More than 90 years of industrial metrology

Carl Zeiss is a highly-respected brand name and is recognized throughout the world for its history of producing leadingedge technologies and products for over 120 years. The company became known above all for its top-quality microscopes and lens systems. Right from the very start, these high-quality products were manufactured with measuring and inspection tools that were produced in-house. These modest beginnings have evolved since 1919 to produce a business unit that today ranks as one of the world's leading manufacturers of coordinate measuring machines.

Founded in 1846, it took just 50 years for the enterprise to transform itself from a one-man operation into a global company. Carl Zeiss began manufacturing simple microscopes with magnifying lenses in 1847. The subsequent increase in the demand for microscopes was so rapid that it became necessary to introduce a more efficient form of industrial manufacturing in the early 1880s.

The high-precision procedures used in microscope production also included precise measurements and checks of the parts and tools employed during the production process. Right from the experimental stages of his The splitting of Carl Zeiss into two parts also marked a significant turning point for the precision measuring business, with one precision measuring department now in East Germany, and one in West Germany. However, major elements of the division's foundations had simply collapsed. The division's leading lights, above all its former Head, Dr. Kurt Räntsch, were among the Carl Zeiss employees brought to Heidenheim by the Americans. During the 1950s and 1960s, both precision measuring departments developed high-quality measuring instruments independent of each other. In 1974, a team headed by the former lab manager Klaus Herzog began to focus on innovative instruments providing electronic output of measurements and numerical control. As early as 1972, the Precision Measuring Department was already working on a 3D coordinate measuring machine, and in 1973 the UMM 500 Universal Measuring Machine was introduced at the “Microtecnic” trade fair in Zurich, Switzerland. The impact of the UMM 500 forged a strong link between the development of  modern industrial metrology and the name Carl Zeiss. Based on the changing conditions in the field of metrology and the department's new profile, the Precision Measuring Department was renamed to Industrial Metrology (IMT) in 1977.

By the end of the 1970s, IMT was able to look back on impressive results. The development of the "ZEISS 3D Measuring Concept" represented an innovative example of design engineering that had provided a major boost to the field of coordinate metrology. It was successfully put to use in the UMM 500, UMM 800, and WMM coordinate measuring machines, as well as in additional devices. The machines offered comprehensive probing options, a common control system, powerful computers, data printers, regularly updated software and computercontrolled CNC capabilities.

The 1980s marked the final breakthrough to the computer and information age. There were two prevailing trends in the field of metrology. On the one hand, there was an expansion of the available ways and means of measuring dimensions, shapes and positions on prismatic components, parts with plane curves and threedimensionally curved surfaces, and gears. The other trend revolved around the key concept of "industrial metrology," a term that was used to characterize the slow but steady shifting of coordinate metrology from the metrology room to the shopfloor.

In the early 1990s , IMT developed a multi -pronged strategy for a sustained successful future. This included expanding the company's product range while maintaining its target group orientation, a step that resulted in the fusion with the Esslingen based Stiefelmayer GmbH in 1994. This enabled IMT to position itself as a supplier of horizontal arm CMMs for car body metrology.

Carl Zeiss continued developing new and innovative products and technologies, consistently setting trends in the coordinate metrology field and tailoring its services ever more closely to customer requirements. While users had spent years enjoying the ability to measure extra-large parts using Carl Zeiss gantry and bridge-type coordinate measuring machines, the year 2004 saw Carl Zeiss IMT venture into the field of measurements on a much smaller scale. For the very first time, the F25 measuring system enabled measurements in the nanometer region, making it possible to measure any kind of micro-components Carl Zeiss presented the METROTOM® 1500 computer tomograph to experts in 2006. It was a measuring machine that permitted a look at the insides of a workpiece.

The history of metrology at Carl Zeiss has been a unique success story. Within a span of 90 years, IMT developed into an integral part of the Carl Zeiss family. Key scientific findings and a steady stream of machine and component innovations from "ZEISS Precision Measuring" or Carl Zeiss IMT has made a substantial contribution to the successful development of metrology and coordinate metrology. Around 2200 employees now work for Carl Zeiss IMT at three locations in Germany, China and USA and India. In addition, there are approximately 100 sales and service centers around the world. IMT is the market and technology leader that offers a unique range of measuring machines and software based on decades of experience. With a will to innovate and push boundaries and a broad range of products and services, IMT continues on the path of success.