Leica Comprehensive Guide to Trimming and Sectioning with the Cryostat: Troubleshooting, Safety, and Operation

5.Operation

5.5.6 Trimming / sectioning

Inserting the knife

•Insert the knife / disposable blade into the knife holder.

•Select appropriate clearance angle at knife holder (settings between 4° and 6° are suit- able for the majority of applications).

For details on how to insert and ad- just the knives, please refer to the separate instruction manual(s) for your knife holder(s).

See also chapter 2.2 ‘Integrated safety devices’ incl. subchapter 2.2.4 ‘Knife guard’.

Manual trimming

•Adjust knife / knife holder relative to speci- men (see ‘Knife holder’ instruction manual).

•Unlock handwheel.

•Use motorized coarse feed to bring speci- men close to knife (see chapter 5.4.5 ‘Coarse feed functions’).

•Select desired section thickness (see chap- ter 5.4.7 ‘Setting the section thickness’).

•Move anti-roll plate away from knife.

•Rotate handwheel to trim specimen down to desired sectioning plane.

Motorized trimming

•Adjust knife / knife holder relative to speci- men (see ‘Knife holder’ instruction manual).

•Unlock handwheel.

•Center handwheel grip (See chapter 2.2.2).

•Use motorized coarse feed to bring speci- men close to knife (see chapter 5.4.5 ‘Coarse feed functions’).

•Move anti-roll plate away from knife.

-->Next steps: see chapter 5.4.6 ‘Trimming’.

Sectioning

•Adjust knife / knife holder relative to speci- men (see ‘Knife holder’ instruction manual).

•Place anti-roll guide onto knife.

•Orient specimen, if necessary (see chapter 5.5.5 ‘Specimen orientation’).

•Select desired section thickness (see chap- ter 5.4.7 ‘Setting the section thickness’).

•Start sectioning at approx. 20 μm, reduce section thickness gradually until reaching the appropriate thickness for the type of specimen to be sectioned.

•Discard the first 2 to 3 sections cut at the de- sired section thickness.

When sectioning manually, rotate the hand- wheel evenly and at uniform speed.

For all details on motorized sectioning, please refer to chapters 5.4.1 to 5.4.4:

‘Selecting a sectioning mode / Start and stop sectioning’, ‘Setting the sectioning window’, ‘Selecting sectioning speed’, ‘Emergency stop’.

For advice on appropriate Sectioning tempera- tures for different types of tissue, please refer to chapter 6.3 ‘Reference chart for temperature settings’.

Leica CM 3050 S – Cryostat 43