MANUFACTURING METROLOGY PRESENT STATUS - FUTURE PROSPECTS.

The introduction of metrology in engineering opened out new avenues and today this is an established and expanding field of engineering. From a modest beginning of simple inspection of parts to ensure quality, today it has grown into a vast field of specialised technology. Indications are that there is more to come in this field with the introduction of high precision and automation in manufacture. Due to the significant role played by metrology in present day manufacture, the term Manufacturing Metrology sounds more appropriate than any of the terms previously used. New areas like robot metrology position measurements of robot within its large work zone, further integration of inspection with manufacture, computer vision and image processing techniques etc. are developing fast and are finding reliable areas of applications.