Chapter 2 - Introduction; Intended Use; Description Of Rotary Microtome Hm 340E - Thermo Scientific HM340E Operation Manual

Thermo Scientific Rotary Microtome HM 340E

Chapter 2 - Introduction

Intended use:

The Thermo Scientific rotary microtome HM340E is an in vitro diagnostic device, designed to take precision
sections of tissue specimens including the sectioning of paraffin embedded samples in medical, pharmaceutical
laboratories as necessary preparation for their examination. Only qualified and trained laboratory personnel may
operate the HM340E.
The instrument may only be operated within the scope of its intended use as described above and as per the
instructions given in this manual.
Any other use of this instrument is considered as an improper action.

Description of Rotary Microtome HM 340E

The HM340E rotary microtome from Thermo Scientific is a powerful electronic universal microtome for
demanding paraffin sectioning and hard sectioning applications, especially in day-to-day medical and biological
work and research as well as in industry.
The HM340E sets new ergonomical standards concerning operation and comfort. The instrument is equipped
with a section waste tray with integrated arm rest. The waste tray is built around and under the knife/ blade
carrier for direct collection of section waste.
This model can be equipped with all compatible specimen clamps, knife and blade holders (see Additional
Equipment) of the Rotary Microtome series. In addition, the stereomicroscope or the large field magnifier can be
adapted.
The HM340E will cut sections in a range from 0,5 µm up to 100 µm. For the protection of knife and specimen,
the instrument retracts the specimen at the end of the cut. If desired, the function <retraction> can be turned off.
A trimming function with defined steps from 5 µm to 500 µm permits the fine adjustment up to the first cuts
and results in larger section thicknesses when trimming.
The manual rotary movement of the hand wheel of the HM340E is converted into a vertical movement of the
specimen clamping system. Sectioning is carried out by knives or blades, which must be adjusted and fixed on
the knife/blade carrier.
The operating panel is placed on the left side of the microtome. It can be removed and used separately, also on
the right side of the instrument. To do this, the operating knobs can be removed and installed on the other side
of the operating panel. The touchpad keyboard is clearly ar- ranged for easy and safe operation.
The selected section thickness, trimming thickness, section counter, sum of section thicknesses and remaining
travel to the front end position as well as speed of the cutting movement, the operating mode and the cur- rent
date and time are indicated on the display of the operating panel.
For the users safety, the instrument is equipped with a mechanical hand wheel brake.
The knife/blade carriers are designed so that the knives/blades can be easily clamped in place and adjusted. The
microtome is perfectly bal- anced for the use with the universal cassette clamp (715020). Using other clamps can
result in slight object movements when the hand wheel brake is not activated.
The fast freezing unit KS-34 allows frozen sectioning with the specimen temperature as low as - 45° C.
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