Physicists Study Colliding Atoms With a Laser Tracker
Leica's LTD500

Hundreds of physicists from around the world come to Brookhaven National Laboratory to study what the universe might have looked like in the first few moments after its creation. The laboratory in Long Island, New York, is a world-class scientific research facility that began operation of its Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider in 2000, following 10 years of development and construction. RHIC drives two intersecting beams of gold ions head-on in a subatomic collision that forms heat and new particles. What physicists learn from these collisions may help them understand more about why the physical world works the way it does, from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest stars.

Using Leica's LTD500 laser tracker system to ensure accurate alignment of the beams to within 0.050 mm (50 µm), Brookhaven physicists are able to align the intersecting beams of gold ions to ensure head-on collisions.

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Quality Documentation Automates Aerospace Company
Lilly Software's VISUAL Suite

Universal Propulsion Co. had recently replaced its mainframe-based inventory control and order entry software with Visual Manufacturing, an integrated, Windows-based enterprise resource planning system from Lilly Software Associates. When the company decided it needed a quality management system as well, it evaluated Lilly's Visual Quality software as a solution to the problem. The system included 16 modules for managing engineering documents, skills and training qualifications, outside services, and equipment and tooling records. UPCO's plan was to implement each module separately as needed. Using the modular approach fit into the company's step-by-step plan.

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