Metallographic or metallurgical microscopes are used to inspect the metallurgical qualities of the material, metal or ceramics. Although these can be used for the inspection of other materials as well. There are three configurations of these microscopes including student, benchtop and research. Although being the cheapest and smallest, the student microscopes are capable of advanced techniques and documentation. Benchtops are mostly used in the textiles industry and animal husbandry while research microscopes are large, complex and use multiple cameras and a wide range of techniques.
Talking about the Metallographic Microscopes, the most common ones in use are the acoustic or ultrasonic microscopes. These are used to examine cracks, delimitations, and other anomalies non-destructively while inverted ones are used for flat polished metallurgical, optical or ceramic samples. Some other common types include compound, fluorescent, confocal, portable field, polarizing, microwave, scanning electron microscopes and a few others.
While buying these microscopes, the most important parameters to look for as specifications while buying include total magnification and resolution. Total magnification is usually determined by linear measurement and is the ratio to the corresponding objects being studied. On the other hand, resolution defines the fineness of details and measured as the smallest between two points that are considered separate by a human eye.
Along with this, the eyepiece style should also be considered while buying such a unique microscope. Among the options, one has the choice of picking monocular, binocular, trinocular or even dual head Metallographic Microscopes. Before you buy, make sure that you are picking exactly that suits your needs.
