USES AND APPLICATIONS OF MICROSCOPY IN THE LEATHER INDUSTRY - A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO PROCESS-CONTROL AND LEATHER MANUFACTURE

Microscopy has a wide range of applications within the leather industr y. Recent research carried out by BLC and industrial technical problem s received by the organization have highlighted the usefulness of micr oscopy, for monitoring and developing leather processes, fault diagnos es and process control. Currently, BLC routinely uses three types of m icroscopes: a stereo observation microscope, a conventional light micr oscope and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The stereo microscope provides instant information on the general characteristics of sample s with minimal sample preparation. The ability to view whole samples h as enabled problems to be solved and processes checked within a matter of minutes. Sample preparation is slightly more involved for the ligh t microscope as sections are required. The sections can be selectively stained to highlight skin and processing components, allowing their b reakdown/removal from and penetration into the skin structure to be fo llowed. The SEM provides a wider magnification range than the other tw o techniques. Conventionally, samples had to be dry in order to be ass essed using the SEM. A relatively recent addition to this instrument i s the cryochamber which now enables the analysis of ''wet'' samples to take place. This technique has been used by BLC to follow opening up, fatliquor location and the effect of enzymes on fat cells. Microscopy analysis has also been linked to analytical techniques such as x-ray analysis and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to provide additional information on the chemical nature of samples.