150 years of the Fine Mechanical and Electronics Department-a milestone our instrument makers and electronics engineers can truly be proud of. For a century and a half, they have crafted unique research instruments for the Faculty of Science, making an indispensable contribution to its experimental research.
How it began on 28 April 1876
It began 150 years ago with the appointment of Mr. C.W. Kouw. He started working as a mechanic in the basement of the then-Physics Laboratory on the Steenschuur in Leiden.
Mr. C.W. Kouw with his students in 1900, source: Archive Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium 
Technical drawing and photograph of a cryostat without vacuum glass, 1898, source: Archive Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium 
Holiday course glassblower Kesselring, 1910, source: Archive Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium
In the photo above from 1900, Kouw stands surrounded by six apprentice instrument makers. In part thanks to to the craftsmanship of these instrument makers, the later Nobel Prize winner Heike Kamerlingh Onnes was able to conduct his groundbreaking research.
Wizard Flim
Quote from the book 'Heike Kamerlingh Onnes. Een biografie'. Author: Dirk van Delft
'In 1897, the laboratory also had a glassblowing workshop. This was initially managed by G.J. Flim, a baker's son who had been accepted as an apprentice in April 1893 at the age of seventeen and who would rise to become the cryogenic operations manager and Onnes' right-hand man. On various occasions, including his Nobel Speech in 1913, Onnes emphatically thanked his right hand, nicknamed Wizard Flim, for his part in the Leiden successes.
From idea to prototype, for 150 years
To this day, our colleagues at the Fine Mechanical and Electronics Department (FMD/ELD) design and manufacture unique and complex instruments. None of what they make is commercially available. With their groundbreaking work, they make an indispensable contribution to experimental research within our faculty.
FMD/ELD at a glance:
- 16 research instrument makers
- 9 electronics engineers
- Internship and graduation opportunities for LiS and HBO Electrical engineers
- Very versatile machinery and high-tech measuring equipment
- Large network of suppliers
