Applications and Five Major Performance Characteristics of Stereomicroscopes
The stereo microscope, also known as a dissecting microscope, produces an erect three-dimensional image of the specimen during observation. It delivers strong stereoscopic perception, clear and wide-field imaging, and features a long working distance. It is a versatile general-purpose microscope. Easy and intuitive to operate with high inspection efficiency, it is widely used for inspections on electronic production lines, printed circuit board (PCB) verification, detection of soldering defects in printed circuit assemblies (such as printing misalignment and solder bridging), single-board PC inspection, vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) inspection, etc. Various measurement data can be acquired with supporting measurement software.
The stereo microscope has the following five major features:
① The left and right light beams in the binocular tube are not parallel but form a certain angle, the stereoscopic angle (typically 12°–15°), which gives the image a three-dimensional stereoscopic effect.
② The image is erect, facilitating manipulation and dissection. This is achieved by prisms below the eyepieces that invert the image.
③ Although its magnification is lower than that of conventional microscopes, it offers a long working distance.
④ It has a large depth of field, enabling observation of the full layer of the inspected object.
⑤ It provides a large field diameter.
