NIST Designation of Cannon Instrument Company as the Responsible Organization for U.S. National Standards for Certified Liquid Viscosity Reference Standards for Purposes of the CIPM MRA, 34208-34209 [2011-14434]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
• National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 113 (Monday, June 13, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34208-34209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14434]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


NIST Designation of Cannon Instrument Company as the Responsible 
Organization for U.S. National Standards for Certified Liquid Viscosity 
Reference Standards for Purposes of the CIPM MRA

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), as 
the National Metrology Institute (NMI) of the U.S., is signatory to the 
Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) of the Comit[eacute] International 
des Poids et Mesures (CIPM). Section 6.1 of the MRA provides for cases 
in which an NMI may designate a laboratory other than itself to 
participate in CIPM key comparisons on behalf of its nation and to be 
responsible for disseminating the national measurement standards 
relevant to that particular measurand. This notice announces that NIST 
has designated the Cannon Instrument Company (State College, PA) 
pursuant to the MRA for the measurements of viscosity until January 1, 
2013.

DATES: NIST's designation of the Cannon Instrument Company for the 
measurements of viscosity will expire on January 1, 2013. NIST will 
consider comments received by that date.

ADDRESSES: Comments regarding NIST's designation of Cannon may be sent 
to Dr. James Olthoff, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
Deputy Director for Measurement Services, Physical Measurement 
Laboratory, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8100, or by 
telephone (301) 975-2220, or by e-mail at james.olthoff@nist.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. James Olthoff, National Institute 
of Standards and Technology, Deputy Director for Measurement Services, 
Physical Measurement Laboratory, 100 Bureau Drive, Gaithersburg, MD 
20899-8100, or by telephone (301) 975-2220, or by e-mail at 
james.olthoff@nist.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MRA established by the CIPM under the 
authority of the Metre Convention has the following objectives:
     To establish the degree of equivalence of national 
measurement standards maintained by NMIs;
     To provide for the mutual recognition of Calibration and 
Measurement Capability (CMCs) issued by NMIs;
     Thereby to provide governments and other parties with a 
secure technical foundation for wider agreements related to 
international trade, commerce, and regulatory affairs.
    The process established to support these objectives includes:
     Comparisons of measurement capabilities of participating 
NMIs and Designated Institutes (DIs), either through CIPM or Regional 
Metrology Organizations (RMOs) Key Comparisons (KCs); and
     Quality systems supporting the continued validity and 
recognition of CMCs in order to establish mutual confidence in 
measurements performed by NMIs or their DIs.
    Signatories to the MRA, which include the U.S., provide information 
on their nation's calibration and measurement capabilities to the 
International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), which publishes 
these in a database for use by the international community. The results 
of key or supplementary comparisons provide quantitative demonstration 
of the degree of equivalence among participating NMIs and DIs. Such 
demonstrations provide quantitative evidence of the claims constituted 
by CMCs.
    NIST may designate for recognition by the CIPM another U.S. 
institution that is willing and has the capability to discharge the 
responsibilities for a specific measurement parameter or parameter 
range under the terms of the MRA. In designating an institution, an NMI 
should consider:
     Whether the institution is impartial;
     Whether the institution offers calibration or other 
appropriate services in the field to all customers that may request 
such services;
     Whether the institution is prepared to share results of 
comparisons and internal processes that relate for example to equipment 
used, environmental conditions, laboratory staff, technical procedures, 
etc. to appropriate experts in Consultative Committees and/or RMOs 
technical committees; and
     Whether the institution is prepared to provide information 
on the processes that have been set up for review of Quality Systems 
and on-site peer review visits.
    An institution designated by NIST to serve as a U.S. DI will:
     Participate, in partnership with NIST, in activities of 
the CIPM MRA and be bound by the requirements of the MRA under the same 
conditions under which NIST itself participates in such efforts;

[[Page 34209]]

     Provide the U.S. national measurement standards for a 
specific measurand;
     Disseminate standards for that measurand to U.S. industry, 
government, and academia.
    Cannon Instrument Company of State College, Pennsylvania has served 
as the U.S. DI for viscosity measurements since 2003. After considering 
the criteria listed above, NIST has designated Cannon Instrument 
Company as the U.S. DI for viscosity until January 1, 2013.

    Dated: June 1, 2011.
Charles H. Romine,
Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-14434 Filed 6-10-11; 8:45 am]
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