BRIGHTON, MI– Nikon Metrology, Inc. (www.nikonmetrology.com) has formed a partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), serving as a technical partner. As part of this relationship, Nikon Metrology (NMI) will provide JGR with sophisticated microscopy products, technical advice and support.

“In an industry where product failure is not an option, the partnership between NMI and JGR is a natural one,” says Koji Kiribuchi, marketing manager of vision products, for Nikon Metrology Inc. “The ease of use of our equipment, combined with proprietary software that allows us to communicate in real-time, means that we can provide the fast and efficient solutions that are required for JGR in the racing industry.”

The partnership stems from a project that took place earlier this year, in which JGR, one of Nascar’s top teams, experienced first-hand the benefits the AZ100 multi-purpose zoom microscope can bring to its garage. Facing a problem with its racecar’s engine rocker arms, which were experiencing excessive wear and tear despite protective coatings to prevent just that type of damage, JGR engineers contacted Nikon Metrology to see if they could help to solve the issue.

Nikon Metrology sent the JGR engineers its AZ100 model microscope, a multi-purpose zoom microscope that combines the wide field-of-view advantages of a stereoscopic zoom microscope with the advantages of a metallographic microscope. The AZ100 system features high-resolution bright field and seamless digital documentation. With this system, at 50X magnification, the engineers were able to capture an image at a far greater resolution and contrast than with their previous system. Through video conferencing and image sharing with the part vendor, it only took the two groups 90 minutes to determine that inclusion and discoloration in the coating were responsible for the rocker arms’ damage.

“In this world, it’s all about speed, quality and reliability,” says Richard Miller, Quality Control Engineer, Joe Gibbs Racing. “Using Nikon Metrology’s equipment, we were able to return our cars and drivers to the track with the speed, accuracy and safety this sport requires.”