Supply, Delivery, Installation, Commissioning and Post-Warranty Maintenance of an Ultramicrotome for Histopathology

The Transmission Electron Microscope service processes approximately 900 cases per year and acts as a regional and supra-regional service for nephrology, in particular glomerulonephritis, and muscle diseases. CUH is currently in the process of tendering for a replacement of digital Transmission Electron Microscope and intends to replace the existing ultramicrotome to complement the new digital technology. The ultramicrotome must fulfil the following essential requirements:

• The ultramicrotome must include a microscope with 0.8 x objective lens microscope and consist of a base unit with a motorised segment arc and knife block, camera, control and processing unit. In addition, a stereo microscope must be mounted onto the base unit.
• The system should supply a dedicated 35° Ultra 3.0mm Auto Knife.
• The system shall be provided with instrument table, active damping plate and antistatic device.
• There must be an appropriate control and processing unit with associated software to allow for ease of use and user specific settings in routine operation.
• The control unit must consist of a capacitive touch panel with interactive and configurable screen and optional camera integration, an ergonomic design with intuitive push button control of key parameters for sectioning, a swipe function for task specific display configuration, an infrared mouse and USB connections.

The system must also provide the following essential functionalities:

• Auto alignment of the block face and knife which can reduce the loss of precious material and shorten user training time. The ultramicrotome should be able to provide high precision in aligning block face and knife via motorized controls of segment arc and knife block that ensures both knife and sample are safe.
• Automated trimming mode which allows users to trim the entire sample block face in a single run. Sample with parallel edges can be trimmed in short time and the potential damage to the block face can be minimized.
• Enable targeted trimming of fluorescent regions of interest by using a mirror.
• Consist of a cutting speed of up to 100 mm/s.
• Consist of a specimen arm advance of up to 2500 nm with the knife stage.
• Include a touchscreen system control through a user-friendly graphical user interface.
• Offer upgradable software packages that allow to adapt the ultramicrotome configuration to specific application needs.