LN Ultra: Cryo Attachment for PowerTome

LN Ultra: Cryo Attachment for PowerTome

Cryo ultramicrotomy sectioning of both biological and industrial materials can be achieved with the LN Ultra, a liquid nitrogen-cooled cryo-chamber attachment for the PowerTome series of ultramicrotomes.

Manufacturer

RMC Boeckeler

Boeckeler Instruments engineers sample preparation equipment for nanoscale research, under the RMC Boeckeler product line. Their solutions are employed in both life sciences and materials research, with special emphasis in sample preparation for 3D electron microscopy.

Key Features

  • Newly designed specimen arm with zero coefficient of thermal expansion using Invar alloy and high-efficiency copper heat sink
  • Solid aluminium chamber provides greater thermal stability while providing a large opening for easy access to the specimen
  • Multiple chamber heaters eliminate exterior condensation
  • New pump with updated valves delivers liquid nitrogen in less time
  • Brighter LED lights increases visibility in the chamber
  • Re-designed cryo workstation provides comfort and stability when handling sections inside the chamber
  • Produces ultra-thin cryosections for biological & materials applications
  • Highest thermal stability for demanding Tokuyasu immunolabelling & CEMOVIS techniques
  • Ideal for sectioning & cryo-planning co-polymer structures and nano-bio materials
  • Excellent for SEM, AFM, and other scanning probe microscopies
  • Quick install & easy removal for switching efficiently from cryo to room temperature sectioning and back
  • Quickly switch between pre-cooled knives in holders designed to accommodate multiple diamond or glass knives, or a trim tool
  • Knife clearance angle easily adjusted inside cooled chamber, with external knife rotation & lateral movement control
  • Hybrid control system including touch screen computer and digital tactile controller when mounted on a PowerTome PC
  • Rapid trimming with computer control
  • Compact digital tactile controller displays knife and specimen temperatures, conveniently stacks on top of PowerTome controller

Overview

Rapid freezing and Freeze Substitution are one method of making cellular structure and organisation appear closer to the natural state but this process can limit other avenues of investigation, such as immunohistochemical applications.

Dehydration of a sample, necessary for routine electron microscopy of biological tissue, can be a major source of artefact and in many cases inhibits antibody-antigen reactions essential for immunolabelling/gold labelling studies. If a method could be found to preserve the water content in the cell during the process, this would greatly increase the scope of investigations, and the work Professor K.T. Tokuyasu provided for this breakthrough.

Today, cryosectioning and labelling of tissues and cell cultures by the ‘Tokuyasu Technique’ is a routine application in many laboratories.

Cryo ultramicrotomy sectioning of both biological and industrial materials can be achieved with the LN Ultra, a liquid nitrogen-cooled cryo-chamber attachment for the PowerTome series of ultramicrotomes. Mounted onto the PowerTome, the LN Ultra provides optimal thermal stability necessary for producing cryosections.

Capable of holding temperatures from +40°C to -185°C, the stable environment of the LN Ultra is perfect for sectioning and planning a variety of samples. These may include rubber and soft polymers, or biological cells and tissues; used for example, for immunolabelling using the Tokuyasu technique or CEMOVIS (Cryo-Electron Microscopy of Vitreous Ice Sections).

Liquid Nitrogen consumption is very low, allowing for a size efficient 15.5-litre dewar, capable of providing a stable sectioning environment for up to nine hours, depending on your technique and application, thus saving your laboratory LN2 costs over less efficient systems.

Includes

  • Insulated & externally heated cryosectioning chamber with covers
  • Cryo workstation with handrests and tool tray
  • Digital control unit with 4 temperature memory channels and digital display of knife and specimen temperatures
  • Specimen mounting pins (10 each; 2mm, 3mm and 6.5mm) an pin holders
  • Flat specimen holders
  • Four knife holders enable the use of a variety of glass and diamond knives, tungsten carbide and diamond trimming tools
  • 15.5 litre liquid nitrogen dewar with cap
  • Liquid nitrogen pump (non-pressurised), with insulated transfer line and pump stand

Specifications

Temperature Range +40°C to -180°C
Temperature Stability +/- 0.1°C
LN2 Dewar Volume 15.5L
Operating Time Up to or over 9 hours

Downloads

Brochures

LN Ultra Datasheet

View Brochure

Options

Accessories Available for Purchase

Cryosectioning Specimen Holders

  • Specimen pins, 2mm. Package of 10 aluminium, slotted on one end.
  • Specimen pins, 3mm. Package of 10 aluminium, slotted on one end.
  • Specimen pins, 6.5mm. Package of 10 aluminium, cross-slotted on one end.
  • Pin adapter for 3mm diameter pins and 6.5mm diameter pins.
  • Pin adapter for 2mm diameter pins.
  • Torme flat specimen vise.
  • Torme flat specimen vise holder.
  • Adapted for 3mm type A/B specimen carrier sandwich, supplied with holder and mounting dish.
  • Flat specimen clamp holder.
  • Mounting dish for loading specimens under LN2.
  • Specimen pin mounting disc. Holds specimen pins for mounting specimens under stereomicroscope.
  • Flat specimen clamp for specimens 4mm x 8mm x 6mm (no teeth, good for paper).
  • Flat specimen clamp, conical, for specimens 4mm x 5mm x 6mm (jaws have teeth for pellets).
  • Chuck tightening tool.
  • CEMOVIS cryosectioning chuck with collet holder for 650µm diameter specimen tube.
  • CEMOVIS cryosectioning chuck for 3mm diameter specimen carriers.
  • AFM sample chuck, threaded, clamps 12mm diameter sample discs. Commonly used in Atomic Force Microscopes. Disc is clamped by a threaded locking nut.
  • AFM sample holder, magnetic, for use with 8-10mm diameter sample discs. Commonly used in Atomic Force Microscopes. Disc is secured by a strong SmCo magnet.

Cryosectioning Knife Holders

  • Dual glass knife holder (holds 1 x 6mm wide knives and trimming tool)
  • Diamond knife holder
  • Glass knife holder
  • Diamond knife and glass knife holder

Other cryosectioning Accessories

  • Cryosectioning kit (includes pick up loop, embedding loop, eyelash probe, specimen pin stand, parafilm, forceps - 3 sets, microscalpel, custom glass slides, specimen pins - qty 30)
  • Grid holding device with grid transfer capsule for Gatan cryotransfer holder.
  • Cryochamber cover.
  • Environmental Cryo chamber.
  • Transparent acrylic chamber surrounding the cryo ultramicrotome system, with front access for the operator. Minimises environmental disturbances during critical applications such as cryo ultra-thin sectioning of frozen hydrated specimens for CEMOVIS (cryo-electron-microscopy-of-vitreous-sections)
  • Static line ionizer mounting assembly. Includes grounding wires, for mounting the static line ionizer to the LN Ultra chamber.

Service Support

Comprehensive repairs and servicing

Annual Support Programs

Your metrology instrumentation is a major investment that is critical to your business operation and success. In today’s competitive climate, it is more important than ever to extend the functionality and peak performance of your metrology equipment years beyond the expiration of your factory warranty. CN Tech’s Support Programs will help ensure that your investment is protected, and that you and your instrument’s are always operating at peak performance.

With over 20 years’ experience servicing and repairing you can be assured that your system is in safe hands. The independent services we offer include system relocation, maintenance visits, parts and consumables, and break down interventions.

CN Tech’s Support Programs are an economical way to guarantee optimal working condition:

  • Annual Preventive Maintenance
  • Priority Technical Assistance
  • Preferred Parts Availability
  • On-Site User Training
  • Remote Diagnostics
  • No surprise repair expense and much more!

Support Contact Example

An example of our service and support contracts are shown below:

Brochures

Metrology & Instrumentation Annual Support Programs 2022/23

CN Tech's Support Programs will help ensure that your investment is protected, and that you and your instrument’s are always operating at peak performance.

Get in touch to discuss your requirements

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