What Droplet Measurement Technologies does

Droplet Measurement Technologies (DMT), founded in 1987 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, designs and manufactures optical particle measurement instruments used in atmospheric, climate, and aerosol research. Its product portfolio spans aethalometers and photoacoustic extinctiometers (PAX) for aerosol optical properties, the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2 and SP2-XR) for direct black carbon measurement, the Mini Micro Pulse LiDAR (MiniMPL) for cloud altitude and aerosol detection, the Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS-5) for real-time single-particle detection of atmospheric bacteria and pollen, and a family of cloud, fog, and precipitation probes (CDP-2, CIP, PIP, CAPS-DPOL, FM-120, MPS, GFAS-DPOL) deployable on research aircraft, UAVs, laboratory, and field platforms. The underlying technology base relies on LiDAR, particle imaging, laser incandescence, particle light-scattering, photoacoustic absorption, polarization detection, supersaturation generation, fluorescence detection, and hotwire sensing.

DMT's commercial offering combines high-value, quote-based hardware sales with recurring service revenue from calibration, maintenance and repair, scientific consulting, and training/technical support. The company sells through consultative enterprise field sales to academic institutions, government agencies (including the US National Weather Service, NASA, DOE, and EUMETNET member services), and commercial research entities, supplemented by an international distributor network. Its customer base is horizontally segmented across climate research, environmental monitoring, aerospace/aviation icing certification, weather modification programs, and public health research. DMT holds approximately 25% market share in the stationary aethalometer segment within a US$999M (2025) global market growing at 7.0% CAGR. The company is a Benford Capital control investment and its MiniMPL is the only LiDAR simultaneously approved by NASA MPLNET, US DOE ARM, and EUMETNET.

Name

Droplet Measurement Technologies

Legal name

Droplet Measurement Technologies

Website

https://dropletmeasurement.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Droplet Measurement Technologies, founded in 1987 in Boulder, Colorado, designs optical particle measurement instruments (LiDAR, aethalometers, cloud probes, bioaerosol sensors) for atmospheric and climate research, serving academic institutions, government agencies, and aviation customers via direct sales and global distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Atmospheric Measurement Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Ambient Air Quality Monitoring (Criteria Pollutants & Air Toxics) (EUAHACAA)

Keywords

• Atmospheric measurement instruments
• Aerosol spectrometers
• Black carbon analyzers
• Bioaerosol sensors
• Cloud particle probes

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Scientific Instruments Sales: Sale of atmospheric measurement instruments including aethalometers, particle spectrometers, LiDAR systems, cloud probes, and bioaerosol sensors. Products are high-value scientific equipment sold to research institutions, government agencies, and commercial research entities.
2. Calibration, Maintenance & Repair Services: Service offerings for instrument calibration, maintenance, and repair to ensure ongoing accuracy and reliability of measurement equipment.
3. Scientific Consulting: Expert scientific consulting services supporting research design and interpretation of atmospheric measurement data.
4. Training and Technical Support: Training services and technical support for proper operation and deployment of instruments.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Droplet Measurement Technologies manufactures and sells optical scientific instruments that measure atmospheric particles — including aerosols, black carbon, bioaerosols, cloud droplets, cloud condensation nuclei, fog, and precipitation — for climate research, air quality monitoring, weather modification, aircraft icing certification, and public health studies. The instruments are deployed on research aircraft (cabin and underwing), UAVs, ground stations, and laboratory settings, and the company provides complementary scientific consulting, calibration, maintenance, repair, and training services.

Product overview

Droplet Measurement Technologies offers a comprehensive portfolio of scientific instruments for atmospheric and climate research, specializing in particle measurement technology. The product lineup includes optical spectrometers and particle analyzers organized by particle type: Aerosols (PCASP-100X, UHSAS-G, MiniMPL), Black Carbon (PAX, SP2, SP2-XR), Cloud & Ice Nuclei (CCN-100/200), Cloud Particles (BCP, BCPD, CAPS-DPOL, CCP, CDP-2, CIP, LWC-301, PIP), Fog & Precipitation (GFAS-DPOL, FM-120, MPS), and Bioaerosols (WIBS-5). The company also provides supporting services including Scientific Consulting, Calibration, Maintenance & Repair, and Training and Technical Support. These instruments enable research applications in climate modeling, air quality monitoring, cloud physics, human health studies, pollution characterization, weather modification, and aircraft icing certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP-100X) Airborne optical spectrometer that measures aerosol particles in the 0.1 µm to 3 µm range, used for atmospheric aerosol characterization on research aircraft and UAVs.
• Ultra-High Sensitivity Aerosol Spectrometer (UHSAS-G) Optical-scattering, laser-based aerosol particle spectrometer for sizing particles in the 0.06 µm to 1 µm range with high size resolution.
• Mini Micro Pulse LiDAR (MiniMPL) Small form factor, low-power, elastic backscatter LiDAR for determining cloud altitude and detecting atmospheric aerosols; the only LiDAR simultaneously approved for NASA MPLNET, U.S. DOE ARM, and EUMETNET.
• Wideband Integrated Bioaerosol Sensor (WIBS-5) Real-time, single-particle measurement of atmospheric bacteria, molds, pollen, and other bioaerosols using fluorescence detection to infer biological material presence.
• Photoacoustic Extinctiometer (PAX) Sensitive, high-resolution, fast-response instrument for measuring aerosol optical properties relevant to climate effects and atmospheric load.
• Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) Premier instrument for direct measurement of black carbon in individual aerosol particles, providing unmatched detail on mass, size, heat of vaporization, and coating properties.
• Single Particle Soot Photometer – Extended Range (SP2-XR) Extended-range variant delivering accurate, real-time, size-resolved single-particle measurements of black carbon mass and size with direct output suitable for monitoring applications and field research.
• Cloud Condensation Nuclei Counter (CCN-100/200) Multi-channel instrument for single (CCN-100) or dual (CCN-200) supersaturation measurement of cloud condensation nuclei concentration with fast response for airborne or ground-based stations.
• Back-Scatter Cloud Probe (BCP) Compact probe that measures 5 µm to 75 µm particles without contamination from ice crystal shattering and without airflow distortion.
• Back-Scatter Cloud Probe with Polarization Detection (BCPD) Measures cloud droplet size distributions to derive total number concentrations, liquid water content (LWC), median volume diameter (MVD), and effective diameter (ED) using polarization detection.
• Cloud, Aerosol, and Precipitation Spectrometer with Depolarization (CAPS-DPOL) Multipurpose particle spectrometer combining CIP, LWC, and CAS capabilities with polarization measurement to discriminate between water and ice in cloud research, covering 0.5 µm to 1550 µm.
• Cloud Combination Probe (CCP) Multipurpose particle spectrometer providing aerosol and cloud hydrometeor size distributions from 2 µm to 50 µm, precipitation size distributions to 1550 µm, and liquid water content from 0.05 g/m³ to 3 g/m³.
• Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP-2) Miniature, lightweight, low-power cloud particle spectrometer measuring droplets in the 2 µm to 50 µm range at concentrations up to 2,000 particles/cm³.
• Cloud Imaging Probe (CIP) Optical spectrometer measuring the size and shape of particles from 25 µm to 1550 µm (or optional 15 µm to 930 µm), liquid water content from 0.01 g/m³ to 3 g/m³, and airspeed to 200 m/sec.
• Hot-Wire Liquid Water Content Sensor (LWC-301) Compact instrument capturing direct measurements of liquid water content from 0.05 g/m³ to 3 g/m³; mountable on manned or unmanned aircraft, cooling towers, and spray rigs.
• Precipitation Imaging Probe (PIP) Optical spectrometer measuring the size and shape of particles from 100 µm to 6200 µm, capturing data as cloud particles form precipitation.
• Ground-based Fog & Aerosol Spectrometer with Polarization Detection (GFAS-DPOL) Combines high-sensitivity forward and back scatter intensity particle size measurement with polarization detection and wind speed measurement for understanding fog formation, development, and decay.
• Fog Monitor (FM-120) Optical spectrometer that continuously samples droplet-laden ambient air and produces size distributions in the range from 2 µm to 50 µm.
• Meteorological Particle Spectrometer (MPS) Precipitation-measuring optical disdrometer used by the National Weather Service for rain and drizzle research, measuring size distribution, fall velocity, and rain rate of droplets from 50 µm to greater than 6.4 mm.
• Scientific Consulting Expert scientific consulting services to support research design and interpretation of atmospheric measurement data.
• Calibration, Maintenance & Repair Professional calibration, maintenance, and repair services for Droplet Measurement Technologies instruments to ensure ongoing accuracy and reliability.
• Training and Technical Support Comprehensive training programs and technical support services for proper operation and deployment of Droplet Measurement Technologies instruments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25% market share in stationary aethalometer market
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NASA MPLNETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA MicroPulse Lidar Network - MiniMPL is the only LiDAR approved by NASA MPLNET program for atmospheric monitoring and cloud detection research.
• US Department of Energy ARM ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtmospheric Radiation Measurement program - MiniMPL approved for use in DOE's atmospheric research measurement facilities.
• EUMETNETcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Meteorological Services Network - MiniMPL is the only LiDAR approved by EUMETNET alongside NASA and DOE approvals.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Vaisala: Established global provider of weather, environmental, and industrial measurement instruments including ceilometers, LiDAR, and disdrometers. Overlaps in atmospheric observation platforms and shares weather services customers (e.g., National Weather Service).
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global scientific instrument leader with broad analytical and environmental monitoring portfolios. Provides atmospheric and air quality instruments as part of a larger life sciences/analytical platform, competing indirectly across multiple DMT product lines.
• Teledyne Technologies (FLIR/Princeton Instruments): Diversified industrial conglomerate with significant scientific instrumentation capabilities through FLIR, Teledyne Princeton Instruments, and related subsidiaries. Provides optical, imaging, and detection instruments used in atmospheric and environmental research, competing broadly across DMT's optical detection stack.

Direct peers

• TSI Incorporated: Manufacturer of aerosol and particle measurement instruments including optical particle counters, condensation particle counters, and aerosol spectrometers. Directly comparable product portfolio and target customers (atmospheric research labs and environmental agencies).
• Aerodyne Research: Provider of aerosol mass spectrometry instrumentation (ToF-AMS) and atmospheric chemistry research tools. Direct peer in specialized aerosol measurement for climate and air quality research.
• Met One Instruments: Manufacturer of particle counters, air quality monitoring instrumentation, and meteorological sensors. Direct overlap in aerosol/particle measurement and air quality monitoring customer segments.
• Brechtel Manufacturing: Designer and manufacturer of aerosol instrumentation for atmospheric research, including aerosol mass spectrometers and CCN counters. Direct peer in the same atmospheric measurement niche serving government and academic researchers.
• Magee Scientific: Specialist manufacturer of aethalometers and black carbon measurement instruments, sharing the same core product category and customer base (air quality monitoring networks and climate research). Most direct aethalometer competitor.

Emerging players

• Aerosol Devices Inc. Smaller specialist in bioaerosol and airborne pathogen sampling instrumentation. Emerging competitor specifically in the bioaerosol segment where DMT's WIBS-5 is positioned.

Regional players

• Campbell Scientific: Designer of measurement and control instrumentation for atmospheric, meteorological, and environmental research. Overlaps in data acquisition and atmospheric sensing with a strong North American/European research customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dropletmeasure
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/droplet-measurement-technologies-llc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Droplet Measurement Technologies