A basic metallurgy lab should have the following equipment:

1.    Abrasive cut off machine with coolant so samples won't get burned when cutting them.

2.    Surface hardness tester with R15N and Rc scales.  This is probably two machines.

3.   Mounting press to mount samples to make them easy to hold for polishing and examination.

4.   Polishing table.  Two wheels are recommended.  One to be used with abrasive paper and the other to be used with polishing cloths. Quick change kit for each wheel for changing grit during polishing procedure.

5.    Abrasive papers, 180, 220, 280, 360, 400, and 600 grit.

6.    Diamond polishing paste and extender.  6 microns and 1 micron grit.

7.    Microhardness tester with Vickers and Knoop indenters.  This can double as a microscope with 100X and 400X magnifications and can have a camera attachment.  Higher magnifications can be obtained by buying extra eyepieces and extra objectives.

Nice to have but not essential.

1.    Belt sander with 180 grit belt

2.    Surface grinder to make sure top and bottom of mounted samples are parallel.  Samples that are not perpendicular to the microhardness indenter will have errors in the microhardness readings.  Can also be used to determine carbon gradient curves if they have a spectrometer.

3.    Metal lathe and carbon analyzer.  This is really nice if the lab needs to support carburizing furnaces.

4.    Spectrometer for chemical analyses.

5.    High power microscope with up to 1000X magnification and camera attachment.  We used to call them metallographs.

All the basic essential stuff will cost about $150,000 new and about $75,000 used if you can find it.  Add in the "nice to have" for another $250,000 and you have a second class lab.  To get to first class you need a SEM with EDS, tensile tester, fatigue tester, wear tester and a fine metallurgist like me.