A Nikon MM40 measuring microscope is playing a central role in the development of ceramic actuators at 1Limited, a company devloping exciting new technologies
1Limited is a technology development and licensing company, which provides competitive advantage for commercial partners around the world.
The company specialises in a number of technological areas, including proprietary ceramic actuators, digital signal processing and related electronics, as well as aerogel-based acoustic absorbers.
Applications for its patented range of actuators include a miniature autofocus control for tiny CMOS cameras that fit into mobile phones, and coil-less loudspeakers, again suitable for communications devices but offering amazing MP3 quality sound.
Development of the patented Helimorph ceramic actuators is carried out at the company's Cambridge manufacturing facility.
Among the tools in 1Limited's research and development lab is a new Nikon MM40 measuring microscope.
This is used to assist engineers in documenting product development progress and achieving exactly the right format for the miniature ceramic coils, which can measure just a few millimetres across.
The highly versatile microscope is invaluable for checking the bonding of ceramic PZT material to metal electrodes, the porosity of samples, and highlighting cracks or defects in the material, which could lead to premature product failure.
The microscope is also used to obtain critical measurements for ongoing manufacturing and further development of the actuators.
Its ability to measure down to sub-micron accuracy is invaluable for the high precision work.
The Nikon MM40 microscope was supplied with a PC running Lucia software under Windows, and equipped with a DXM1200 digital camera - used to record and store digital images of the various stages of development.
The linked PC also holds an Access database currently containing over 1300 records, which will ultimately assist in refining the final manufacturing process.
Mark Swetnam runs the development laboratory: "We chose the Nikon MM40 because of its versatility, ease of use and ability to adapt to a wide range of sample sizes.
The Lucia software allows us to take a number of non-destructive measurements, while the DXM1200 digital camera enables capture and storage of valuable images to highlight flaws and accompany our Access database." Mark added, "It was important to have a rugged unit with inherent stability and a large, easily movable stage to allow for larger samples - some of which can be up to 50mm in size." In summary, Dr Swetnam reported that the installation of the microscope system was trouble-free and a couple of in-house training days soon had all members of the laboratory team fully familiar with the measurement software and day-to-day operation.
