The microscopy lab is a good place to get up close to your favorite fibers, yarns, or fabrics.

Photomicrographs, which can be saved as digital pictures, are taken to help identify fibers. Cross-sections, cotton maturity, size, and yarn content may also be performed in the microscopy lab. Using birefringence, the differences in yarn types can be determined.

The microscopy lab also has a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that is useful in taking photographs of the fiber surface. The SEM is a very powerful tool that may be used in variety of ways to investigate fiber issues.