the integration of
non-medical datasets, such as those from wearables, into
a clinical setting.
The explosion of wearable devices holds much promise
for healthcare. It offers the potential to combine data to
provide early warning signs (for example, if someone is
less mobile or not sleeping). But the meeting of long-run-
ning, confidential data sets with new consumer ones that
have different confidentiality requirements will require
careful management. While the physical world is gov-
erned by standards, the digital one is not. A key focus
for the NMS is to address this by delivering confidence
in intelligent and effective use of data. NPL is working on
introducing a systematic approach to create a measurable
level of confidence in data4. When thinking about big data
quality, NPL looks at the four Cs: collection, connection,
comprehension and confidence. For example, how do we
CPC6050
Modular Pressure Controller

ensure that uncertainty propagation through those data
sources is properly understood? Today, the best tool for
modeling that propagation is the Guide to Uncertainty
in Measurement (GUM), which was developed by NPL
and the International community. It describes how
uncertainty propagates across different sensors and
data sources, and what that means for decision making.
NPL is developing a methodology to quantify the uncer-
tainty associated with a model.
We hear a lot about data privacy – which is of course
exceptionally important when dealing with medical
records – but data integrity is often overlooked. With
the stakes so high, it is imperative that we understand
the origin and accuracy of data to ensure that it is
actionable. NPL has recently invested in creating a Data
Science Department specifically to support the growing
use of data analytics and the integration of large data-
sets. If we are able to collect better quality preclinical,
biomedical and clinical data, with improved traceability
CONFIDENCE
IN YOUR FORCE MEASUREMENTS
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NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 27
SPECIAL FEATURE
•••
of that data, then we’ll be take a more informed approach
to treating patients, ultimately leading to improved
patient outcomes.
NPL welcomes the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy and
its vision to make the UK a world leader in the area. To
get there, progress is required across the research, tech-
nology, manufacturing and regulatory landscapes, and
measurement is critical to achieving this.
The NMS is crucial in bringing confidence and trace-
ability, and by increasing our engagement with industry
we will be better able to support the UK, leading the way
in world-class reproducible research and collaborating
internationally to tackle upcoming challenges. It is vital
that we pool our resources effectively, align ourselves
and create and deliver the measurement infrastructure
to underpin new therapies, accelerate medical innova-
tion and improve patient outcomes.
[ 4 ] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/11/22/new_standards_
for_big_data/
Find out more at www.mhforce.com
or by calling us at 717-843-0081
 NIST NEWS
•••

••• N AT I O N A L
••• METROLOGY
••• INSTITUTES

How to Tell When a Nanoparticle is Out of Shape:

New Method Ensures That
Measurements Are Well-Rounded

Ravikiran Attota
ravikiran.attota@nist.gov

Nanoparticles—those with diameters less than one-thou-

sandth the width of a human hair—are increasingly
prevalent in high technology, medicine, and consumer
goods. * Their characteristics, both desirable and unde-
sirable, depend critically on their size.
For example, a nanoparticle (NP) in the bloodstream
that is 50 nanometers (nm, billionths of a meter) wide
may have limited effect on the cells it encounters; but a
20 nm version of exactly the same material can be toxic.
Size considerations are especially important if, as antic-
ipated, NPs come to play a major role in cancer therapy.
** As a result, accurate measurements of a particle’s vol-
ume are essential.
But the volume measured using different tools can
vary substantially. For example, a new analysis by sci-
entists at NIST has shown that when the same set of NPs
is measured with the two most widely used reference
methods, calculated volume estimates can differ by as
much as 160 % owing to inherent biases in each method.
To rectify that situation, the researchers have proposed Nanoparticles (yellow) targeting and entering cancer

and tested a novel combined measurement scheme that

can minimize errors while still maintaining high mea- The core of the problem is that assumptions are made
surement throughput. while measuring the volume of NPs, especially irregu-
“For a long time, even though many people were work- larly-shaped NPs (IS-NPs). In addition, NP volume is only
ing on this problem, there have been different answers rarely measured directly. *** Instead, three-dimensional
from the different methods and nobody seemed to know size is typically extrapolated. Widely used reference tools
what method was correct or what is the correct size of such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic
nanoparticles,” says Ravikiran Attota, who headed the force microscopy (AFM) measure volume by using very
research. different methods.
28 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
••• NIST NEWS

In SEM, a focused beam of electrons is scanned across

the particle from above to produce a 2D image of length
and width. This top-down approach cannot determine a
particle’s height, which is assumed to be approximately
the same magnitude as the other two dimensions.
In the AFM method, a sharp probe is moved over the
NP to record only its peak height, not the width or length,
which are assumed to be approximately the same.
In either case, the data are fed into an algorithm that
calculates the volume that the particle would have if it
were a perfect sphere.
Measurements of the same batch of particles differ
significantly depending on which of the two methods is
used, and that discrepancy is a notorious predicament
in nanoscience. The NIST researchers found that each
The combination method for determining nanoparticle volume involves measuring
method has a distinctive bias because results are influ- both the width and length using top-down SEM imaging to get a diameter reading
(a, b, c), measuring the height using AFM (d, e) and then combining the readings
enced both by the position in which NPs come to rest on to calculate the volume (f).

the surface upon which they are measured, and by the

nature of the measurement.
Unless the particles are perfectly spherical, SEM mea-
surements typically produce larger values for particle
diameter, and the difference between SEM and AFM mea-
surements becomes greater the more that the IS-NP shape
deviates from a sphere. For example, an IS-NP shaped like
a hamburger bun -- that is, much wider than it is high --
will look larger from the top-down SEM perspective than
it will from the height-only AFM perspective.
In order to achieve the lowest error in volume esti-
mates—the scientists at NIST propose—measurements
should be made using both SEM and AFM techniques to
produce a more accurate 3D shape. (See diagram.) After
testing the idea in models and simulations with com-
puter-generated shapes, they used an assortment of 54
irregularly shaped glass aquarium pebbles whose volume
could be determined exactly. Employing the combination
measurement technique to calculate volume produced
values that differed less than 1 % from the actual mea-
sured volume.
The researchers then applied the technique to actual
SEM and AFM measurements made on the same gold
nanoparticles with diameters around 50 nm. The results
were in good agreement with the simulations and peb-
ble experiments, although limited by the fact that SEM
measurements cannot exactly detect the edges of gold
nanoparticles. The scientists speculate that a related tech-
nology, called transmission electron microscopy, which
has more precise edge discrimination, may alleviate
the problem. “The discrepancies between measurement
values coming from the different available techniques
has been a long-standing headache for serious metrolo-
gists, especially as the dimensions get smaller,” says John
Kramar, a Group Leader at NIST. “Using this technique
will help us to produce much more accurate nanoparticle
reference materials.”
* In October, 2016, The White House Office of Science
and Technology Policy stated that “Revenue from the sale
of nanotechnology-enabled products in the United States
has grown more than six-fold from 2009 through 2016
and is projected to exceed $500 billion in 2016.” Many of
those products contain nanoparticles, defined as a parti-
cle less than 100 nanometers in diameter.
** Numerous treatment possibilities are being explored.
The National Cancer Institute maintains a laboratory to
“characterize nanoparticles' physical attributes, their in
vitro biological properties, and their in vivo compatibility
using animal models.”
*** There is a technique, called electron tomography,
which produces a 3D measurement. It entails shooting
a stream of electrons at an NP from a variety of angles,
measuring the electrons that pass through the parti-
cle at each angle, and then using a software algorithm
that combines all the measurements into a 3D structure.
However, it is time-consuming and impractical for use in
most applications.

NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 29

 2018 NCSL International
Workshop & Symposium

August 27-30, 2018

Tutorial Program August 25-27, 2018

Measurements
of Tomorrow
Oregon Convention Center | Portland, Oregon

NCSL INTERNATIONAL | ncsli.org

5766 Central Avenue, Suite 150 | Boulder, CO 80301 | (303) 440-3339 | info@ncsli.org
 Call for Papers
Measurements of Tomorrow
The long-anticipated redefinition of the SI base units in 2018 will constitute a
revolutionary and historic transformation in the world of metrology. But how will
it affect the day-to-day work of standards labs and their personnel?
Defining each base unit in terms of the fixed value of a physical
constant not only removes the last artifact standard and provides a
uniform conceptual basis for the entire system; it also makes scalable
measurements readily achievable across orders of magnitude. But
what changes will it require in the instruments and methodology we
use, and the tests and evaluations we perform?
It is likely that, as a practical matter, the new definitions will result in
no, or extremely minimal, discernible impact on the results we deliver
to customers, with expected differences in a few calibrations limited
to the range of parts per million – well below the level of significance
to most of industry and commerce. But how will the redefinition alter
the ways in which we establish traceability, ensure quality control, and
train the next generation of lab professionals?
The 2018 NCSLI Annual Conference is the ideal forum to address
these and related questions, learn how your peers are planning to
deal with the impending changes, and suggest new procedures and
techniques for success in the post-redefinition era.
This year’s Workshop & Symposium, with the theme “Measurements
of Tomorrow,” promises to be one of the most exciting and valuable
— because tomorrow is here.
Conference Hotel
DoubleTree by Hilton Portland
1000 NE Multnomah Street, Portland, Oregon, 97232
TEL: +1-503-281-6111
NCSLI Group Rate $189 | Government Rate $182
CALL FOR PAPERS EXHIBIT SALES SPONSORSHIP PROGRAMS
CallforPapers@ncsli.org exhibits@ncsli.org cgulka@ncsli.org
General Requirements
Abstracts are required for all proposed presentation
types; oral presentations, poster presentations, panels etc.
Abstract Requirements And Deadline
Abstracts must be 350 words and submitted electronically
using the CATALYST Abstract Management System by
Omnipress no later than December 1, 2017.
Abstract Acceptance Date
Speakers will be notified on or before January 15, 2018
if their abstract has been accepted. Once abstracts are
selected for the NCSLI Technical Program, speakers will
be provided a link and manuscript instructions.
Manuscript Requirements And Deadline
All manuscripts must be uploaded by April 16, 2018.
All papers received by the manuscript deadline will
be included in the NCSL International Conference
Proceedings CD.
Speaker Discounts
• All speakers who upload their abstract by the
December 1, 2017 deadline (and are accepted) will
receive a $150 discount off registration.
• All speakers who upload their manuscript by the
April 16, 2018 deadline will receive a $400 discount off
registration.
• All deadlines must be met to receive the maximum
speaker registration discount of $550.
Best Paper Awards
The “Best Paper” awards will be presented to the top
highest scored papers. The overall Best Paper will be
awarded to the paper with the highest point total. All
deadlines must be met to qualify for the Best Paper
Award.
ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES
lstone@ncsli.org
••• SPECIAL FEATURE

Measurements
International
30 Years of
Measurement
Uncertainty

The spark
In 1987 Duane Brown was a man facing uncertainty
head on. Exponential growth in the electrical mea-
surement field was leading to greater and greater
challenges in the improvement of measurement
uncertainty with respect to designing, manufactur-
ing and calibrating the measurement equipment we
all take for granted. Never a shy man when it came
to measurement or metrology, Duane embraced the
challenge and, alongside Dr. Andrew Dunn, launched
Measurements International Limited (MIL) where
they leveraged their backgrounds in mathematics,
physics, electronics and electrical metrology.

32 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1

 SPECIAL FEATURE
•••

Who is MIL?
Today, Measurements International Limited’s distinc-
tive "blue boxes" are used around the globe primarily in
National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) which are respon-
sible for research into fundamental metrology for new
primary standards and methods, and calibration labora-
tories (applied metrology) which are responsible for the
calibration and maintenance of their primary standards
for electrical measurements in industry.
MIL’s success is fueled by its ability to innovate. It often
collaborates with national research institutes (such as
the NRC in Canada) to discover innovative technologies
to reduce measurement uncertainties. It recently intro-
duced accreditation support and training services (based
around MIL systems) to laboratories and industry players
who want to meet ISO/IEC 17025 standards.
MIL is accredited as a Type 1 laboratory by the Standards
Council of Canada (SCC) through the Canadian Laboratory
Assessment Service (CLAS). In all of North America, MIL
is second only to the National Research Council, Canada
(NRC) and NIST in calibration capabilities.
MIL has a very experienced and diverse global work-
force of 42 people. The majority work at headquarters in
Prescott, Ontario, which includes scientists and engineers
from around the world. The balance work in customer
support offices: MI USA in Orlando, Florida; MI Europe in
Hradiste, Czech Republic; MI China in Beijing; MI India in
Delhi and Mumbai and MI Japan in Tokyo.
The company sits on the IEEE Power Engineering
Society Committee, the IEEE Instru-
mentation Society Committee, and NCSL
International committees.

6020Q AccuBridge ‘blue box’.

NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 33

••• SPECIAL FEATURE
30 years of progress
It all started when Duane Brown and Dr. Andrew Dunn
set up a small office in Prescott, Ontario in 1987 in the
new Kriska Transportation building. Their first line of
business was providing training in metrology and how to
make good measurements.
In 1990, the company moved to a larger location as
it started designing and developing its own measuring
equipment, and quickly grew to 10 people. During this
time the company designed, built and launched the
world’s first 4-Terminal Matrix Scanner which allowed
34 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
metrologists to semi-automate their process and carry
out calibrations faster than anything on the market.
That same year, Duane developed and marketed the
first fully automated resistance bridge. This is one of the
world’s most significant developments in the measure-
ment of resistance over the last 30 years. Today, there
is an MIL resistance bridge in almost every NMI around
the world. These bridges provide laboratories with faster
and more repeatable measurements while reducing the
impact of human operator error.
 SPECIAL FEATURE
•••

In 1993, as space was again getting tight, the com- In 2002, Ryan Brown joined the team and became a
pany moved to its current custom-built location in the guest worker at the National Research Council of Canada
Edwardsburg Industrial Park (Prescott, ON) with ample where he studied in the quantum physics field. His pri-
room for research laboratories, manufacturing, assem- mary focus was the NRC quantum Hall system.
bly, inventory and administration. MIL was the only commercial company in the world
Also, in 1993, Sandia National Laboratories in New that was able to develop a portable quantum Hall pri-
Mexico (responsible for nuclear safety in the United mary resistance system. Operating at a temperature of
States) asked MIL to provide courses on DC Metrology 1.2K and a magnetic field of 8 tesla, this system on the
and Calibration. Shortly after, having seen the MIL auto- i=2 plateau produces a resistance of 12906.4035 ohms and
mated resistance bridge, they contracted MIL to design has been installed in several NMIs worldwide to repre-
and build an automated resistance measurement system sent their country’s ohm.
to replace their manual resistance systems; the new sys-
tem had to work with currents up to 2000 A. Sandia came
back a few years later with another research contract to
develop and automate their high resistance capabilities
and several other measurement disciplines. The mea-
surement capability of these instruments was first proven
at MIL through a Sandia technical audit and then again at
Sandia’s primary laboratory in Albuquerque, NM.
Since then, and along with international standards for
measurement and calibration (notably ISO/IEC 17025),
the MIL client base has expanded to include organiza-
tions and companies such as the US Military, Boeing,
Lockheed Martin, leading pharmaceutical companies,
and power utilities.

For the Measurement Geeks

The Integer Quantum Hall Effect (QHE) is a
quantum-mechanical version of the Hall effect,
observed in two-dimensional electron systems
subjected to low temperatures (0.3 K) and strong
magnetic fields (14 t), in which the Hall con-
ductance undergoes quantum Hall transitions
to take on the quantized values where v is the
Hall voltage, e is the elementary charge and h is
Planck's constant.

6800 NRCC Quantum Hall system.

NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 35

••• SPECIAL FEATURE
In 2004 Measurements International entered into the
AC Power field. Building on their experience in measure-
ment automation in DC metrology instruments, they
developed a series of automated calibration devices and
standards for the NRC including; a primary power and
energy calibration system, a series of power meters, high
voltage dividers, and a loss measurement system.
The primary power and energy calibration system is
used by NMI’s in several countries as their power and
energy standard. The loss measurement system is used
by transformer manufacturers including: ABB, Alstom,
36 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
TBEA, BHEL and Siemens; to measure losses in medium
and high power transformers.
Over the years, MIL has undertaken a number of
pioneering R&D projects with NRC, METAS and CERN
(Switzerland), these are some of the more notable projects:
The Kibble (watt) Balance experiment depends on a pre-
cise measurement of Plank’s constant (to within 1 part in
10-8) which will allow the world’s measurement institutes
to redefine the Kilogram moving away from reliance on a
physical artefact (currently sitting at BIPM in Paris) to a
science based one which could be recreated anywhere in

the world. And at the forefront, NRC is using MIL’s quan-
tum Hall system and precision temperature bridge as
part of this exacting experiment. The Kilogram redefini-
tion is expected to be agreed in 2018. At that time the SI
table of electrical units as we know it today will change
to show physics constants. This will be the basis for the
measurement of the volt, the ohm and other electrical
properties.
CERN’s Large Hadron Collider is the world’s most pow-
erful particle accelerator and the largest single machine
in the world. It lies in a circular 27 Km tunnel under the
Swiss-French border where several superconducting elec-
tromagnets are used to force subatomic particles to collide
at incredibly high speeds. Analysis of the by-products of
NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 37
SPECIAL FEATURE
•••
these collisions give scientists insights into the structure
of our world and perhaps answer the ultimate question of
life, the universe, and everything.
MIL’s equipment was selected to ensure that each of
the electromagnets is precisely calibrated so that the
particles both accelerate properly with more accurate
collisions. All of the high current DCCTs were extensively
tested and calibrated using the MIL 20kA range extender
as a reference. Greg Hudson, technical engineer at CERN
said, “…you should be very proud that your unit had such
an integral part in the evaluation /calibration of the most
critical DCCTs in the LHC. As the beams did  complete
laps of the LHC at injection level, it means that the DCCTs
were indeed well calibrated."
MIL 20,000 A DCCT at CERN.
LHC particle collision.
••• SPECIAL FEATURE
The MIL team
MIL attracts and retains some of the best minds in metrol-
ogy, with exciting R&D work in Prescott and elsewhere
around the world. The team is constantly working at the
leading edge of technology looking for ways to reduce the
level of uncertainty when taking precise measurements.
The leadership team includes:
Duane Brown
MIL's founder and CEO, was hon-
ored by NCSL International in 2012
with the William A. Wildhack Life-
time Achievement Award as the
most exacting metrologist in the
world. He does this every day, and
thrives on the challenge of identi-
fying a hypothesis, the attention to detail and developing
logical methods to a conclusion. Duane loves experi-
menting and learning how to do things that have never
been done before. He can foresee the day when he will let
his team run the day-to-day operations and he’ll stay in
the lab dreaming up new ways to reduce uncertainty and
acting as a metrology advisor.
Ryan Brown
Duane’s son, who joined the com-
pany in 2002 and now serves as Vice
President of Operations where he
leads the manufacturing, admin-
istration and quantum physics
operations with shared responsi-
bilities in sales and marketing.
Alessio Pollarolo
Joined the company in 2017 as Vice
President of Measurement Science
with responsibilities for new prod-
uct design and QHR development.
He received his PhD in Metrology
from the Politecnico di Torino,
Torino, Italy, in 2011. From 2006
to 2009 he was with the Electromagnetic Division at
INRIM in Italy. In 2009 he joined NIST in the Quantum
Electromagnetics Division of NIST Boulder (USA).
38 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
The past, the present and the future
Over the last 30 years, the decrease in technology and
measurement uncertainty has been incredible, moving
away from reliance on a physical artefact, with traceabil-
ity to an NMI to an uncertainty of <1.0 ppm, to a science
based one which could be recreated anywhere in the
world. Today the ohm value comes from the QHR System
where the 2-DEG layer of electrons in the Hall sample
produces a resistance of 12906.4035 ohms. Traceability is
now through an NMI to the SI table of units via the quan-
tum Hall system.
MIL’s development of the QHR System on GaAs-based
QHR standards has led to a Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement, with the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US. This
agreement, signed in early 2017, is to commercialize a
graphene-based quantum Hall resistance (QHR) stan-
dard based on graphene devices produced by the Physical
Measurement Laboratory (PML) of NIST. MIL brings
expertise and experience in commercialized GaAs-based
QHR standards, while PML’s quantum conductance proj-
ect provides expertise in fabricating and characterizing
graphene quantum Hall devices to be used in QHR sys-
tems. This collaboration furthers PML’s ongoing quantum
Hall device research and is aligned with PML’s mission
to make primary realizations of units available to the
marketplace.
MIL is also working closely to find alternatives to liq-
uid helium or wet systems as liquid helium is becoming
hard to source and is expensive. Experimentation on a
dry system (uses helium gas rather than helium liquid)
is ongoing and reaching fruition. MIL is also working on a
new power and energy standards and an updated power
loss measurement system with improved accuracy.
MIL’s ongoing mission is to increase the accuracy and
quality of these systems while at the same time reducing
the cost and complexity so as to make them easier to use,
less expensive and more widely deployed.
Measurements International Ltd., will remain a lead-
ing global player in the science and engineering-intensive
electrical metrology segment of the test and measure-
ment industry. It will continue to provide equipment that
enables the world to set national and international stan-
dards. And it will support economic growth by providing
highly accurate calibration equipment to an ever-wider
range of industries.
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••• REGIONAL NEWS
Huntsville
Beverly Garcia
beverlygarcia@jmtest.com
The Huntsville spring section meeting
was held on May 18, 2017 at the Shelby
Center for Science and Technology at
the University of Alabama in Hunts-
ville. Sponsors included: Pinnacle Test
Solutions, JM Test Systems, Inc., Tegam and Tektronix.
The first session of the day titled “Ultrahigh Refractive
Index Sensitivity and Tunable Polarization Switching
via Infrared Plasmonic Lattice Modes,” was presented
by University of Alabama Huntsville NCSLI grant recip-
ient Rithvik Reddy Gutha. Rithvik is a PhD candidate of
Optical Science Engineering and graduate teaching assis-
tant in the physics department’s Nano and Micro Devices
Center (NMDC).
This lecture discussed formation and polarization
switching of near infrared and infrared NIR and IR
NCSLI Huntsville Meeting.
40 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
plasmonic lattice modes (PLMs) using two dimensional
arrays of large gold metallic nanodisks (MNDs), demon-
strating that such PLMs happen when the incident light
is normal to the planes of these arrays, offering a wide
range of applications, from sensitive sensors to telecom
devices.
Dan Allen of FLIR delivered the next presentation titled
“Thermal Camera Update for Reliability and Scientific
Applications,” describing the potential for large area
measurement with infrared cameras.
“Pressure Uncertainty Budgets when using a Modular
Pressure Controller,” was delivered by Tim Francis of
Fluke Calibration. Modular Pressure Controllers are a
common and useful tool for performing pressure calibra-
tions. The modular design splits the different tasks that
the controller/calibrator performs into separate modules,
providing more flexibility, expandability, and simplifies
support. In splitting the tasks into multiple modules,
it also splits the different sources of uncertainty. This
 REGIONAL NEWS
•••
presentation examined the different sources of uncer-
tainty when using pressure controllers, how those sources
are impacted by a modular design, and any special con-
siderations when using modular pressure controllers.
Following a lunch provided by our generous sponsors
and the group photo, our meeting continued with a pre-
sentation delivered by Kevin Kauffman, Tegam, titled
“Commercial Solution for Wattmeter Calibration.” This
lecture described in detail the challenges related to watt-
meter calibrations and how to overcome them.
Mike Dillon of The Modal Shop presented “Dynamic
Pressure Sensor Calibration,” providing a detailed look at
pressure sensor characteristics and how to provide cali-
bration support for these devices.
Our final presentation of the day, "New Developments
in the Quantum Hall Resistance Standard," was brought
to us by Jack Somppi.
The next Huntsville Section meeting is scheduled for
Thursday, May 3, 2018 and will be at the Shelby Center for
Science and Technology at UAH. Meeting announcement
to follow on the NCSLI website.

Rithvik Reddy Gutha, University of Alabama Huntsville, NCSLI grant recipient.

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••• REGIONAL NEWS

Michigan
Sam Davis
sam.davis@us.bosch.com
The Michigan section held its meet-
ing on November 7, 2017. Sam Davis,
NCSLI section coordinator welcomed
all attendees and thanked them for
taking time out of their day to attend the fall section
meeting. Lloyd Baker started off with a brief presentation
on the importance of being an NCSLI member and the
benefits that come along with it. He also briefly touched
on the new release of ISO/IEC 17025.

NCSLI Michigan Meeting.

Lloyd Baker, General Motors.

42 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1

 REGIONAL NEWS
•••
Next Michael Schwartz from Cal Lab Solutions gave a
presentation on “Metrology.Net” and how this software
can be used with programming languages, databases or
operating systems. Next up Grant Shaffer with Interface,
Inc. Grant presented on how load cells work and the
applications to consider when choosing your load cell,
and factors that impact the accuracy of a load cell. At the
end of his presentation there was an interesting discus-
sion about the contributors to uncertainty of load cells.

Grant Shaffer, Interface Inc.

After the delicious lunch prepared by the chef from the

culinary school at Schoolcraft College, Mike Schwartz
gave his second presentation on “Creating a Machine
Readable SoA.” Lastly, Lloyd Baker presented "Torque and
Torque Angle," (Martin Schatz was unable to attend).

Mike Schwartz, Cal Lab Solutions.

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••• REGIONAL NEWS

Southern Ohio/Kentucky
Mr. Jack Somppi continued the program with a thor-
Matthew Denslow
ough explanation of potential electrical measurement
matthew.denslow.1.ctr@us.af.mil
errors. Jack revealed how guarding voltage and resistance
measurement connections can reduce errors. Jack pro-
The Southern Ohio/Kentucky section
vided examples of how dissimilar connector materials
held a meeting on October 26, 2017 at
can affect DMM indications do to thermal emfs.
the Central Technical Education Center
Mr. Ryan Fischer concluded the day’s event with an
(C-TEC) campus Adult Education
extensive presentation of the impact of the upcoming
Center in Newark Ohio. The Bionetics
changes to ISO/IEC 17025. Ryan’s presentation included
Corporation sponsored the event and lunch was enjoyed
a short history of the ISO/IEC 17025 standard and the
by the small group of attendees.
ILAC related policy documents; Working Group (WG) 44
Mr. Greg Tolentino, Tegam, began the day’s program
activities; a brief overview of ISO/IEC FDIS 17025:2017 and
with an in-depth explanation of microwave calorimetry.
assessment changes from ISO/IEC 17025:2005 to the FDIS
Greg described the major components of a microwave
(NCSLI LM-6). Ryan left the group with the following
calorimetry system. Next, Greg discussed the calibra-
suggestions:
tion process for the calorimeter using a high accuracy
1. If currently accredited based on ISO/IEC 17025:2005,
AC Power Standard to define the input power quantity.
•W  AIT for additional information on the transition
Concluding the presentation, Greg provided a list of
process for your specific accreditation program from
uncertainty components and an example of a completed
your Accrediting Body
uncertainty analysis for the microwave calorimetry.
2. Obtain a licensed copy of the ISO/IEC 17025:2017
Mr. Lloyd Baker, General Motors, kept the program
3. Use a crosswalk document to:
moving with a presentation on the upcoming NCSL
• Identify new clauses, revised clauses, deleted clauses
International happenings. We reviewed the upcoming
4. Review against your own management system and
Technical Exchange, the 2018 Conference call for papers,
accreditation program requirements to:
the recent ISO/IEC 17025 approved draft, and made a call
• I dentify what policies, practices, procedures need to
for volunteers to anyone interested in joining the recently
be revised
restructured NCSLI 141 Measurement Information
• I dentify what new policies, practices, procedures
Infrastructure Committee.
need to be implemented

Mr. Lloyd Baker, General Motors, Mid-Western Region Coordinator. Mr. Greg Tolentino, TEGAM.

44 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1

 REGIONAL NEWS
•••

Mr. Jack Somppi, Test and Measurement Consulting. Mr. Ryan Fischer, ANAB.

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NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 45
 NCSLI Washington/Oregon Meeting.
••• REGIONAL NEWS
Washington/Oregon
Wes Thompson
wesley.j.thompson@boeing.com
The Washington/Oregon section meet-
ing was held November 9, 2017 at the
Museum of Flight in Seattle, Wash-
ington. The meeting was well attended
with measurement scientists, instru-
mentation vendors and technicians from various
industries across the Northwest.
Our section meeting was designed as a hands-on
demonstration and networking social event, to encourage
more direct interaction of our attendees with our exhibi-
tors. Our goal at this event was to provide opportunity for
our attendees to be introduced to a measurement science
discipline and receive an understanding of how this state
of the art instrumentation could work in their laboratory
or work space. Test Instrumentation manufacturers were
provided the opportunity to get their instrumentation in
front of test equipment users and have them use them to
Network, Network, Network.
46 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1
Wes Thompson, The Boeing Company,
NCSLI Section Coordinator.
perform measurements. Our attendees rotated to a new
demonstration every 15 minutes while hors d’oeuvres
were passed throughout the exhibit hall.
Jeff Gust from the Fluke Corporation presented deci-
sion rules and measurement risk updates in the new
ISO/IEC 17025. The newest draft of the document better
describes consumer risk and how a certification labo-
ratory should document their decisions to achieve that
level of risk management. He discussed the results of the
vote on the FDIS, estimated publication date for the new
standard and suggested new tools for implementation for
NCSLI members.
Our primary exhibiting sponsor for this section meet-
ing was Interface. They demonstrated their Gold
Standard® Calibration System, a hydraulic load frame
with a fully-integrated PC-based system, to perform an
ASTM E74 calibration. With this system, the load cell
under calibration is compared directly to a reference load
cell and all calibration data is collected automatically.
Interface has developed a system that not only provides
Elliot Speidell, Technical Service Manager and Miles Hufford, Computer Programmer,
Interface Force Measurement Solutions.
Jeff Gust, Fluke Corporation.

state-of-the-art accuracy but can also complete an auto-
mated calibration run in less than 5 minutes. Many of
our attendees use Interface equipment and used this
as an opportunity to meet face to face with represen-
tatives while learning how to increase their calibration
throughput.
This section meeting was well received by all and
offered quite a lot for our members to take back. Our
exhibitors did a wonderful job with their demonstrations
and were very engaged with the questions asked by the
REGIONAL NEWS
•••
attendees. The NCSLI member team that organized this
event included Tony Reed, Leah Lindstrom, Nick Rider
and Wes Thompson.
Many, many thanks to all those who supported this
event: Interface, Inc.; The Boeing Company; Etalon
North America, Inc.; Fluke Calibration; King Nutronics
Corporation; Mitutoyo America Corporation; Rosco
Precision Machinery, LLC; SAF North American; Tegam,
Inc.; Tektronix, Inc.; Western Tool & Supply; The Museum
of Flight and NCSL International.

A Better World Through Accreditation

3 Simple Steps for Finding a Reliable

Testing or Calibration Laboratory
1. Visit www.A2LA.org/Directory
2. Search A2LA’s directory of accredited
organizations (the United States’ largest directory
of accredited testing and calibration laboratories).
3. Use provided contact information to obtain the
services you need!
www.A2LA.org

NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 47

••• SPECIAL FEATURE

Interface-T206100

48 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1


Interface Inc.
Gold Standard®
Calibration System
Load Cell Calibration 101
Elliot Speidell
Technical Service Manager
espeidell@interfaceforce.com
A load cell is a transducer that converts a force into an
electrical signal. Most load cells use well proven strain
gage technology in which strain gages are precisely posi-
tioned and wired into a Wheatstone bridge configuration
along a flexing element. The load cell outputs electrical
signals corresponding to changes in resistance caused
by the amount of applied force. Instrumentation can be
connected to the load cell, interpreting these electrical
signals to provide readings in units of measurement such
as pounds-force, newtons, etc.
While there are many types of load cells, including
bending beam, column, shear beam, and low profile/
shear web (to name a few), they all require calibration
to characterize performance. Calibration verifies that
the load cell meets designed performance parame-
ters for non-linearity, hysteresis, and static error band
among other specifications. In some industries, calibra-
tion is also important for traceability and quality system
requirements.
Load cell calibration, simply explained, consists of
applying a series of known forces and recording the out-
put from the load cell. The two most common methods
of applying a known force are to use calibrated dead
weights, or a reference standard load cell coupled with
some means of applying a force (such as a hydraulic
actuator). There are pros and cons to either method; dead
weight results in lower uncertainties but may be more
impractical or expensive as the level of force increases,
while using a reference standard may have a higher
uncertainty but can offer more efficient calibration and
be more practical at higher force levels.
The reference standard method of load cell calibration
typically involves two or three load cells mounted inline
in a load frame. Three load cells are often used in an
automated load frame setup, where one sensor is used for
NCSLI.ORG METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 49
•••
SPECIAL FEATURE
force control and the other two being the reference stan-
dard load cell and unit under test (UUT). The reference
standard load cell is a load cell that has been calibrated
by primary standards; it can also be configured with a
second bridge (additional output) to serve as the control
channel for the load frame and eliminating the need for
a separate control load cell. The control load cell or bridge
confirms the force applied, which may be used to control
the actuator or determine the force required to meet the
desired calibration set points. Readings from the refer-
ence standard and UUT load cells are collected manually
or through instrumentation software. After collecting
readings from the calibration points within the UUT’s
rated capacity, the readings are compared and differ-
ences analyzed to determine the load cells performance.
Load cell manufacturers such as Interface, Inc. cal-
ibrate their load cells at the factory. Interface uses its
Gold Standard® Calibration Load Frame System, which
includes a rigid four-post hydraulic load frame, Gold
Standard® reference standard load cell, and propri-
etary software, to calibrate every load cell manufactured
before it is shipped to the customer.
“The key to good calibration is to keep the applied
force as concentric as possible,” said Ken Bishop, Senior
Applications Engineer at Interface. “A rigid four-post load
frame minimizes chances of off-axis loading. Also, using
a moment-compensated load cell as the control or ref-
erence standard further reduces error since any off-axis
loading will be mechanically compensated for.”
Calibration systems use a variety of means to apply
loads, including hydraulic or electric actuators, or dead
weights. Since, in many cases, the dead weight method
requires a change in setup for tension and compression
readings, an actuator system that can apply tension and
compression in the same setup can save valuable time
••• SPECIAL FEATURE

during calibration and reduce uncertainty due to setup changes between ten-
sion and compression runs. Software can also make a difference. For example,
Interface’s Gold Standard® Calibration Software, which is used by more than
300 metrology labs around the world, can compile up to eight calibration runs
into a single curve-fit analysis for even greater accuracy. The software also
prevents the overshoot of any calibration points. “Once the system is set up,
an automated tension and compression calibration run typically finishes in
less than five minutes including exercising the load cell,” says Brian Shaw,
Production Engineering Manager at Interface. “Between software automation
and the load frame allowing back to back tension and compression runs with-
out changing setup, Interface’s Gold Standard® Calibration System reduces
calibration time by 50 to 90 percent.”
After a load cell leaves the factory, it typically requires recalibration fol-
lowing a certain period of use. If following ASTM E74 guidelines, new load
cells should be recalibrated within a year to determine stability. Subsequent
calibration intervals can then be adjusted based on the observed stability
per ASTM E74. Interface offers recalibration services for their own load cells
as well as from other manufacturers. Interface offers calibration and repair
services for a wide range of load cells with various options, including inter-
nally and externally amplified load cells, load cells with indicators, and TEDS
(transducer electronic data sheet) load cells. Load cells with amplifiers can be
tested in-rig to provide a single traceable calibration certificate for the load
cell and amplifier combination, and a similar setup can be used to provide a
calibration certificate for a load cell and indicator combination. Custom cali-
brations for specific customer requirements can also be accommodated. Interface-T206117

Experience Precision Measurement with the Push of a Button

• Configurations: Available in 25K, 55K, 100K, and custom capacities

• High Accuracy: High accuracy and low uncertainty (as low as 0.04% of reading)

• Speed/Efficiency: Automated, 21 point, bi-directional calibration in < 4 minutes

with no mechanical changes required

• Broad Range: System can be used for calibration points down to 1% of rated

capacity

• User Configurable Reports: Integrated design capability makes developing custom

reports quick and easy

• Onsite Training: Thorough in-person system training

• Proven: Interface has used this system to calibrate millions of loadcells

For more information call an Application Engineer at

GOLD STANDARD® CALIBRATION SYSTEM 480-948-5555 or visit www.interfaceforce.com/calsys

Cert # 1991.01 7418 East Helm Drive • Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 • 480.948.5555 • www.interfaceforce.com

50 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1

 www.cpem2018.com contact@cpem2018.com

CONFERENCE ON PRECISION
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52 METROLOGIST | JANUARY 2018 VOL. 11 NO. 1

 FEBRUARY 26–28, 2018
Join Us for Three Days of Measurement Training
Conducted by Experts in the Field of Metrology!
The NCSLI Technical Exchange will build and enhance specific hands-on skills in
the calibration of measurement and test equipment. This three-day training will
also teach best practices along with introducing new and innovative calibration
hardware, software and calibration services. Each training session is taught by
measurement science experts from throughout the industry.

Visit NCSLI.ORG for more information.

2018 TECHNICAL EXCHANGE HOTEL INFORMATION NCSL International

Room Rate: $149
The Florida Hotel & Conference Center Call for Reservations:
1500 Sand Lake Road, Orlando, FL 32809 1-800-588-4656

NCSL INTERNATIONAL | 303-440-3339 | NCSLI.ORG | 5766 CENTRAL AVENUE, SUITE 150 | BOULDER, COLORADO 80301