“These microscopes are heavy duty in nature, and typically have long reaching boom arms or articulating arms. They’re meant to be used for working on circuit boards, welding, or inspection of industrially machined parts for quality assurance. They can be used by hobbyists as well, however, as they are not more complicated than inspection microscopes.”
What makes an industrial stereo microscope different than other kinds of stereo microscopes?
To be honest, very little besides the mounting equipment and the application intended by the user.
For the most part, an industrial microscope is typically going to be a stereo microscope on a boom arm or an articulating arm. This allows the user to mount the stand out of the way on their work bench, and slide it into the working area when needed, and back out when not needed. Usually, manufacturers, quality control engineers, and developers need this kind of flexibility, as they have extremely limited working spaces, and are often working with large components or circuit boards.
The optics don’t change, but generally industrial microscopes have low to medium power magnification, as the components are sometimes small, even with large samples. But the key to remember is that working distance is critical for all of these types of uses. The more magnification you use with a stereo microscope, the less distance you have–so if you’re working on a circuit board or a part that you have to fit tools under, you want to have something capable of getting to low magnification. Otherwise, you might not have much room to really work, which leads to a frustrating experience.
What are the different kinds of stands that are common for industrial stereo microscopes?
The two most common types of industrial stands are boom stands and articulating arms, although table stands can sometimes be used if the microscope will be used all the time and never moved from the working area (such as for a communal work station, rather than an individual’s microscope).
A boom arm is typically a long arm that’s mounted to a heavy base (used to counterbalance the weight of the microscope head at the arm’s extension). There are a variety available–some will mount directly to a table or wall when bolted down, or others have a large, heavy stand and just sit on the table. These are extremely stable, but take up a fair amount of table space at times, and aren’t too flexible with positioning (but can indeed be moved into and out of the working area at very least).
An articulating arm is an stand type that either clamps onto a table or pillar, or some models also can be bolted to a wall to be completely out of the way. The arm is made up of several “elbow” type mechanisms that allow the head to be positioned in all kinds of manners and directions. This allows for great flexibility in positioning, but sometimes sacrificing a bit of stability that a boom offers.
And finally, a table stand is an upright base with a pillar or track system, and a focusing rack to hold the head. Sometimes table stands can have built in light sources, which is convenient for simple use or for a workstation application.
I understand what an industrial stereo microscope is, but could you show me a few examples to make it 100% clear?
Sure can! Here’s an example of each type we have talked about so far (click to see larger image and purchasing information):
3.5x – 90x Double Arm Boom Stand (AmScope’s SM-4TZ-FRL)
3.5x – 90x Articulating Arm with Clamp (AmScope’s SM-7TZ-FRL)
7x – 45x Table Stand (Omax’s CS-W42CPT-L144S)
