The National Metallurgical Laboratory was the third in the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) family of 38 laboratories, which was inaugurated and dedicated to the nation on November 26, 1950 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It is a pioneer institute of its kind aptly situated in Jamshedpur and has for nearly six decades supported metal industries in the country.
The laboratory was formed as part of the great plan for providing India with a network of research institutes capable of taking the country forward in science and technology. Apart from government funding, the establishment has bonds with industries in Jamshedpur such as Tata Steel and Indian Steel and Wire Products (ISWP) Company, which is now taken over by the steel giant.
While there are other institutes in the country that hold lessons on metals and minerals, the range of subjects covered by NML makes it exclusive, say scientists. “We have extensive facilities such as a pilot plant to test and delve deep into the subject,” said Swatantra Prakash, head of the business development and monitoring division at NML.
The total strength of scientists at the institute is around 150. NML takes up projects keeping in line with the five-year plan of the country and in joint collaboration with several industries around Jamshedpur and Tamil Nadu.
To cater to local needs, the NML-Madras Centre (NML-MC) was established in 1973. Over the years, the centre has undertaken several research and development projects mainly in the area of mineral beneficiation. NML-MC provides assistance to small-scale industries in thermocouple calibration, chemical analysis, testing of tiles and metallurgical analysis at competitive costs. NML-MC assists various government departments such as the department of customs, directorate of revenue intelligence and central excise in providing expert opinions on metallurgical consignments at Chennai, Pondicherry and Tuticorin.
The consulting arm of the institute is also of prime importance. Given the knowledge in the field, the institute is called upon by industries. The activities performed by the lab here would range from trouble shooting to process improvisation.
NML applies for at least 15 to 20 patents every year, an exercise it wants to cut down. “The laboratory does many novel things but are not all are commercially viable. Therefore, we will now focus on the business aspect and will apply for patents only when desired by the industry,” said Prakash.
The institute has alliances with national and international institutes for exchange programmes. Some include the Iowa State University, University of Leeds, Russian Academy of Sciences, ISRO, Bangalore and Department of Ocean Development.
Over the years NML has worked on making ore extraction and metal manufacturing cost effective, thus not only helping the industries but also the citizens to access products with ease.
