Lightfield microscopy

Deeper Profile – Backlit panels require deeper housing, making then about twice as thick as edge-lit alternatives. Because of this, they are only intended to be installed in drop ceilings.

Lightweight – The minimalist, but durable, design of these panels makes them lightweight, so installing overhead in drop ceilings is easier to manage.

Widefield microscope

An inverted microscope is an upside-down standard light microscope. This type of microscope is characterized by locating the objective underneath the stage and pointing upwards to the specimen. Inverted microscopes are mainly used for live cell analysis of cell cultures growing in culture medium. Culture dishes are not only available with standard coverslip bottoms (thickness 0.17mm) but also in various material and bottom thicknesses. Therefore, for some models special objectives are available that can correct for different bottom glass thicknesses. In addition, inverse microscopes are also used for studies of thicker specimens. Inverted microscopes are also available as dark field, polarization or fluorescence microscopes.

Polarization microscopy is used for the analysis of optically anisotropic samples. The primary objective of polarization microscopy is not magnification of an object, but rather the analysis of optical properties such as refractive index or birefringence for sample analysis. The method is mainly used in mineralogy and in industry for testing plastics or mineral building materials in order to gain insights into their composition.

The key difference between Edge-Lit and Backlit panels is where the LEDs are located and the way that light disperses from each fixture. But what does that mean for you? Let’s dig a little deeper…

Fluorescence microscope

Now that you know the key differences between backlit and edge-lit options, you can pick whichever suspended ceiling LED panel light works best for your office, retail store, healthcare facility, or other commercial building. You can learn more about the best lighting for your application by reaching out to our team of experts at the contact info below!

Flexible Install Options – They can be installed in standard drop ceilings but—thanks to that ultra-thin frame—they can also be surface mounted to ceilings or walls, as well as suspended using junction box or cable-mounting kits.

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Differential interference contrastmicroscopy

More Affordable – When compared to edge-lit LED panels, the backlit design of these lights requires fewer LEDs, lowering the cost per fixture (by about 30%) without sacrificing quality.

Darkfield microscopy

Standard bright-field microscopes are used for daily laboratory routine in research and diagnostics for simple, standard applications that require no special equipment. Therefore simple optical systems and lenses are applied.

A metallurgical microscope is a special version of a standard light microscope for the study of materials, such as Metals, plastics, ceramics and others. Since materials are usually not transparent solid structures, metallurgical microscopes often have an upright light unit. Moreover, this type of microscope is characterized by extensive magnification, e.g. for detailed investigations of surface structures. Application areas of metallurgical microscopy are industry, material science and research.

Optical microscope

Confocalmicroscopy

Phase contrast microscopy is a contrast-enhancing technique to visualize structures difficult to detect with bright-field microscopy due to a lack of contrast, without the need of a staining. When penetrating a medium, light propagates with different speeds depending on the refractive index of the medium. This leads to phase differences, which are converted to differences in brightness by the microscope using phase rings. Areas of application of phase contrast microscopes are mainly the observation of living biological samples in order to resolve fine structures with high contrast.

Phase contrastmicroscopy

Below are two application photos; one with an edge-lit LED panel light installed and the other with backlit panel lights. The backlit panels have a strong downward light output and affordability, while the edge-lit panels disperse the light more and are more versatile when it comes to installation options

As the name implies, this type of suspended ceiling LED panel light has LEDs that are placed on the edge of the frame. Light emits from either side and is dispersed through the panel’s lens.

Instead of illuminating indirectly, like edge-lit panels, LED backlit panel lights have LEDs lined up on the back of the frame. The LEDs point downward, shining light directly through the lens.

The physical principle of fluorescence is used to selectively visualize and localize defined fluorescent structures, while non-fluorescent structures remain dark in order to obtain a high image contrast. For this purpose, fluorescent dyes (fluorochromes) are used with specific excitation and emission filters installed in the optical path of the microscope. A wide range of fluorescent dyes with different colors are available, which are used in molecular biological, biomedical and clinical research. For example, in immunohistochemistry, fluorescence-in-situ-hybridization and for visualization of cells or cellular components in living/fixed specimens.

A dark field microscope produces a contrast-enhanced image by indirect illumination of the specimen, thereby also unstained specimens can be displayed with high contrast. Using this technique, direct light is bypassing the objective, only light scattered by the specimen enters the objective. As a result, the background appears dark or black, only the specimen is illuminated and even small structures can be visualized with high contrast. Dark field microscopy in biology and medicine is especially used for transparent and low contrast specimens, for example, studying blood, small animals or micro-particles in material science.

If you are looking to upgrade your company’s suspended ceiling lighting to LED panel lights, but are not sure what to choose, then you aren’t alone. There are a lot of options out there. But choosing LED lighting means you are off to a great start towards energy efficiency! When it comes to LED ceiling panels, the next major choice you’ll need to make is: Edge-Lit Panels vs. Backlit Panels.

More LEDs Needed – When compared to backlit designs, edge-lit panels require more LEDs to emit the same level of lumens, raising the cost per fixture.