1833-1949

1833 – Brown & Sharpe founded.

1869 – Ernst Leitz takes over the “Optische Institut” and calls it “Ernst Leitz”.

1880 – L.S. Starrett opens his own shop in Athol, Massachusetts.

1911 – CE Johansson founded.

1925 – Leitz starts serial production of the first 35mm camera “Leica I”, Leica stands for Leitz Camera.

1936 – Mitutoyo founded.

1950‘s The invention of the coordinate measurement machine is generally credited to DEA (Digital Electronic Automation) part of the Hexagon Metrology Group. The first machine was a “Portal” machine in the late 1950’s.

1959 – Months after the DEA introduction, Ferranti introduces their CMM.

1960’s

1963 October 19th – The ASME Board of Standards inaugurated the B89 Metrology Committee

1965 – The Check mate CMM (Shelton) is the first CMM to use air bearings.

1970‘s

1972 – The invention of the touch probe is credited to Renishaw’s founder, David McMurtry.

1973 – First Zeiss CMM the UMM 500.

1974 – Leitz invents the first scanning CMM probe.

1976 – First Mitutoyo CNC CMM.

1980‘s

1981 – Perceptron founded.

1986 – Romer founded.

1987 – API founded.

1990’s

1990– Founding of Wilcox Associates, Inc. The business develops PC-DMIS, the world’s leading CMM software.

2000’s

2001 – Hexagon Metrology acquires Brown & Sharpe and Wilcox (Makers of PC-

DMIS).

 http://support.hexagonmetrology.us/link/portal/16101/16131/Article/846/CMM-History