Advantages of using a Dino-Lite Digital Microscope with a Polarizer

Benefits of a Dino-Lite Polarizing Digital Microscope

Nothing is more important than a clear, well-contrasted image in microscopy.

A common obstacle to that perfect image is glare – particularly bright light reflected off the object of your interest.

If you’re working with any naturally reflective material, such as electronics, metals or even layers of skin, excessive glare can hide important details or defects.

Fortunately, Dino-Lite polarizing microscopes contain special filters that allow you to drastically reduce glare, letting you see the task at hand in much greater detail.

And polarizing microscopes have other cool qualities, too.

Dino-Lite AM4113ZT with Built-in Polarizer

How polarizing works

Polarizing microscopes work by using two polarizing filters – one in front of the light source and one between the sample and your eyes – to let you adjust the wavelengths of the light that passes through. 

Visible light is normally a mess of wavelengths oriented in every direction. Polarizing filters are like a set of vertical bars, only allowing light that’s oriented in the same direction as the bars to pass through.

By having a second polarizing filter (that is also adjustable), you can control exactly how much light gets through – the two sets of bars can line up in parallel to let most light through or the second set can be rotated 90 degrees to form an impassable grid in what’s known as cross polarization.

Using a Dino-Lite polarizing microscope, you’ll be able to adjust the level glare and contrast until you have a perfectly clear image of the job at hand.

Awesome images

The ability to block all wavelengths through cross polarization is also secret to some awesome images.

When a substance with properties that allow it to alter wavelengths (such as crystals, minerals or polymers) is placed between crossed filters, only the altered wavelengths of light are visible. This produces often beautifully coloured images that let you see the structure and composition of the substance in much greater detail.

Applications

Used in everything from industrial manufacturing to medical research, Dino-Lite polarizing microscopes have a wide range of applications:

  • Manufacturing, electronics and repair industries (inspection and quality control)
  • Collectors of metallic or reflective objects (such as gems or coins)
  • Industries where samples are often coated in reflective liquids, oils or grease
  • Dermatology (subdermal layers of skin)

Polarizing microscopes are also essential for industries involving optically anisotropic materials.

When polarized light is shone through these materials (using a backlight polarizer such as the Dino-Lite BL-ZW1), a cross-polarized microscope can detect internal structures and components that are normally invisible.

This quality is particularly useful in the earth sciences, metallurgy and geological industries for analysing rocks, minerals and crystals.

Polarized microscopes allow you to see surface impurities on metals, and help you see through any coating, film or transparent layer sitting on top of the surface you wish to inspect.

They are also used to detect stress in transparent materials. Stress can alter the optical qualities of substances such as plastic or glass – polarization lets you visualize these otherwise invisible stresses.

Conclusion

Dino-Lite polarizing digital microscopes are an incredibly versatile and cost-effective addition to any working professional’s toolkit.

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