MI108E

The Gaertner MI108E is a light-sectioning microscope for technical testing of surfaces. The Gaertner MI108E is intended for examination and numerical measurement of surface-related features including contour, grooves, burrs, coatings, and film profile. The Gaertner MI108E can be used as a portable unit or incorporated into other holding devices that bring the objective into position for observation and measurement.^[1][2]

The Gaertner MI108E employs the Schmaltz concept. The Gaertner MI108E focuses a narrow band of light, with width controlled by a fixed slit, onto the part under test. The beam intersects the horizontal surface of the test piece at a 45-degree angle and is sectioned by the top and bottom surfaces of irregularities. The corresponding surface geometry is viewed through the microscope eyepiece. A filar micrometer with moveable crosshairs measures the difference between the two beams. The micrometer drum reads to 0.0001 mm or 0.00001 inch per division.^[1][2]

The Gaertner MI108E standard equipment includes a base, a filtered light source, a fixed slit, a filar micrometer eyepiece M202E, an x-y positioning stage with .001 reading micrometer thimbles, a fixed angular mount, and a vertical positioning stage. The Gaertner MI108E has 3.48X objective magnification, 10X eyepiece magnification, 34.8X total magnification, and 41.2 mm optical working distance.^[1][2]

Metrology and inspection tools are used around process steps to verify that a surface or feature matches the intended result before later operations build on that condition. Surface-profile inspection commonly fits after machining, polishing, coating, etching, or other feature-forming work, and before assembly, further processing, or acceptance testing. Optical surface metrology is often used as an offline or near-line check rather than as a tool that changes the part itself.

The Gaertner MI108E is used for study of fit and friction, wear and tear, surface contour, nicks, heights of burrs, depths of grooves, edge profile, thickness of anodized layers, coating thickness, and film profile.^[1][2]