Leica Map’s desktop reporting environment makes it easy to visualize and analyze measurement data and to generate reports with full metrological traceability.

Characterizing 3D Surface Texture and Geometry

Wetzlar, Germany / Besançon, France. Leica Microsystems and Digital Surf announced the signature of an agreement whereby Leica Map surface imaging and metrology software based upon Digital Surf's Mountains Technology® will be used with the Leica Application Suite (LAS) for Leica industrial microscopes. The new Leica Map software is used to visualize and quantify features of measured surfaces, characterize surface texture and geometry and generate visual surface metrology reports with full traceability. It is available on three levels with optional modules for advanced applications.

Entry level Leica Map Start software is used in conjunction with LAS Montage. LAS Montage acquires a series of image planes at known spacing covering the in-focus region of a specimen with a Leica microscope. From this stack a depth map and an extended focus image are derived and analyzed by Leica Map. In Leica Map Start, surface topography can be viewed at any zoom level and any angle in real time. Color and intensity image overlays facilitate the location of surface features, including defects. Distances, angles, and step heights can be measured. Height and functional parameters are calculated in accordance with the latest ISO 25178 standard on areal surface texture. Optional modules can extend the capability to surface texture and contour analysis.

Leica Map DCM 3D software is dedicated to the Leica dual core 3D microscope Leica DCM 3D, which combines confocal and interferometry technology for non-invasive, high speed, and high-resolution assessment of micro and nano structures. In addition to the standard features of Leica Map Start, Leica Map DCM 3D includes advanced ISO 16610 filtering techniques for separating surface roughness and waviness, basic functional analysis (bearing ratio, depth distribution, etc.), and the ability to extract sub-surfaces (for example from mechanical and electronic components and MEMS) and analyze them independently.

The Leica Map product range is completed by Leica Map Premium, a top of the line universal solution that is compatible with single-point tactile and optical profilometers and scanning probe microscopes, as well as with optical microscopes.

“Leica Map is an important addition to the Leica Application Suite,” stated Andreas Hedinger, Managing Director of Leica Microsystems’ Industry Division. “It provides users of Leica microscopes with a comprehensive solution for surface imaging and metrology in accordance with the latest standards and methods.”

“Leica Map software is based upon the latest generation of Mountains Technology®, which was released in the second half of 2010,” stated François Blateyron, Chief Operating Officer of Digital Surf. “It incorporates an enhanced desktop publishing environment, to speed up complex calculations and the processing of large measurement data sets.”

• Press Release Leica Map Digital Surf (English)
• Press Release Leica Map Digital Surf (German)
• Press Release Leica Map Digital Surf (French)

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This is Leica Microsystems

Leica Microsystems is a world leader in microscopes and scientific instruments. Founded as a family business in the nineteenth century, the company’s history was marked by unparalleled innovation on its way to becoming a global enterprise.

Its historically close cooperation with the scientific community is the key to Leica Microsystems’ tradition of innovation, which draws on users’ ideas and creates solutions tailored to their requirements. At the global level, Leica Microsystems is organized in four divisions, all of which are among the leaders in their respective fields: the Life Science Division, Industry Division, Biosystems Division and Medical Division.

Leica Biosystems, an own operating company, offers histopathology laboratories the most extensive product range with appropriate products for each work step in histology and for a high level of productivity in the working processes of the entire laboratory.

The company is represented in over 100 countries with 12 manufacturing facilities in 7 countries, sales and service organizations in 19 countries and an international network of dealers. The company is headquartered in Wetzlar, Germany.

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Digital Surf, founded in 1989, is a leading provider of imaging and analysis software for surface metrology instruments including confocal microscopes, optical interferometric microscopes, scanning probe microscopes and 2D/3D profilometers. Imaging and analysis software based on Digital Surf’s Mountains® technology is integrated by leading instrument manufacturers and is used in thousands of laboratories and industrial facilities working in numerous sectors including aerospace, automotive, cosmetics, energy, MEMS, materials research, medical, metallurgy, nanostructures, optics, paper, PCB, plastics, polymers, printing, semiconductor, etc.

Portable all-in-one-system – the Leica DVM5000. Streamlined zoom optics reach difficult-to-access surfaces for nondestructive inspection of even the largest stationary parts, e.g. a turbine.

Portable Digital Microscopes Perform Fast, High-quality Quantitative 2D and 3D Surface Measurements

Heerbrugg, Switzerland. Digital technologies have revolutionized everyone’s work and everyday lives. In particular, industrial quality control – which places the most stringent requirements on macroscopic and microscopic imaging and image processing – benefits from innovative, reliable digital technology. Leica Microsystems’ new generation of digital microscopes – Leica DVM5000, DVM3000, and DVM2000 – opens new horizons of mobility and speed.

With the Leica DVM line, the microscopic image is displayed directly on a high-resolution monitor. The streamlined zoom optics reach extremely difficult-to-access surfaces for nondestructive inspection of even the largest stationary parts, which could only be examined with great effort using traditional microscope techniques. Leica digital microscopes not only feature outstanding, high-quality optics, they also offer a wide variety of quantitative analysis options – whether 2D analysis or advanced 3D surface measurements.

Leica DVM5000 – the portable all-in-one-system

For quality control, a sample is usually transferred to the microscope for inspection and analysis. However, some products cannot be transported and do not allow a sample to be taken for microscopic analysis; only nondestructive inspection is possible. The Leica DVM5000 is specifically designed for such situations. Here, the microscope is easily brought to the sample. The digital microscope, including the optics, monitor, and computer, can convert into a compact, portable system with just a few adjustments.

Leica DVM3000 – flexible in every respect

The Leica DVM3000 includes all the elements needed for high-quality digital imaging: zoom optics with encoded magnifications, high-performance digital camera, integrated metal halide lamp, and standard interfaces for computer and monitor to enable all sample-related data to be sent to the computer for subsequent evaluation. Its “open,” modular design makes the Leica DVM3000 a compact, versatile digital microscope for a wide variety of applications.

Leica DVM2000 – digital microscope focused on the basics

The Leica DVM2000 is the ideal entry-level digital microscope. This modular system is comprised of zoom optics, digital camera, and software and is based on standard components. However, the Leica DVM2000 also provides many options from a comprehensive range of products and accessories to configure the ideal digital solution for individual needs.

Optimized digital imaging

All Leica digital microscopes are equipped with a 2.11-megapixel digital camera, which is perfectly matched to the microscope’s optics. Combined with high-resolution optical zoom, this highly sensitive CCD camera generates digital images of all samples with the best possible information yield – without enlarging the data volume and file size of individual images. Leica Microsystems has long used state-of the-art 16-bit individual color detection to utilize the entire dynamic image range. The HDR-Module takes images of samples with extreme differences of brightness, while the SmartTiling™ Module combines many single images into one large mosaic with the help of a manual x/y-stage. This is only a brief description of the versatile, intelligent software of the Leica DVM line and Leica Application Suite.

• Press Release Leica DVM5000 (English)
• Press Release Leica DVM5000 (German)

With an easy to use sequence control, LAS Image Analysis guides the user through the whole setup to simplify the process of acquisition, detection and measurement.

Wetzlar, Germany. Leica Microsystems has released a new module within the Leica Application Suite (LAS): LAS Image Analysis is a sophisticated software module that automatically performs feature detection, measurement and the evaluation of multiple image features. Images are acquired using the facilities of LAS in conjunction with a Leica microscope and digital camera.

With an easy to use sequence control, LAS Image Analysis guides the user through the whole setup to simplify the process of acquisition, detection and measurement. All settings and configurations can be saved and recalled to exactly recreate the same conditions at a later date. Once the binary image has been produced, a variety of measurements can be made on individual features including size, shape, position, orientation and intensity. The large number of parameters available enables the user to select the most appropriate information for characterization of the specimen. After the measurement has been completed, the data can be transformed into meaningful results by using the wide range of analysis tools including statistics, histograms and pie charts. LAS Image Analysis can be used in combination with LAS Archive for searchable access to structured metadata of the digital images.

LAS Image Analysis can be used in a diverse range of imaging fields, e.g. for analysis of the size distribution of porosity, characterization of the shape of a population of particles or for counting powders from pharmaceutical preparations.

• Press Release Leica Application Suite (English)
• 090513 PR Leica LAS IA dePress Release Leica Application Suite (German)