The use of international standards to further trade is one of the objectives of creating a standard. By having form fit and function compatible the free interchange of manufactured goods can be handled without hindrance. Unfortunately by setting up standards that are peculiar to a particular country or district it is possible to exclude competition from a group of manufacturers. A major effort is now underway to develop international laser standards. In the May I 990 issue of Laser Focus World Donald R. Johnson the director of industrial technology services for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST formerly the National Bureau of Standards) is quoted as follows: " The common means of protectionism has been through certification for the market place. " The article goes on to say " Mr. Johnson expects this tradition to continue and that the new European Community (EC) will demand not just safety standards but performance standards as well. . . . the American laser industry must move very quickly on this issue or risk being left behind the European standards bandwagon. " The article continues laser companies must get involved in the actual standards negotiating process if they are to have a say in future policy. A single set of standards would reduce the need to repeatedly recalibrate products for different national markets. " As a member of ISO TC-72 SC9 I am

Date Published: 1 January 1991
PDF: 3 pages
Proc. SPIE 1346, Ultrahigh- and High-Speed Photography, Videography, Photonics, and Velocimetry '90, (1 January 1991); doi: 10.1117/12.23337

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 1346:
Ultrahigh- and High-Speed Photography, Videography, Photonics, and Velocimetry '90
Paul A. Jaanimagi; Barry T. Neyer; Larry L. Shaw, Editor(s)