Metrologic's Subsidiary, AOA, Awarded Contract from Lawrence Livermore National Lab for Work for the National Ignition Facility Project.

Business Editors

BLACKWOOD, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 2003

Metrologic Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ-NMS: MTLG), a leading manufacturer of sophisticated imaging systems using laser, holographic, vision-based technologies, high-speed automated data capture solutions and bar code scanners, today announced that its subsidiary, Adaptive Optics Associates, Inc. ("AOA"), has been awarded a contract from Lawrence Livermore National Lab ("LLNL") for the production of 48 Output Sensor Package ("OSP") Assemblies to be used on the National Ignition Facility ("NIF") Construction Project.

The incrementally funded contract covering multiple years has a potential value of $6.287 million.

AOA's Involvement

Since late 2001, AOA has been working with LLNL to provide precision opto-mechanical assemblies in support of the NIF project. Previous contract awards included design for manufacturing support and the delivery of light launcher assemblies in 2002. Initial funding under this new contract totals $190,000.

"Naturally, this is a significant award for AOA and an indication of our commitment to the NIF program and the furtherance of AOA's Optical Systems business," stated Jeffrey Yorsz, AOA President and General Manager. "AOA will continue to pursue more opportunities within the National Ignition Facility."

These 48 OSP Assemblies are used to monitor wavefront and beam quality as well as beam power for system optimization during NIF operation. Each OSP contains a variety of lenses, mirrors, CCD cameras and Hartmann wavefront sensors and is capable of monitoring up to four beams in the NIF system. This production award will draw on AOA's two decades of experience in designing and manufacturing sophisticated Electro-Optical systems.

About NIF

The National Ignition Facility (NIF), currently under construction at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is a stadium-sized facility containing a 192-beam, 1.8-Megajoule, 500-Terawatt, ultraviolet laser system together with a 10-meter diameter target chamber with room for nearly 100 experimental diagnostics. When completed, NIF will be the world's largest and most energetic laser experimental system, providing an international center to study inertial confinement fusion and the physics of matter at extreme energy densities and pressures. NIF's 192 energetic laser beams will compress fusion targets to conditions required for thermonuclear burn, liberating more energy than required to initiate the fusion reactions. Other NIF experiments will allow the study of physical processes at temperatures approaching 10(8) K and 10(11) Bars, conditions that exist naturally only in the interior of stars, planets, and in nuclear weapons. NIF is a key component of the National Nuclear Security Administration's Stockpile Stewardship Program to ensure the safety, reliability and security of the United States nuclear deterrent without underground nuclear testing.

NIF Optics Systems

NIF, which when complete will be the world's largest optical system, uses more than 7500 precision optics between 0.4 to 1.0m in size. This includes 3072 Nd-doped phosphate glass laser slabs, 960 fused silica aspheric lenses, 960 fused silica windows, 1600 multi-layer dielectric mirrors and polarizers, 192 diffraction gratings, 192 phase plates and 576 potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) plus deuterated KDP crystal plates. In addition, approximately 15,000 smaller precision optics are required for the diagnostic and the pulse generation and pre-amplifier subsystems.

The NIF Project

The $2.25B NIF construction project is a monumental undertaking. A facility the size of a football stadium has been built from the ground up. The facility consists of three connected buildings, an optics assembly building, a laser building and a target area building. Each of NIF's 192 laser beam paths travels hundreds of yards before reaching its destination in the target chamber. The $260-million conventional building project was completed on schedule in September 2001. NIF is now entering the first phases of its laser commissioning program. The first four beams of the NIF laser system have been used to generate 43 kilojoules of infrared light and 6 kJ at the third harmonic (351 nm). NIF's target experimental systems are also being installed in preparation for experiments to begin in late 2003. Integration of the NIF optical systems has begun and will continue over the next four years to complete the full complement of 192 lasers in 2008.

About Metrologic and AOA

Metrologic designs, manufactures and markets bar code scanning and high speed automated data capture solutions using laser holographic and vision-based technologies. Metrologic offers expertise in 1D and 2D bar code reading, optical character recognition, image lift and parceling dimensioning and singulation detection for customers in retail, commercial, manufacturing, transportation and logistics and postal and parcel handling industries. In addition to its extensive line of bar code scanning and vision system equipment, the Company's AOA subsidiary provides laser beam delivery and control systems to semi-conductor and fiber optic manufacturers as well as a variety of highly sophisticated optical systems used by government, military and aerospace agencies. Metrologic products are sold in more than 100 countries worldwide through Metrologic sales, service and distribution offices located in North and South America, Europe and Asia. For more information please call 617-806-1400 or visit www.adaptiveoptics.com or www.metrologic.com.

Forward-Looking Statement 

Forward-looking statements contained in this release are highly dependent upon a variety of important factors which would cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such forward looking statements. Specifically, the timing and extent to which the Company's subsidiary receives incremental funding under the contract could cause actual results to differ from expectations. When used in this release and documents referenced, the words "believes," "expects," "may," "should," "seeks," or "anticipates," and similar expressions as they relate to Metrologic or its management are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. For additional factors, please see Metrologic's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.