Metallurgical microscopes are used for metallurgical inspection, including metals, ceramics, and other materials. A microscope is an instrument capable of producing a magnified image of a small object. The most common configurations of metallurgical microscopes are Inverted & Upright Type
Metallurgical microscopes can come in one of many types of eyepiece styles. These include monocular, binocular, trinocular, or dual head. A monocular eyepiece has one objective and one body tube for monocular vision. Binocular microscopes are fitted with double eyepieces for vision with both eyes.
The purpose in dividing the same image from a single objective of the usual compound microscope is to reduce eyestrain and muscular fatigue, which may result from monocular, high-power microscopy. These types of microscopes are also used for stereoscopic vision, which allows for depth perception of the sample. Trinocular microscopes are fitted with a vertical tube at the top and regular binocular eyepieces at 30 degrees. The vertical tube is often used for a digital camera or a second observer. A dual head has one vertical eyepiece lens and a second eyepiece off the side at 45 degrees (so that two people can view the sample at one time, or one person and a camera). Important features in specifying metallurgical microscopes include a digital display, mechanical stages, fine focus, computer interfaces, and image analysis processing software.