The APDIS Laser Radar (short for “Accurate Precision Distance Scanning”) helps support the exceptional quality of today’s high-tech manufacturing sector—and the devices are assembled and tested right here at Nikon Metrology’s Manassas facility in Innovation Park.
Located at 9453 Innovation Drive, Nikon Metrology’s manufacturing facility is a 16,000 square foot building with 40 full-time employees, split almost down the middle between engineering and manufacturing roles.
The APDIS Laser Radar is used by major customers around the world in sectors such as automotive and aerospace for fast, automated, and non-contact inspection of objects ranging from smaller components such as car doors to complete large assemblies such as commercial aircraft.
“We are a manufacturing facility, but you can also consider us as analogous to an assembly facility,” says Jeff Walker, Managing Director of Nikon Metrology’s APDIS Laser Radar manufacturing facility. “We don't have machine tools, we don't make our own cables, and we don't make our boards. We have the IP and the APDIS Laser Radar is our design, but we subcontract most of the materials; then we build the sub-assemblies here.”
The APDIS Laser Radar has four major sub-assembles; Walker’s team manufactures three of them in Manassas and the fourth one, the sub-assembly with all the optics, is manufactured in Japan, where of course Nikon has exceptional optics. The Nikon Metrology team puts them together, and then does the integration and all the testing.
“To do that testing, we have two temperature-controlled labs,” says Walker. “One lab we maintain at a steady 68°F ± 0.5°F; in the other, we vary the temperature from 57°F to 90°F. We use those labs for temperature modeling of our APDIS Laser Radar within that wide temperature range.”
Located in Innovation Park since 2008, Nikon Metrology has been an important cornerstone of growth over the last decade and has continued to showcase Prince William County’s highly educated and skilled workforce. Walker agrees that the county is an exceptional home for the Nikon Metrology APDIS Laser Radar manufacturing facility.
“There are many biomedical facilities and data centers in Prince William County, which is very much a tech corridor,” says Walker. “But our facility is a little bit different, in that we are focused on assembly, integration, and testing of high-tech durable goods, namely the APDIS.”
With proximity to Dulles International Airport and easy access to highways, Innovation Park is an ideal location for global companies like Nikon Metrology, with easy shipping to clients around the world.
“Prince William County has been an outstanding supporter of Nikon Metrology,” says Walker. “We are thrilled with the PWCDED team and with this video spotlight."
Located at 9453 Innovation Dr, Manassas, VA 20110