Microscopes – Essential Equipment for Laboratories

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Can anybody think of a laboratory environment without microscopes? Yes, microscopes by far are the most common equipment used in laboratories all over the world. Obviously, they are used mainly because of viewing small, tiny or microscopic things larger and with clarity. The microorganism is a great example of such microscopic objects. They are tiny, miniscule organisms that just cannot be viewed by our naked eye and hence we require a microscope to view them and observe various aspects in their organic structures. In the beginning when microscopes were first developed they had limited capability and had only single lens. But with time they continued to develop and incorporate a wide array of advanced features and mechanisms. Lastly, with the coming of computerized microscopes and subsequent development, the most advanced range of microscopes that now are used by medical scientists, researchers, pathologists and physicians across the world.

There are basically two distinct types of advanced microscopic technologies, respectively, as microscopes using light waves which are referred as optical microscopes and microscopes using electron which are called electron microscopes. While light microscopes are used more for general laboratory and microscopic viewing purposes, the electron microscopes are particularly used for viewing or studying extremely microscopic objects like viruses or bacteria. As per the use of light technology, there are various types of optical microscopes, namely phase contrast, fluorescence, dark field and bright field. Among them bright field microscopes are most common and mostly used in laboratory works in different environments. Electron microscopes (www.ehow.com/how-does_4927492_electron-microscope-work.html) are mainly of two broader types according to the purpose they serve, namely, scanning and transmission.

Various components of microscope

The microscope equipment combines different components with their respective functions like a support system, light system, focus and lens system. Each of these components is important for the whole microscope to produce clear and bright images of the studied objects. These components and systems work collaboratively to produce the magnified image of the viewed object with sharp clarity, contrast and actual color. Let us now have a look at the details of these consisting microscope systems.

Microscope support system

A support system in a microscope refers to the parts and components that play a crucial role in positioning the microscope and easily moving it while undergoing an examination of objects. The support system consists of mainly three parts, respectively as, base, arm, and stage. The base and arm help the microscope to be positioned in a place. The stage of the microscope holds the specimen slide which is controlled by knobs to adjust to the lens and focus.

Microscope light system

The light system of the microscope is central to the functioning of the device. In a microscope this system makes the light pass through the specimen. The light system consists of mainly three components, respectively as, source of light, the condenser and the iris diaphragm. In bright field microscopes, a bulb is used as a source of light. The condenser makes the light pass through it and then focuses on the studied specimen. The iris diaphragm is the component that actually controls the intensity of light and the brightness. By adjusting this diaphragm the technician can make better view of the studied objects possible.

Microscope lens system

Finally, it is the lens that delivers the actual image of the studied object as viewed through the device. Most advanced level microscopes basically differ from the earlier ones in respect of lens capacity. The numbers of the lenses used, lens capacity, quality of the lens, all these aspects play a crucial role in delivering clear object images. Typically the compound microscopes have two lenses at different levels. The objective lens is fixed near the specimen slide and the ocular lens is fixed at the top of the microscope offering magnified view of the specimen object to the studying eye. Powerful industrial microscopes have a number of lenses fixed at various layers of a rotating nose piece to deliver different levels of magnified view of the specimen under examination. Ultimately magnifying capacity of the lens system determines the grade and qualitative aspect of the microscope.

Consistency of performance over the years is something that is achieved by only a few top laboratory microscope brands. The above mentioned aspects corresponding to the components and basic aspects make you knowledgeable about the crucial considerations while selecting a microscope for your purpose. There are plenty of great options around and many of them offer ultra-modern most advanced lens capacity and great imaging output.

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