Dako Autostainer - Manual (Page 12)

12 Dako Autostainer | User Guide
Slide Rack is a slide carrier holding 12 microscope slides in a horizontal
position. The instrument holds a maximum of 4 racks. These
racks are removable and interchangeable for slide loading and
unloading.
Glass Slide is a standard microscope slide to which specimen(s) is mounted
for processing on the instrument. Slide dimensions are 25mm x
75mm x 1mm.
Reagent Racks
1 and 2 hold the reagent vials. There are 2 reagent racks: reagent rack
1(white) sits in the front right side of the sink; reagent rack 2
(blue) sits behind reagent rack 1. The racks are identical in
shape and size. Each rack holds up to 32 reagent vials and is
marked with letters A-D and numbers 1-8 to designate each
reagent vial position. The computer always assigns reagents to
the front white rack first. If additional reagents are required for a
procedure or for running the cleaning protocol the computer will
assign reagents to the blue rack.
Reagent Probe
Wash Station is a white, plastic assembly located in the rear right corner of
the instrument and is used as a cleaning station for the
Teflon
™-coated reagent probe. The probe is washed in the
wash station at the beginning of every run, prior to checking
reagent volumes, and application of each reagent.
Sink is the Teflon-coated tray that sits underneath the slide racks
and channels the buffer/DI water washes and reagents into the
waste reservoir.
Y axis mechanism is the robotic arm extending from the back of the instrument
towards the front carrying with it the Z head assembly. The Y
arm moves from right to left across the instrument. When the
Autostainer is not in operation the Y arm rests on the left side of
the machine. When the instrument is in operation and slides are
incubating, the arm is located on the right side.
X axis mechanism enables the Y arm to move from left to right across the
instrument. The X axis is stationary across the back of the
instrument.
Z head Assembly is the dome-shaped assembly that sits over the Y arm. The Z
head consists of three components: the probe tip, the wash
head and the blow head. These components move up and
down along the Z axis while the instrument is in operation. The
Z head moves back and forth along the Y axis mechanism,
allowing access to all slides and reagents.