Splitting Hairs: The Enormous Impact of Micro Measurements

Look at one strand of your hair. Just one. Now, imagine the safety of your next airplane ride, the fuel efficiency of your car or the reliability of your cell phone were all dependent on something as small as 1/100th of the width of that strand of hair. 

They are.

This tiny unit, the micron, and the study of measurements on this level, metrology, affect nearly every aspect of daily life.

For example, even minute deviations in the alignment of a car engine’s components can have significant effects on fuel efficiency.

For manufacturers in the western hemisphere, the Center for Precision Metrology at UNC Charlotte stands alone as the premier academic research center dedicated to delving into the impacts of these micro measurements.

CPM encompasses state-of-the-art instruments, world-class research talent and industry partnerships to work on the scale of microns.