|
|
Rotary Microtome
Sartorius Göttingen |
|
By Dushan Grujich, on September 15th. 2013 |
|
Sartorius is German company
which makes instruments for laboratory use, the largest part of their
production are precision scales and laboratory balances, in past
mechanical, and in modern times digital. Sartorius had his balance patented and by 1898 he had twelve employees so he moved his production company at Weende Landstraße in Göttingen, with the company headquarters still located there today. The microtome part of the business was Sartorius' acquisition of the August Becker's company, from Göttingen in 1906. which dates this microtome to being not older more than 106 years. |
|
The rotary microtome, serial number 6288, is type that clamps to the
bench edge for secure operation.
It is operated by handle mounted on a heavy flywheel on the right hand side. It is built of cast iron, very precisely, it is provided with the means for very precise adjustment of the vertical ways in order to allow accurate and highly repeatable cutting action.
|
|
Microtome
is equipped with a mechanism that advances the paraffin embedded
specimen in steps of 5
µm,
from 5 µm
up to 30 µm.
Thickness of sections is adjustable by setting the lever (as shown on the image to the right) to line up with the marking of the wanted thickness. Most of modern rotary microtomes are built utilising the same basic principles. Each turn of the flywheel advances the embedded specimen towards the blade, producing one section, each joined to the preceding one forming a ribbon. |
|
Microtome
blades of the "C" form shown in their box are intended for use in this
rotary
microtome.
Blades are very sharp and are quite capable of cutting bone deep into a finger before any sensation of pain is felt, hence, there is need of very careful handling,
|
|
|
|
top | |