Leica Biosystems CM1100 - Manual (Page 25)

Leica CM1100 – Cryostat 25
9. Trouble shooting
Problem Possible causes Remedies
Frost on chamber walls and microtome
while cryochamber lid not in place
Frost on chamber walls and microtome
while cryochamber lid in place
Sections smear
Sections splinter
Sections not properly flattened
Sections not properly flattened despite
correct temperature and correctly
aligned anti-roll plate
Sections curl on anti-roll plate
Scraping noise during sectioning and
specimen return movement
Ridged sections
- Cryostat is exposed to air currents
(open windows and doors, air
conditioning).
- Cryochamber was open. This
causes frost formation on the
microtome which is much colder
than the evaporator.
- Frost built up by breathing into the
cryochamber.
- Seal of lid defective.
- Seal of coarse feed shaft defective.
- Seal of handwheel shaft defective.
- Specimen not cold enough.
- Blade and/or anti-roll plate not yet
cold enough and thus cause
sections to thaw.
- Specimen too cold
- Static electricity/air currents.
- Specimen not cold enough.
- Large area specimen.
- Anti-roll plate poorly aligned with
cutting edge.
- Cutting edge blunt or damaged.
- Blade and/or anti-roll plate dirty.
- Edge of anti-roll plate damaged.
- Blunt cutting edge.
- Anti-roll plate does not protrude far
enough beyond the cutting edge.
- Anti-roll plate projects too far
beyond the cutting edge and
scrapes on the specimen surface.
- Cutting edge damaged.
- Edge of anti-roll plate damaged.
- Change place of installation for the
cryostat.
- Replace the lid after terminating
work.
- Select higher set temperature (e.g.
-20 °C instead of -30 °C)
- Inevitable during working.
- Call technical service
- Call technical service
- Call technical service
- Select lower temperature.
- Wait until blade and/or anti-roll
plate have reached chamber
temperature.
- Select higher temperature.
- Remove cause.
- Select lower temperature.
- Trim specimen parallel, increase
section thickness.
- Readjust anti-roll plate.
- Use different part of cutting edge
or replace blade.
- Clean with dry cloth or brush.
- Replace plate.
- Use different part of cutting edge,
or replace blade.
- Readjust correctly.
- Readjust correctly.
- Use different part of cutting edge,
or replace blade.
- Replace anti-roll plate.