PTB to coordinate metrology network supporting advanced manufacturing

The production sector is the backbone of Europe’s industry with about 2 million companies and more than 30 million people working in this area. To keep this sector fit for the future and to master challenges such as the digital transformation and sustainability, the EU is supporting research on advanced manufacturing. A variety of elements such as the use of new materials, 3D and 4D printing, robotics, artificial intelligence and high-performance computers are included in advanced manufacturing. And metrological issues play a crucial role in this context, too. Without innovative and traceable measuring instruments and acknowledged standards, product quality cannot be guaranteed according to defined specifications. This, however, is an absolute prerequisite for realizing complex manufacturing chains. The European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET) has therefore founded the European Metrology Network (EMN) for Advanced Manufacturing to pool and promote metrological capacities. This EMN is coordinated by PTB. The new EMN for Advanced Manufacturing is one out of nine metrology networks that EURAMET has set up over the past three years. They are tasked with analyzing and coordinating the metrological needs in their respective fields at European and global levels, and they pool expert knowledge to use the available resources more effectively.