Restoration is well underway for NIST’s 4.45-million newton (equivalent to 1 million pounds-force) deadweight machine, the largest in the world. The three-story-tall deadweight, comprising a stack of stainless-steel discs weighing about 50,000 pounds each, was disassembled last winter for the first time in 50 years.

The surfaces of a half-dozen components of the deadweight recently underwent minor machining at NIST, and by a company offsite, to permit more free operation at those interfaces. Pieces that were sent offsite returned to NIST in June fully restored.

Minor machining of a component offsite. Image courtesy of Precision Custom Components LLC

A restored component of the million-pound deadweight machine being returned to NIST in June 2015

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