Carl Zeiss IMT Corporation signs OEM distribution agreement with
Bio-Imaging Research‚ Inc. to offer industrial CT products in North America

Maple Grove‚ USA – August‚ 2005 – Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology (IMT) announced that it is has signed an OEM distribution agreement with Bio-Imaging Research‚ Inc. (BIR). Under the agreement‚ Carl Zeiss will represent the complete line of BIR’s industrial computed tomography (CT) equipment in North America.

BIR is a leader in the design of both medical and industrial computed tomography (CT) systems. This unique position allows BIR to incorporate the advances made in medical CT into its ACTIS™ line of industrial CT systems. BIR ACTIS CT systems are used for first article inspection‚ rapid prototyping‚ reverse engineering‚ and part digitization/ rapid manufacturing.

“Incorporating CT systems into our product portfolio is part of our strategic plan to offer our customers a complete line of cutting-edge metrology equipment‚” said Greg Lee‚ president of Carl Zeiss IMT Corporation. “Partnering with BIR also gives us access to a new and growing market segment.” James M. McNally‚ BIR’s president and CEO adds‚ “BIR has a significant installed base in the European and Asian automotive casting markets. The new relationship with Carl Zeiss is designed to strengthen both companies’ positions in the North American market.”

CT has become widely accepted for inspection applications in industries where the manufactured part contains complex internal geometries and where destructive techniques are either cost prohibitive or impractical. X-ray CT is the only nondestructive evaluation method of obtaining internal dimensional data. This is critical in casting applications where destructive methods often change surface forces‚ thus altering the internal dimensions. Aluminum castings for automotive and aerospace applications are a prime example. X-ray CT can also acquire dimensional data on parts made of materials that flex on contact or those designed with undercuts and deep recesses where coordinate measurement system probes cannot reach.

ACTIS™ systems use x-rays to create cross-sectional views of a part containing dimensional data of both internal and external features. The combined individual slices create a 3D volume image that can then be converted into point clouds that permit comparison of first article dimensions against CAD designs. This allows designers to optimize product quality by making critical design adjustments before production begins.

For further information‚ please contact:

Contact for the press (USA)
Annette Smith‚ Maple Grove‚ Minnesota
Phone: ++ 763 744-2409
Fax: +763 533-0219
Email: asmith@zeiss.com
Internet : http://www.zeiss.com

Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH‚ Marketing
73446 Oberkochen‚ Germany
Phone: +49 180 3 336 336
Fax: +49 7364 20-3870
Internet: www.zeiss.de/imt

Alfons Lindmayer
Industrial Metrology‚ Marketing
Phone: +49 7364 20-3539
Fax: +49 7364 20-4657
Email: lindmayer@zeiss.de
Internet : http://www.zeiss.de/imt-press

Headquartered in Oberkochen‚ Germany‚ Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH is a member of the Carl Zeiss Group. It is the global leader in CNC coordinate measuring machines and complete‚ multi-dimensional metrology solutions for a wide variety of industrial sectors. Approximately 1300 employees from three manufacturing locations and more than 100 sales and service centers serve customers around the world.

Carl Zeiss is a globally leading international group of companies in the optical and opto-electronic industry. In fiscal year 2003/04 the global workforce of approximately 13.700 employees generated revenue of about EUR 2.1 billion. Further information is available at www.zeiss.com and www.zeiss.com/imt.