Quality Features to Look for in a Metallurgical Microscope
Metallurgy is a field of materials science that focuses on the study of metals and other metallic elements, compounds and alloys. This involves the chemical and physical behavior of metals and their practical uses in different industries. One of the most important tools used in this field of study is the metallurgical microscope. When looking for a quality metallurgical microscope, here are several features to keep in mind:
Usage
Metallurgy has a wide range of uses, including mining (also referred to as extractive metallurgy), alloy production, metal working, production engineering, electrical engineering and electronic engineering. It will be easier to find a metallurgical microscope with the right range of features if its usage is determined prior to purchase.
For example, if bigger and heavier samples will be studied more often, an inverted metallurgical microscope will be a better choice than an upright microscope. It’s often easy to overlook certain important features or spend too much on features that will not be maximized later. If you prefer, there are even manufacturers of microscopy that offer custom fitted instruments so your specific need is met.
Optics
The mark of true quality in a metallurgical microscope is in its optical system. More than any other feature, it is the optical system that plays a huge part in how the metallurgical microscope effectively presents images of the specimen. A quality optical system is made with precision ground glass lenses. This will ensure the best possible image processing and enlargement that any microscopy can provide.
There are two sets of optics in every metallurgical microscope – the eyepiece lens and the objective lens. Most metallurgical microscopes have an objective magnification power that starts at a low 25x to a high of 100x. Magnification specs should have at least 100x and a high of about 400x or 1000x. Eyepiece magnification should start at 10x and go as high as 100x. In some types of microscopy used in metallurgy such as electron microscopy, magnification power can reach from 2000x to 3000x. While the high magnification power is not often required in all tasks involving metallurgical microscopy, it often comes in handy when minute details need to be observed. Generally, however, metallurgical microscopy can be quite effective at magnification powers below 1000x or even 500x.
Focusing
The coarse and fine focusing mechanism will help refine and sharpen the enlarged image produced by the objective and eyepiece lenses. Quality metallurgical microscopes should be able to allow the user to enhance the image to its optimum quality with the use of these features.
Illumination
There are different types of illumination techniques used with metallurgical studies. These include bright field, dark field and phase contrast microscopy. These days, quality metallurgical microscopes are equipped with all these features combined in one instrument. Some units are also designed to be used with supplementary devices to allow them to work with different types of illumination techniques. This is a quality feature that is important for researchers and hobbyists who will be working with different types of materials.
As for the source of lighting, bright field and dark field metallurgical microscopes usually work best with halogen lighting, both as a source for transmitted or incident illumination. LED lighting will sometimes be built into the instrument to provide illumination in case of absence of electric power but in some metallurgical microscopy techniques such as dark field, this type of lighting is often not enough.
Connectivity
Sooner or later, the study and analysis of metals will require some form of documentation. An excellent feature of a quality metallurgical microscope is its connectivity. It should be designed to accommodate supplemental use of other devices such as monitors, computers, video cameras and digital cameras. This type of expandability will allow researchers to capture, store and share images as well as use the metallurgical microscope directly during a presentation or lecture.
Brand
As to the question of brand, almost all brands today offer the same quality features in their metallurgical microscopes, producing instruments that are at par with top brand name microscopes. If you know which features you want and what quality of microscopy to look for, the brand name of your metallurgical microscope should not matter.
Built
There is no point having all the quality features in a metallurgical microscope if the instrument does not have the sturdy and stable housing to hold everything in. Check for the make and quality of the metal, along with seamless joints in all parts. It should also be designed for the comfort and convenience of the user.
Warranty
The type of warranty to look for in a metallurgical microscope is the manufacturer’s warranty. It’s not part of the features of the microscope, but it should be included in the package. The warranty is meant to protect the buyer from any design or manufacturer’s defect and will guarantee coverage for labor and parts replacement or repair in case the instrument breaks down.
