Precisionary Compresstome VF-210-0Z User Manual
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Precisionary Compresstome VF-210-0Z User Manual

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VF-210-0Z User Manual

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Summary of Contents for Precisionary Compresstome VF-210-0Z

  • Page 1 ® Compresstome VF-210-0Z User Manual...

  • Page 2: Thank You

    ® Thank you for choosing the Compresstome VF-210-0Z! At Precisionary Instruments, we are thrilled to help you get started with your new vibrating microtome, and we take great pride in quality customer service. Please read the following manual ® to help you get started with the Compresstome VF-210-0Z.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Thank You ................................2 Safety ................................... 2 Table of Contents ............................. 3 Part 1: Introduction .......................... 4 Model Description ............................4 Technical Specifications ..........................5 Model Components ............................6 Control Box Anatomy ............................. 8 Accessories ................................ 9 Starter Kit Components .......................... 1 0 Part 2: Setup ............................11 IMPORTANT! Transportation Fixture Removal .................. 1 1 Mounting the Cutting Blade to the Blade Holder ................ 1 2 Mounting the Cutting Blade to the Magnetic Blade Holder ............ 1 7 Attaching the Gooseneck Lamp to the Compresstome® .

  • Page 4: Part 1: Introduction

    Part 1: Introduction Model Description The VF-210-0Z tissue slicer model is one of the latest versions of our flagship product in the ® ® Compresstome slicer family. With patented Auto Zero-Z technology, the VF-210-0Z is fully automated to section both fixed and live tissues with a thickness range of 20 µm* to 1000 µm and an adjustable precision of 10µm.

  • Page 5: Technical Specifications

    Technical Specifications Advance Speed 0-20 mm/s, adjustable Return Speed 20 mm/s Vibration Frequency 0-20 Hz, adjustable Vibration Amplitude 2 mm Z-axis Vibration ~0 µm Compatible Blades Stainless Steel, Ceramic, Tungsten Carbide Cutting Angle 15 degrees (no need for manual blade alignment) Thickness Adjustment Manual Micrometer Resolution...

  • Page 6: Model Components

    Model Components...
  • Page 7 Figure Number Compresstome Part Part Number Function Blade Holder VF-BH-VM-210-0Z-BOS Holds and stabilizes the cutting blade Buffer Tray Holds buffer or VF-BT-VM-LP-BOS solutions during sectioning Vibration Head VF-VHU-VM-210-0Z- Blade oscillation assembly, which includes a blade holder, and an oscillation motor Specimen Tube Two different tube VF-SPS-VM-15.5-BOS sizes (15.5, and 20 mm VF-SPS-VM-20-BOS...

  • Page 8: Control Box Anatomy

    Control Box Anatomy Figure Number Control Box Part Name Control Box Function Power Button Turns the VF-210-0Z on and off Knob that Controls Speed Knob that controls how fast Setting the blade holder moves along the cutting track Knob that controls how high Knob that Controls Oscillation or low the oscillation Frequency frequency is of the blade holder as it cuts The button that will start your Start Button for Sectioning sectioning after you turn the machine on and set your control settings The button that will stop the Stop Button for Sectioning vibration head no matter where it is along the cutting track...

  • Page 9: Accessories

    Accessories Figure Number Compresstome Part Part Number Function Rapidly chills agarose in VF-VM-CB-15.5-BOS Chilling Block specimen tube for sectioning VF-VM-CB-20-BOS with the Compresstome Specimen Tube: White Where tissue specimen is Plunger glued onto End with tapered lip for VF-SPS-VM-15.5-BOS compression technology- Specimen Tube: Metal VF-SPS-VM-20-BOS white plunger will move Tube...

  • Page 10: Starter Kit Components

    Starter Kit Components ® Note: All of our Compresstome consumables can be ordered online at: http://precisionary.com/e-store/ Contact us directly at info@precisionary.com, and we will send you a quote. Consumable Part Number Quantity Description Agarose Tablets VF-AGT-VM-10 Low melting agarose for embedding tissue.

  • Page 11: Part 2: Setup

    Part 2: Setup IMPORTANT! Transportation Fixture Removal Please remove the transportation fixture before your first-time use. This fixture will need to be securely mounted back to the machine before any future shipment. ® Before using the Compresstome slicer, you MUST remove the thumbscrew that holds the “transportation fixture”...

  • Page 12: Mounting The Cutting Blade To The Blade Holder

    Mounting the Cutting Blade to the Blade Holder Double-edged razor blades and ceramic blades are ideal for this vibrating microtome. The double- ® edged razor blades are supplied in the Compresstome Starter Kit for the VF-210-0Z. The blades should be cleaned with acetone and ethanol before use. The sharpness of the blade can directly affect the quality of the slices.
  • Page 13 How to Properly Cut the Double-Edged Blades Step # Instruction Picture Cut the double-edged blades horizontally: Curled edges after the blades are cut in half Two separate blades will form: Curled edges after the blades are cut in half After the stainless-steel blades are cut in half, trim the extra tabs (curled edges) on the ends of the blades so they don’t stick out beyond the blade (pictured in step #2).
  • Page 14 How to Properly Mount the Cutting Blade to the Blade Holder To remove the blade holder from the vibrating head unit, loosen the small screw on top of the blade holder with the included Allen wrench. Always remove the blade holder BEFORE removing or inserting the buffer tray. Slide the blade holder off the axial bar. Remove the old cutting blade.
  • Page 15 Squeeze a small amount of super glue onto a petri dish or other solid surface. Pipette 5 µL of the super glue along the full length of the blade holder. Position the cutting blade on the blade holder. The edge of the blade should touch the raised lip of the blade holder (see step #7a).
  • Page 16 You are ready to use your blade/blade holder when the cutting blade is positioned like this: You do NOT want your cutting blade to be mounted like this: On the left side, the curled edge is on the raised lip of the blade holder, and the blade is off-centered.

  • Page 17: Mounting The Cutting Blade To The Magnetic Blade Holder

    Mounting the Cutting Blade to the Magnetic Blade Holder The magnetic blade holder can be used without glue to adhere the stainless-steel blades only. Please follow the below directions for attaching the stainless-steel blades to the magnetic blade holder. While the magnetic blade holder can still hold ceramic and tungsten carbide blades, these blades will need to be applied via glue in the above steps on page 15, they are not magnetic. To clean the magnetic blade holder, soak in liquid overnight and dry & clean right after use. Step Instruction Photo Your new magnetic blade holder is near-identical to the original blade holder included with your VF-310- 0Z model. The new blade holder will have visible magnets along the outer side (left photo) of the holder. Locate the inner side of the blade holder (right photo), with the raised lip along the top edge, as this is the side of the blade holder the blade will be applied to. Carefully remove and cut one of the double-edged stainless-steel blades for your experiment, and prepare to position the blade on top of the flat side of the blade holder. Carefully place the blade on the blade holder so that the top edge of the blade touches the bottom edge of the raised blade holder lip. Carefully slide the blade towards the right from the edge hanging off the blade holder to center the blade along the magnets.

  • Page 18: Attaching The Gooseneck Lamp To The Compresstome

    Attaching the Gooseneck Lamp to the Compresstome® Step Instruction Picture To attach the Gooseneck Lamp, you will first need to attach the Magnet “Puck” and thumbscrew onto the base of your Compresstome model. The photo to the left shows the two pieces separately, and the photo on the right shows the two components as one (i.e.
  • Page 19 Now, gently lay the Compresstome upright, and you are now ready to attach your Gooseneck Lamp to your Compresstome! You can see from the two photos that the magnet “puck” rests on the top of the Compresstome base, and the thumbscrew holds the magnet in place from the underside of the base of the Compresstome, as shown in the second...

  • Page 20: Preparing Agarose For Embedding

    Preparing Agarose for Embedding ® All tissue specimens must be embedded in agarose for the Compresstome to perform as designed. We recommend using our type-Ib agarose tablets. However, for larger quantities, type-Ib agarose powder can be purchased through Sigma Aldrich at: http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/product/sial/a0576?lang=en&region=US Please see Table 1 below for using our 0.5 mg agarose tablets.
  • Page 21 Step # Instruction Picture Each tablet contains 0.5 mg of agarose. We recommend adding 20-25 mL of solution to each vial containing 1 agarose tablet. For alternative gel strengths, please see Table 1 on page 20 for the appropriate solution volume. Dissolve the agarose tablet for 2 minutes by swirling the vial.

  • Page 22: Cutting Parameters Guideline

    Cutting Parameters Guideline Compresstome® Cutting Parameters Tissue or Specimen Advance Oscillation Suggested (Speed) Agarose % Lung: • Precision-cut lung slices Any fixed tissues 1.5-2 Brain: live 1.5-2 1.8-2% • Electrophysiology • imaging Organotypic slices: Tumor research Brain culture slices Retina (fixed and acute slices) 1.5-2 2.5% * Infuse with agarose or gelatin to replace vitreous humor Kidney (acute slices) 2.5% Liver (acute slices) 2.5% Cardiac (fixed and acute slices) 1.5-2 2.5% * Infuse with agarose or gelatin...

  • Page 23: Embedding Tissue In Agarose

    Embedding Tissue in Agarose Place the chilling block into water and ice bath or a freezer to cool for at least 1 hour. The chilling block must be chilled pre- embedding your tissue sample. Prepare your tissue sample by cutting it so that the tissue fits inside the specimen tube.
  • Page 24 Pipette in agarose to fully cover specimen. Make sure no bubbles remain around the sample. Tap the side of the tube to remove any that are present. Suctioning the bubbles out with the pipette can also help remove them. Place the chilling block (should be pre- chilled, see step 1) over the specimen tube to chill the entire sample and help the agarose solidify.

  • Page 25: Part 3: Operation

    Part 3: Operation Sectioning with the Compresstome® Tissue Slicer Exercise caution if using fixatives and always remember to wear gloves and safety goggles while operating the Compresstome®. The Compresstome® tissue slicer is intended for indoor use only, 5˚ C to 40˚ C temperature.
  • Page 26 Slide buffer tray onto ® Compresstome slicer and lock in place with the thumb screw. Make sure to ALWAYS tighten the thumbscrew on the buffer tank before you begin to section! Make sure the manual micrometer is touching the back of your specimen tube before you begin sectioning.

  • Page 27: Part 4: General Information

    Part 4: General Information Cleaning and Maintenance The Compresstome® should be disconnected from the power source before preforming any maintenance or servicing operations. Exercise caution when dealing with flammable substances and always remember to wear gloves and safety goggles while operating and cleaning the Compresstome®.
  • Page 28 If using the ball valve, please refer to these photos (2b + 2c) for opening and closing the ball valve. In this photo, the buffer tray valve is closed: In this photo, the buffer tray valve is open: Open the buffer tray valve for removing the buffer solution and cleaning the buffer tray.
  • Page 29 Remove the plunger from the metal casing. Use the plastic cleanup razor to scrape residual glue from the front end of the plunger. Clean up any debris on the plunger and inside of the specimen tube with acetone swabs or soft brush. DISCLAIMER: Please only use acetone to clean the blade holder and...

  • Page 30: Buffer Tray Maintenance And Cleaning

    Buffer Tray Maintenance and Cleaning Step Instruction Picture Unscrew buffer tray assembly. Make sure the blade holder is ALREADY removed before removing the buffer tray Clean with rubbing alcohol. DISCLAIMER: Do not use acetone as it may damage the materials. Be sure to also clean the underside of the specimen tube base- the piece of the buffer tray that...

  • Page 31: Auto Zero-Z® Technology

    Auto Zero-Z® Technology ® Auto Zero-Z is our latest breakthrough technology at Precisionary Instruments. This is a patented feature designed to allow the blade holder to operate in near zero Z-axis deflection without the need to optically align every single time.

  • Page 32: Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting v Avoid trapping any air bubbles in the agarose during embedding. v The blade holder is a pre-aligned, delicate part. Glue residue on either side of the blade holder will deteriorate slice quality. v Do not bubble artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) or other buffer solutions during slicing to avoid contaminating and damaging the linear bearing of the vibration head.
  • Page 33 Is agarose safe to use for live tissue? For fixed tissue? • Absolutely! Agarose is a soft embedding medium that is safe to use for embedding both live and fixed tissues. We have diligently performed experiments in the lab to test the effects of agarose on both live and fixed tissue.
  • Page 34 The small screw on the blade holder is stripped and the Allen wrench won’t remove it. What do I do? • If the small screw is stripped, contact us for an immediate replacement. If you lost the Allen wrench, we will also replace it. I am getting uneven tissue slices.

  • Page 35: Warranty Information

    (1) year warranty, then the warranty is voided if the customer then chooses to reach out to Precisionary Instruments to have their model repaired after the failed attempt. In this case, the customer is responsible for all shipping and repair costs for the repair as the warranty is voided due to customer tampering in an attempt to repair the Compresstome®...

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