1. Standard length metrology instruments

1.1 Place of standard instruments in industry

With the invention of the fringe-counting interferometer and the three-dimensional measuring machine, many thought that everyday instruments would be consigned to the museum.

Today's inspectors and metrologists still use calipers, micrometers and comparators of all kinds. They're always present, but they're often kept in cupboards, and only come out to resolve a manufacturing dispute or a problematic "out-of-tolerance" issue.

They are used in manufacturing and workshop control, from small and medium-sized industries to large groups. They can be found in every sector of activity, from the automotive, armaments, aeronautics and nuclear industries, to non-mechanical sectors: plate micrometers...