The study of surface roughness, which can affect everything from the way a coating adheres to a pill to the way light travels through solar panels, is one of the fastest growing areas of industrial research and development. To explore surface metrology and its varied applications, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is hosting a three-day international conference October 26-28, 2009, at the WPICampusCenter in Worcester, MA, with support from Olympus America Inc. The conference will focus on the latest advances and insights in surface metrology fundamentals, methods, equipment, software, and applications.
The International Conference on Surface Metrology is open to engineers, scientists, technicians and the general public interested in surface roughness and surface metrology applications. The program features extensive tutorials, exhibits, and technical sessions addressing numerous technologies, industries and applications. In addition to engineering topics the conference includes technical presentations on surface metrology in archeology, anthropology and cultural preservation. There also will be poster sessions, an opening reception, and a conference dinner for participants.
Olympus, whose Scientific Equipment Group’s industrial microscopes and metrology systems play a leading role in precision R&D, engineering and manufacturing applications in fields as diverse as aerospace, the automotive industry, electronics, materials science/metallurgy, medical devices, photovoltaics, and semiconductors, is supporting the conference with personnel and advanced technology, including the recently introduced LEXT OLS4000 laser scanning confocal microscope, which allows high quality imaging and data collection, even with the most complex and hard-to-measure surfaces.
“The roughness of surfaces is among the most important and least understood areas of metrology,” says Matt Smith, director of sales and marketing for Olympus America’s Scientific Equipment Group-Industrial Microscopes business. “We are committed to advancing the field of metrology, and supporting the WPI Conference is part of our commitment to education, scholarship and special programs for metrology professionals.”
For more information on the Worcester Polytechnic Institute International Conference on Surface Metrology, contact David Rideout at Olympus America Inc., 3500 Corporate Parkway, Center Valley, PA18034-0610USA; phone (484) 896-5792; email david.rideout@olympus.com; or, visit either www.olympusamerica.com/LEXT or http://surfacemetrology.org.