Formed in 1951 to commercialise the inventions and processes researched by the Shirley Institute (previously The British Textile Technology Group, including The Wool Industries Research Association) SDL it became an independent manufacturing and marketing organisation.

In 1991 the Directors of Shirley Developments decided to establish a group structure in order to better control the different elements of the business. This resulted in the formation of SDL International Limited, which acquired the whole of the issued share capital of SDL.

On the 15th May 2003 the company was acquired by Atlas Materials Testing Technology LLC a company incorporated in the United States of America. Following on from this acquisition SDL International Limited changed to SDL Atlas Limited.