Firearms and Toolmarks Comparison Microscope

The LCF Firearms and Toolmarks Comparison Microscopes are designed and built with apochromatically corrected optics. This allows for an optical system that has the highest correction level available on the market.  The apochromatically corrected optics eliminates optical aberrations and provides clean, crisp and high-resolution images.

The LCF 1000 and LCF 1600 optical systems are designed using two macro zoom bodies with built-in aperture diaphragms. These are matched for magnification positions that are parfocal throughout the zoom ratio.

The LCF 1000 has a total visual magnification range of 5.5x – 55x and a macro zoom ratio of 10:1 with the use of a 1x plan apochromat objective.
The LCF 1000 has 11 commonly used matched magnification positions.

The LCF 1600 has a total visual magnification range of 6x – 102x and a zoom ratio of 16:1 with the use of a 1x plan apochromat objective. The LCF 1600 has 14 commonly used matched magnification positions.

Both the LCF 1000 and LCF 1600 have optional objectives and magnification ranges available.

The extended magnification range on the LCF 1000 and LCF 1600 allows the investigator to examine evidence without any adjustment to focus, instrument height or ergonomics. All visual magnifications are clearly marked on the zoom knobs, eliminating the need for the use of multipliers to determine the viewed magnification. A National Institute of Standards and Technology (N.I.S.T.) traceable certificate of magnification matching is provided with every system at the time of installation.

Correct visual magnification read directly from zoom knob.

The LCF 1000 and LCF 1600 have an erect unreversed image with a large 22mm field number. This larger field of view represents a 20% increase of viewable area over older microscope designs. This increased viewable area means fewer stage movements to view a complete sample, and also allows the examiner to view a field size comparable to other systems, but at 20% higher magnification.

Visual field selector

Images can be viewed as 100% right, 100% left, split or superimposed. The split-image dividing line is adjustable from no line to any desired line width. The superimposed image can be viewed at any desired size for easier visual identification of the sample.

The LCF Firearms System Stages

The LCF 1000 and LCF 1600 Firearms Systems uses two 180mm x 135mm platform, low profile horizontal coaxial control mechanical stages.  The uniform ball bearing motion of these stages have 50mm of X-axis and 77mm of Y-axis movement.

The mechanical stages attach to the coarse/fine focus system.  The focus system has 36.8mm/revolution coarse focus and 1.5mm/revolution fine focus with a rack and pinion crossroller slide movement that has a total focus stroke 80mm. A built-in counter spring allows for drift free operation. The mechanical stages and focus units are mounted onto posts, which allow them to swing back and out of the way for large objects to be placed directly on the table top for easy examination.

Pictured with dual observation

LCD scale

A single axis LCD measuring scale can be added for direct reading of point-to-point measurement for land, toolmarks, etc. It is capable of measuring in inch or metric scales with a .0005”/.01mm resolution. Use of this LCD scale eliminates the need for stage verniers, air gap method or eyepiece micrometers for measuring land and toolmark features.

A N.I.S.T. traceable certificate of calibration is provided with every LCD scale at installation.

Installation and Service

• Annual service and calibration packages are available.

• Emergency service and repair available.

• Factory trained Service Technicians that are certified to work on Leeds Forensic Comparison Microscope systems.