# PACE Technologies

> Founder-led metallographic sample preparation equipment, consumables, and expertise for materials science labs. Based in Tucson, Arizona since 1997, serving labs in 50+ countries.

PACE Technologies designs and manufactures the equipment and consumables that labs use to prepare metallographic samples — cross-sections of materials examined under a microscope for quality control, failure analysis, research and development, and material characterization. The company was founded in 1997 by Dr. Donald Zipperian (previously of Buehler) and remains founder-led from its Tucson, Arizona headquarters. PACE received the Presidential E Award for Export Service in 2015.

## Products

- [Equipment](https://www.metallographic.com/equipment.html): Abrasive sectioning, precision wafering, compression mounting, castable mounting, grinding and polishing, microscopy, hardness testing, lab furniture.
- [Consumables](https://www.metallographic.com/consumables.html): Cutting blades, mounting compounds, abrasive papers, polishing pads, diamond suspensions, colloidal silica, etchants, cleaning solutions.
- [E-commerce shop](https://shop.metallographic.com): Direct ordering of consumables.
- [2026 Product Catalog](https://www.metallographic.com/catalog.html): Full PACE catalog (PDF, viewable in-browser).

## Services

- [Services overview](https://www.metallographic.com/services.html): Installation, training, maintenance, and lab consultation.
- [KeepPACE service plans](https://www.metallographic.com/keeppace.html): Annual maintenance contracts with Basic, Standard, and Plus per-system tiers. Enterprise multi-system agreements are quoted custom.
- [Request a quote](https://www.metallographic.com/quote.html): Equipment, consumables, or full lab builds. Reply within 4 business hours.
- [Lab Builder](https://www.metallographic.com/build.html): Interactive tool to scope an equipment package by sample type and workflow.

## Knowledge and reference

- [Resources hub](https://www.metallographic.com/resources.html): Top-level entry point for guides, tools, procedures, and documents.
- [Preparation guides](https://www.metallographic.com/guides.html): 40+ step-by-step prep procedures by material, process, application, and troubleshooting category.
- [11-class material system](https://www.metallographic.com/procedures.html): Dr. Zipperian's classification system organizing materials by prep-relevant properties — Class 1 (Soft, Ductile Materials) through Class 11 (Very Hard Brittle Materials).
- [Tools and calculators](https://www.metallographic.com/tools.html): Grit-size converter, grain-size calculator, mold-compatibility checker, mounting-material calculator, polishing-time calculator, procedure time estimator.
- [Glossary](https://www.metallographic.com/glossary.html): Metallography terms and definitions.
- [Metallographic basics](https://www.metallographic.com/basics.html): Introduction to metallographic sample preparation.
- [Etchant information](https://www.metallographic.com/etchants.html): Reference for chemical etchants by material.
- [Documents hub](https://www.metallographic.com/docs.html): Catalog, brochures, manuals, SDS, procedures, etchant references.
- [Brochures and manuals](https://www.metallographic.com/support/brochures.html): Product spec sheets and operation manuals; PACE Metallographic Handbook by Dr. Zipperian (updated edition planned for 2027).
- [Safety Data Sheets](https://www.metallographic.com/support/sds.html): SDS for every PACE etchant, mounting resin, abrasive, and lubricant.

## Materials Prep ELN

- [Materials Prep](https://www.metallographic.com/materials-prep/): PACE's electronic lab notebook for metallography. Tracks samples, batches, recipes, atlases, and AI-assisted recall. Free and Lab tiers available.

## Company

- [About PACE](https://www.metallographic.com/about.html): Founder story, Tucson facility, customer base (Apple, Tesla, Medtronic, Seagate, Blue Origin, AVX, and others).
- [Contact](https://www.metallographic.com/contact.html): Lab consultation, general inquiries, partnerships.
- [Customer support](https://www.metallographic.com/support.html): Help center, FAQ, ticket submission, phone and email support.
- [International distribution](https://www.metallographic.com/distribution.html): Distributor network across six continents.
- [Careers](https://www.metallographic.com/careers.html): Open positions in Tucson, Arizona.
- [Events](https://www.metallographic.com/events.html): Upcoming trade shows and past event coverage.

## Contact

- Phone: +1 (520) 882-6598
- Email: pace@metallographic.com
- Address: 3601 E 34th Street, Tucson, AZ 85713, USA
- Hours: Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm MST

## Optional

- [Privacy policy](https://www.metallographic.com/privacy.html): GDPR/CCPA-compliant, version 2.0 effective May 13, 2026.
- [Terms and conditions](https://www.metallographic.com/terms.html): Equipment warranty (24 months from shipment), Net 30 terms for qualified accounts.
- [Sitemap](https://www.metallographic.com/support/site-map.html): Complete list of all site pages.