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Operating Procedures for the iMetal - 400 Portable Metallographic Microscope by Mikrosize Equipment Supplier (1) Selecting the Location Before using the iMetal - 400 Portable Metallographic Microscope, carefully choose a suitable placement location. Opt for a stable, vibration - free horizontal surface, such as a professional laboratory bench or a calibrated worktable. Vibration can cause image shaking during observation, affecting the observation effect and analytical judgment. At the same time, pay attention to the ambient light conditions. Avoid direct sunlight shining on the microscope. Direct sunlight not only causes excessive light, disturbing the observation field of view, but may also have an adverse impact on the optical components of the microscope due to the increase in temperature. (2) Inspecting Components Carefully inspecting every component of the microscope is crucial to ensure its normal operation. First, check the lens part, including the objective lens and the eyepiece. Confirm that there are no scratches, stains, or mildew spots on the lens surface, as these defects can seriously affect the imaging quality. Then, examine the stage to ensure its smooth movement without jamming. The clamps or spring clips on the stage should work properly and have sufficient clamping force. The focusing knobs also cannot be overlooked. Rotate the coarse - focus knob and the fine - focus knob to feel whether their operation is smooth and whether they can effectively control the lifting of the stage. Finally, check the light source part. Check if the light bulb is in good condition without any signs of damage to ensure that the light source can emit light normally. (3) Installing the Objective and Eyepiece Select the appropriate objective and eyepiece according to specific observation requirements. The iMetal - 400 Portable Metallographic Microscope is usually equipped with various combinations of objective and eyepiece with different magnifications to meet the precision requirements for observing the microstructures of different metal materials. For example, for an initial overall observation of the morphology of the metallographic structure, a low - magnification objective can be selected first. When it is necessary to study the fine structural features, a high - magnification objective needs to be replaced. During the installation process, carefully install the objective on the nosepiece, ensuring that the objective is firmly and properly installed. Then, smoothly insert the eyepiece into the eyepiece tube and gently rotate it to fix it. After installation, rotate the nosepiece to turn the objective to the fixed position, ensuring that the objective is coaxial with the optical path. (4) Connecting the Power Supply If the microscope is a model that requires an external power supply, use a dedicated power plug to connect the microscope to a suitable power socket or transformer. When connecting, ensure that the plug is inserted tightly to avoid poor contact, which may cause power outages or voltage instability, affecting the brightness of the light source and the normal operation of the microscope. If it is a battery - powered model, be sure to check the battery level before use. You can judge the battery level through the battery indicator light or relevant prompt signs on the microscope. If the battery level is low, recharge it in a timely manner to ensure that the microscope can operate continuously and stably throughout the observation process. II. Sample Preparation (1) Selecting the Specimen Selecting a representative specimen from the metal materials to be tested is of great importance. The specimen should accurately reflect the overall metallographic characteristics of the tested metal material. For example, when conducting a quality inspection on a batch of metal parts, specimens should be sampled from different positions and batches of the parts to ensure that various possible micro - structural conditions are covered. At the same time, ensure that the observation surface of the specimen is flat and smooth. If the observation surface is uneven, light will scatter during reflection, resulting in a blurred image. If there are rough processing marks or other defects on the surface, they may cover up the true metallographic structure characteristics and affect subsequent analysis and judgment. (2) Placing the Specimen Carefully place the prepared specimen at the center of the stage, and the observation surface must face upward. The center position of the stage can ensure that the specimen is in the optimal optical imaging area during the observation process, avoiding imaging distortion or uneven light caused by deviation from the center. After placing the specimen, use the clamps or spring clips on the stage to fix the specimen firmly. When fixing, pay attention to the appropriate force. It is necessary to ensure that the specimen will not move due to vibration or other external forces during the observation process, but also avoid excessive force that may damage the specimen. III. Microscope Adjustment (1) Turning on the Light Source Turn on the light - source switch of the microscope, and the light source starts to emit light. Subsequently, adjust the light intensity through the brightness adjustment knob. During the adjustment process, observe the field of view in the eyepiece while slowly turning the brightness adjustment knob to make the light intensity reach an appropriate level. If the light is too strong, the image will be too dazzling, and details will be difficult to distinguish. If the light is too weak, the field of view will be dim, and the metallographic structure cannot be clearly observed. Generally, it is appropriate to clearly see the general outline of the specimen surface without feeling glare. (2) Focusing with the Low - power Objective Rotate the coarse - focus knob to lower the stage. During the lowering process, the operator should observe from the side of the microscope to ensure that the low - power objective gradually approaches the specimen surface. However, always be vigilant to avoid the objective colliding with the specimen, which may damage the objective or the specimen. When the objective approaches to a certain extent, slowly rotate the coarse - focus knob in the opposite direction to raise the stage. At this time, look into the eyepiece. When a blurred image appears in the field of view, it indicates that the focusing position is approaching. Next, use the fine - focus knob for fine adjustment. The fine - focus knob has a higher adjustment accuracy. By slowly rotating the fine - focus knob, the image can be gradually made clear until the outline of the metallographic structure of the specimen can be clearly seen. (3) Center Adjustment If the image observed in the eyepiece is not in the center of the field of view, it can be adjusted by turning the movement handles of the stage. The movement handles of the stage usually include the X - axis and Y - axis directions, which control the forward - backward and left - right movements of the stage in the horizontal direction, respectively. When adjusting, note that the moving direction of the slide is opposite to the moving direction of the image in the field of view. For example, if you want to move the image to the right, you should push the X - axis movement handle of the stage to the left. Through precise adjustment, move the part that needs to be observed in detail to the center of the field of view for better subsequent observation and analysis. (4) Observation with the High - power Objective After having a preliminary understanding of the overall metallographic structure of the specimen under the low - power objective and determining the area that needs further observation, if a higher magnification is required to study the details, rotate the nosepiece to replace it with a high - power objective. During the process of changing the objective, be careful to avoid the objective colliding with the specimen. Usually, the low - power and high - power objectives of the iMetal - 400 Portable Metallographic Microscope are basically parfocal. However, due to the slight differences in the focal lengths of different objectives, it may still be necessary to use the fine - focus knob for fine adjustment. Through the fine adjustment of the fine - focus knob, the high - magnification image can be made clear. At this time, the fine structure of the metallographic structure, such as the sub - structure inside the grains and the characteristics of the grain boundaries, can be observed more clearly. (5) Diaphragm Adjustment Adjust the size of the aperture diaphragm and the field diaphragm appropriately according to the observation effect. The aperture diaphragm is mainly used to control the amount of light entering the objective lens, thus affecting the contrast and depth of field of the image. When it is necessary to observe the metallographic structure with high contrast, the aperture diaphragm can be appropriately reduced. If a large depth of field is desired to observe the metallographic structures at different levels simultaneously, the aperture diaphragm can be appropriately increased. The field diaphragm is mainly used to control the size of the field of view. Adjusting the field diaphragm can make the observation field of view clearer and reduce unnecessary stray - light interference. By reasonably adjusting the size of the aperture diaphragm and the field diaphragm, the contrast and clarity of the image can reach the optimal state, which is more conducive to the observation and analysis of the metallographic structure. IV. Observation and Recording (1) Observing the Specimen Carefully observe the metallographic structure of the specimen through the eyepiece. At this time, various micro - structural features inside the metal material can be seen. For example, the shape, size, and distribution of grains can be observed, as well as the morphology and distribution of different phases, and the presence of defects such as cracks, pores, and inclusions. During the observation process, observe from multiple angles and in all aspects without missing any details. If the microscope is equipped with an imaging system, it can also be observed on the display screen. The image on the display screen is more convenient for multiple people to observe and discuss at the same time. (2) Recording Images If the iMetal - 400 Portable Metallographic Microscope is equipped with a camera or connected to a computer imaging system, the typical metallographic images observed can be photographed and saved. Before shooting, ensure that the image is clear, the contrast is moderate, and it contains the key information that needs to be analyzed. After shooting, save the image to a designated storage device, such as a computer hard drive or a mobile storage device. The image can usually be saved in common image formats, such as JPEG, TIFF, etc., for easy viewing and processing in different image processing or analysis software later. (3) Measurement and Analysis Use the measurement tools or related software attached to the microscope to measure and analyze the relevant parameters of the metallographic structure. For example, the size of the grains can be measured. Through the measurement function in the software, select multiple grains for measurement, and then calculate the average grain size, which is of great significance for evaluating the performance of the metal material. The proportion of different phases can also be analyzed. Use the image - analysis software to identify and calculate the areas of different phases, and then obtain the proportion of each phase in the entire metallographic structure, so as to understand the composition distribution of the metal material. These measurement and analysis results provide important data support for studying the performance of metal materials, quality evaluation, and process improvement. V. End - of - use Procedures (1) Turning off the Light Source After the observation is completed, first turn off the light - source switch of the microscope. Turning off the light source in a timely manner not only saves energy but also extends the service life of the light bulb. If the microscope is not used for a long time without turning off the light source, the light bulb will age rapidly due to continuous heating, shortening its normal service time. (2) Removing the Sample Carefully remove the specimen from the stage. During the removal process, avoid the specimen being collided or scratched, because the metallographic structure on the surface of the specimen may change due to external forces, affecting possible subsequentre - observation or analysis. The removed specimen should be properly stored. It can be marked and classified for storage according to actual needs for easy reference and use later. (3) Cleaning and Resetting Gently wipe the surfaces of the objective and eyepiece with clean lens paper. The lens paper is soft in texture and will not scratch the lens surface, effectively removing dust and stains on the lens. When wiping, pay attention to gentle movements and wipe in a certain direction to avoid repeated wiping causing secondary pollution. After wiping, turn the objective away from the light - passing hole to prevent the objective from being damaged by accidental collision during storage. At the same time, lower the stage to the lowest position to protect the stage and the objective and avoid collisions during storage. Finally, restore all components of the microscope to their initial states, including adjustment knobs, diaphragms, etc., to prepare for the next use. (4) Storing the Instrument Carefully place the cleaned and reset microscope into a dedicated storage box or cabinet. The storage box or cabinet should have good protective performance, and there should be sufficient cushioning materials inside, such as sponge or foam, to prevent the microscope from being collided and damaged during transportation or storage. When storing, pay attention to avoiding heavy pressure on the microscope, and keep the storage environment dry and clean to prevent the microscope from being affected by moisture or dust erosion. |