JP2013160744A - Thin slice producing device and method for removing swarf - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin slice producing device capable of reliably removing swarf adhered to the tip part of a cutting blade without significantly changing environment in the surroundings of an embedding block.SOLUTION: An embedding block B is cut by relatively moving a specimen support 11 which supports the embedding block B to a cutting blade 12. A suction nozzle 19 which sucks swarf 18 adhered to the tip part 12a of the cutting blade 12 to be removed is provided. A suction port 19a of the suction nozzle 19 is arranged on the side of the specimen support 11 from the tip part 12a of the cutting blade 12 in the thickness direction of a thin slice in the embedding block B.

Description

  The present invention provides a thin section preparation apparatus and a thin section for preparing a thin section by slicing an embedding block in which a biological sample is embedded as a pre-stage for preparing a thin section specimen used for physicochemical experiments, microscopic observation, etc. It is related with the removal method of the cutting waste which removes the cutting waste which comes out when producing.

In producing a thin slice specimen, an embedded block in which a biological sample is embedded is sliced to produce a thin slice, and the produced thin slice is placed on a specimen table such as a slide glass.
Moreover, when producing a thin section, two processes, a rough cutting process and a main cutting process, are performed, and the thin section is cut out from the embedding block. In the rough cutting step, the embedded block is gradually sliced to make the surface smooth and the biological sample embedded in paraffin is exposed to the surface. Further, in the main cutting process, a thin slice is cut out by slicing the embedded block whose surface is exposed in the rough cutting process to an extremely thin thickness.

  By the way, in the rough cutting step, the embedded block is cut out using the same apparatus as in the main cutting step. For this reason, cutting waste may adhere to the tip of the cutting blade that cuts out the embedding block at the stage of the roughing process. The thin section may be damaged at the stage of the cutting process.

  As a countermeasure against this, a sliced piece manufacturing apparatus has been proposed in which a suction nozzle is installed in the vicinity of the cutting blade, and the cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade can be sucked and removed using the suction nozzle (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

JP 2008-164522 A JP-T 9-502516

In the conventional thin section manufacturing apparatus, the suction nozzle is arranged on the opposite side of the embedding block with the tip of the cutting blade interposed therebetween. For this reason, the suction force of the suction nozzle that sucks the cutting waste is directed from the tip of the cutting blade toward the base.
By the way, in the case of the above-described thin-slice manufacturing apparatus, as shown in FIG. 6, the cutting waste d sliced by the cutting blade c is swirled in a direction away from the blade surface of the cutting blade c, and the tip of the cutting blade c It adheres near the part P1. For this reason, when the attached cutting waste d is sucked by the suction nozzle from the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6, the suction force from the suction nozzle causes a spiral bending of the cutting waste d to the blade of the cutting blade c. Acts to stretch along the surface.
As a result, the suction force from the suction nozzle acts so as to extend the cutting waste d adhering to the tip portion P1 of the cutting blade c so as to follow the upper surface of the cutting blade c, so that the cutting waste d cannot be efficiently sucked and removed. . That is, the suction force from the suction nozzle mainly acts on the spiral bent portion of the cutting waste d, and the cutting waste d is torn off leaving the root portion side and is more likely to remain at the tip portion P1 of the cutting blade c. . In particular, when the extended cutting waste d comes into contact with the base-side edge portion P2 on the cutting blade c, it becomes difficult to separate the cutting waste d from the tip portion P1 of the cutting blade c.

  Moreover, in the conventional sliced piece manufacturing apparatus, it is necessary to increase the suction force from the suction nozzle in order to reliably remove the cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade. However, when the suction force from the suction nozzle is increased, the environment such as the temperature and humidity around the embedded block changes greatly, and there is a concern that the accuracy of slicing the thin section may be reduced due to the expansion and contraction of the embedded block. .

  Accordingly, the present invention is to provide a thin-slice manufacturing apparatus and a cutting waste removal method that can reliably remove the cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade without greatly changing the environment around the embedding block. It is what.

The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems.
The invention of a thin-section preparation apparatus according to claim 1 is a thin-section preparation apparatus that cuts out a thin section from an embedded block in which a biological sample is embedded, the sample stage supporting the embedded block, and the sample stage And a suction nozzle that suctions and removes cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade, and a suction port of the suction nozzle. Is arranged in the second direction, which is the thickness direction of the thin section in the embedding block, on the sample stage side with respect to the tip of the cutting blade.
Thus, the embedded block is cut out by the relative movement of the sample table supporting the embedded block and the cutting blade. At this time, if a suction force is applied from the suction port of the suction nozzle toward the tip of the cutting blade, the spiral cutting chips adhering to the tip of the cutting blade receive a force in the direction of peeling from the surface of the cutting blade. Then, it is peeled off from the tip of the cutting blade and sucked into the suction nozzle.
For this reason, even if the suction force of the suction nozzle is not increased, the cutting waste can be reliably removed by suction from the tip of the cutting blade. Therefore, the influence on the surrounding environment due to suction by the suction nozzle can be reduced.

The invention according to claim 2 is the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the suction nozzle has a variable relative position with respect to the cutting blade in the first direction, and in the second direction, The relative position with respect to the cutting blade is fixed.
Thereby, the suction nozzle and the cutting blade are operated so as to be close to each other in the first direction while the relative position in the second direction is fixed when the embedded block is cut. Therefore, when cutting with the cutting blade, the suction nozzle does not interfere with the cutting blade, and when the cutting is completed, the suction port of the suction nozzle faces the tip of the cutting blade with a minute gap. Even if it is not strengthened, cutting waste can be reliably removed by suction.

The invention according to claim 3 is the thin-section manufacturing device according to claim 2, wherein the second blade is moved relative to the cutting blade in the second direction, and the cutting blade A first direction moving mechanism that moves the sample table relative to the cutting blade in the first direction by relatively moving the second direction moving mechanism in the first direction. The direction moving mechanism moves the suction nozzle relative to the cutting blade in the first direction together with the second direction moving mechanism.
As a result, when the first direction moving mechanism is operated and the sample table and the cutting blade are relatively moved to perform a cutting operation, the suction nozzle is also relatively moved in the cutting direction of the cutting blade which is the first direction. The suction port of the suction nozzle faces the tip of the cutting blade with a near minute gap when the cutting operation by the cutting blade is completed. For this reason, even if the suction force at the suction port is not increased, the cutting waste can be reliably removed by suction.
After that, when the second direction moving mechanism is operated and the embedding block moves relative to the cutting blade relative to the cutting blade in the second direction, which is the thickness direction of the thin slice, in the second direction, Only the buried block is close to the cutting blade, and the suction nozzle is maintained at a constant distance sufficiently close to the cutting blade. Therefore, regardless of the progress of cutting with respect to the embedding block, it is possible to perform suction removal of cutting waste stably at all times.

The invention according to claim 4 is the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the suction nozzle adheres to a tip portion of the cutting blade after the cutting operation by the cutting blade is completed. It is characterized by performing a suction operation of the cut scraps.
As a result, when the sample table and the cutting blade move relative to each other and the cutting operation by the cutting blade is completed, the suction nozzle performs the suction operation at that time, and the cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade is removed from the suction nozzle. It will be sucked from the suction port. Therefore, in this apparatus, since the suction operation is not performed before the cutting operation by the cutting blade is completed, the temperature environment around the embedding block is not disturbed unnecessarily.

The invention according to claim 5 is the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tip of the cutting blade is sandwiched in the second direction from the side opposite to the suction port of the suction nozzle. And an air blowing means for blowing air toward the tip of the cutting blade.
Thereby, the blowing of air by the air blowing means assists the suction removal of the cutting waste by the suction nozzle. Further, since air blown from the air blowing means to the tip of the cutting blade is mainly sucked from the suction nozzle, the temperature environment around the embedding block is hardly changed by suction of the suction nozzle.

The invention according to claim 6 is the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the second direction is a vertical direction, and the suction port of the suction nozzle is the cutting blade. It is arrange | positioned vertically below.
Thereby, the suction force from the suction nozzle acts on the cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade from the vertically lower side of the cutting blade, and the gravity acting on the cutting waste acts as an assist force at this time. It will be.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the thin-section manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cutting blade is held so that a predetermined rake angle is maintained with respect to the embedded block. The cutting piece is swirled and bent in a direction away from the rake face of the cutting blade, and adheres to the tip of the cutting blade in an adhesive state. It is characterized in that it is peeled off from the tip of the cutting blade and sucked into the suction port while rotating in the direction of contracting the spiral shape by the suction force from the suction port arranged on the side.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cutting scrap removing method comprising: supporting an embedded block in which a biological sample is embedded by a sample stage; and moving the cutting blade and the sample stage relative to each other to make a thin slice from the embedded block. Is a cutting scrap removal method that removes the cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade, and the cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade is removed from the thin section of the embedding block. In the second direction, which is the thickness direction, suction removal is performed from the sample stage side of the tip of the cutting blade.

According to this invention, the cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade is sucked from the sample stage side of the cutting blade in the second direction, which is the thickness direction of the thin slice in the embedding block. The suction force can be made to act efficiently in a direction that promotes peeling of the cutting waste. Moreover, according to this invention, since a suction nozzle can be arrange | positioned close to a cutting blade, a suction force can be made to act efficiently with respect to the cutting piece adhering to the cutting blade.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade can be surely removed without increasing the suction force of the suction nozzle, so that the environment around the embedding block can be greatly changed. There is no reduction in the cutting accuracy of the embedded block.

1 is a schematic side view showing a schematic configuration of a thin-slice manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a one part perspective view of the thin section production apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic side view of a part of a thin-slice manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a typical side view of a part of the thin-slice manufacturing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. It is a typical side view which shows schematic structure of the thin slice production apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical side view of a prior art.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
First, the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment.
The thin slice preparation apparatus 1 prepares an ultrathin thin slice 2 having a thickness of about 3 to 5 μm from an embedding block B in which a biological sample is embedded. The embedding block B is an observation target biological sample embedded with a hydrophobic embedding agent such as paraffin, that is, the periphery is covered and hardened. The embedding block B of this embodiment is generally in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. Is formed.

Reference numeral 30 in FIG. 1 is a transport mechanism that transports the thin sections 2 manufactured by the thin section manufacturing apparatus 1 one by one to a predetermined position by the transport belt 30 a, and reference numeral 3 has been transported by the transport mechanism 30. This is a slide glass (specimen table) on which the thin slice 2 is placed on the upper surface. The slide glass 3 is disposed immediately below the thin section transfer section 31 of the transport mechanism 30, and the thin section 2 is automatically transferred via the transfer water 33 supplied from the transfer water supply nozzle 32. It is like that. In this way, by placing the thin section 2 on the upper surface of the slide glass 3, a thin section specimen used for physics and chemistry experiments, microscopic observation and the like is produced.
An adsorbed water supply nozzle 34 for supplying adsorbed water to the upper surface of the conveying belt 30a is provided at a position close to the thin-section manufacturing apparatus 1 of the conveying mechanism 30. This adsorbed water supply nozzle 34 adsorbs adsorbed water onto the upper surface of the conveyor belt 30a, thereby adsorbing the thin slice 2 supplied from the thin-section preparation device 1 to the conveyor mechanism 30 in a flat state on the upper surface of the conveyor belt 30a. Let

  The thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a sample table 11 that fixes the embedding block B, a cutting blade 12 that slices the embedding block B, and a feed mechanism 13 that is a feed unit that moves the sample table 11. Yes. In this embodiment, the cutting blade 12 is fixed to the support block 15 on the installation base 14 so that the tip portion 12a of the cutting edge faces obliquely upward on the sample stage 11 side (feed mechanism 13 side). More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cutting blade 12 is held so that a predetermined rake angle is maintained with respect to the extended plane F direction of the cutting surface of the embedding block B in FIG. Has been. In this case, the upper blade surface 12b of the cutting blade 12 is a so-called rake surface.

The feeding mechanism 13 advances and retracts the sample stage 11 in the second direction (the X direction in FIG. 1, an example of the second direction of the present application) that is the thickness direction of the thin section 2 in the embedding block B (ie, the second direction of the present application). A second direction moving mechanism 13B that reciprocates including both the arrow direction of the X axis and the direction opposite to the arrow), and the first direction that is the cutting direction by the cutting blade 12 of the base portion 16 of the second direction moving mechanism 13B. (A Z direction in FIG. 1; an example of the first direction of the present application) a first direction moving mechanism 13A that moves forward and backward (that is, a reciprocating motion including both the arrow direction of the Z axis and the direction opposite to the arrow); have. The base portion 16 of the second direction moving mechanism 13B is attached on the movable block 17 of the first direction moving mechanism 13A.
The first direction moving mechanism 13A and the second direction moving mechanism 13B cut out the thin slice 2 from the embedding block B by the following operation.
First, the embedding block B is fixed to the sample table 11, and the first direction moving mechanism 13 </ b> A raises the sample table 11 to a predetermined height higher than the installation position of the cutting blade 12 from this state. From this state, the second direction moving mechanism 13B moves the sample stage 11 in the direction of the cutting blade 12 by the cutting thickness of the embedding block B. From this state, the first direction moving mechanism 13A moves the sample block 11 downward at a predetermined speed, thereby moving the embedded block B relative to the cutting blade 12 in the first direction. As a result, a thin slice 2 having a predetermined thickness is cut out from the end of the embedded block B on the front end side.

  By the way, this thin slice preparation apparatus 1 repeats cutting of the end face of the embedded block B as a pre-process of the main cutting that cuts the thin slice 2 from the embedded block B, and simultaneously smoothes the end face of the embedded block B. Rough cutting is also performed to expose the biological sample from the end face. In this rough cutting, paraffin or the like cut out from the embedding block B is generated as cutting waste 18, and the generated cutting waste 18 adheres to the tip 12 a of the cutting blade 12.

  A suction nozzle 19 is attached to the base portion 16 of the second direction moving mechanism 13B to suck and remove the cutting waste 18 attached to the tip portion 12a of the cutting blade 12. The suction nozzle 19 is disposed almost directly above the sample stage 11. The suction nozzle 19 is connected to a suction device 20 such as a pump, and the cutting waste 18 sucked during rough cutting is collected in a collection unit (not shown). The suction device 20 is controlled by the controller 21 together with the feed mechanism 13 (the first direction moving mechanism 13A and the second direction moving mechanism 13B).

  Since the suction nozzle 19 is attached to the base portion 16 of the second direction moving mechanism 13B that moves forward and backward by the first direction moving mechanism 13A on the installation base 14, the first direction in the fixed state in the second direction. It moves up and down in the first direction according to the operation of the moving mechanism 13A. Further, the suction nozzle 19 is always maintained at a fixed position in the second direction even when the sample stage 11 is advanced in the second direction by the operation of the second direction moving mechanism 13B.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the state of the cutting blade 12 and the suction nozzle 19 when the embedding block B and the suction nozzle 19 are lowered by the operation of the first direction moving mechanism 13A (when the cutting is completed). 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the cutting blade 12 and the suction nozzle 19 when the embedding block B and the suction nozzle 19 are similarly lowered.
As shown in these drawings, a suction port 19a that opens toward the cutting blade 12 in the second direction (X direction in the drawing) is provided at the tip of the suction nozzle 19. The suction port 19a is formed with a width wider than the width of the cutting waste 18 (the width of the embedding block B) adhering to the tip 12a of the cutting blade 12, and the suction nozzle 19 serves as the sample table 11 (embedding block B). At the same time, the tip 12a of the cutting blade 12 is opposed to the tip 12a (the portion to which the cutting chips 18 are attached) with a minute gap d.
The suction port 19a is closer to the embedding block B side than the front end portion 12a of the cutting blade 12 with respect to the extended plane F of the cutting surface of the embedding block B, that is, from the front end portion 12a of the cutting blade 12 in the second direction. Is also arranged on the sample stage 11 side.

When cutting waste 18 adheres to the tip 12a of the cutting blade 12 during rough cutting, the cutting waste 18 is separated from the blade surface 12b (rake face) on the upper side of the cutting blade 12 as shown in FIG. It swirls in the direction and bends, and adheres to the tip end portion 12a of the cutting blade 12 in an adhesive state at the root portion side portion.
The suction port 19a of the suction nozzle 19 applies a suction force from the sample stage 11 side (embedded block B side) to the root portion of the cutting waste 18 attached in this manner with the minute gap d interposed therebetween.

  Further, the suction by the suction nozzle 19 is not always performed during the cutting of the embedding block B by the cutting blade 12, but the suction device 20 is controlled for a short time by the controller 21 (control) immediately after the cutting operation by the cutting blade 12 is completed. And the suction by the suction nozzle 19 is performed for a very short time.

In the above configuration, rough cutting of the embedding block B is started, and when the sample stage 11 is lowered relative to the cutting blade 12 by the lowering operation of the first direction moving mechanism 13A, the end face of the embedding block B is shaved. Thus, the swirled cutting waste 18 adheres to the tip 12 a of the cutting blade 12. Thus, when the sample table 11 is lowered relative to the cutting blade 12, the suction nozzle 19 is lowered together with the base portion 16 of the second direction moving mechanism 13B, and when the lowering operation of the sample table 11 is completed, the suction nozzle 19 The suction port 19a faces the tip 12a of the cutting blade 12. At this time, the suction by the suction nozzle 19 is performed for a short time, and the suction force acts on the root side of the cutting waste 18.
As a result, the cutting waste 18 receives the suction force from the suction nozzle 19 as a force directed from the blade surface 12b of the cutting blade 12 toward the tip end portion 12a at a sufficiently close position, and cuts while rotating in the direction of reducing the spiral shape. It peels from the front-end | tip part 12a of the blade 12, and is suck | inhaled by the suction opening 19a.

Thereafter, when the first direction moving mechanism 13A is lifted in preparation for the next cutting of the end face of the embedding block B, the embedding block B held on the sample table 11 is raised above the cutting blade 12, The suction nozzle 19 is further displaced to the upper position.
Thereafter, the second stage moving mechanism 13B is operated to advance the sample table 11 by the next cutting amount of the embedding block B, and thereafter, the cutting of the embedding block B and the suction removal of the cutting waste 18 are performed as described above. Done. Even if the sample stage 11 moves forward by the operation of the second direction moving mechanism 13B, the suction nozzle 19 is fixed to the base portion 16 of the second direction moving mechanism 13B. The separation distance in the second direction between the suction ports 19a is kept constant.

As described above, the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 1 allows the cutting waste 18 attached to the tip 12a of the cutting blade 12 to be removed from the sample table 11 side rather than the tip 12a of the cutting blade 12 during rough cutting. Since suction is performed by the suction nozzle 19 and the suction force can be applied in a direction that promotes peeling of the root portion of the cutting waste 18, the cutting waste 18 can be reliably removed from the cutting blade 12. Thereby, the residue on the cutting blade 12 due to the tearing of the cutting waste 18 can be eliminated, and the trouble that the remaining cutting waste 18 becomes a so-called component cutting edge and damages the surface of the cutting piece can be eliminated.
Therefore, by adopting the thin section manufacturing apparatus 1, the cutting performance of the cutting blade 12 can be stably maintained over a long period of time.

  And in this thin section production apparatus 1, since the cutting waste 18 can be reliably removed from the cutting blade 12 without increasing the suction force at the suction nozzle 19, the temperature and humidity around the embedding block B Therefore, it is possible to avoid a decrease in cutting accuracy of the embedding block B due to a change in the surrounding environment.

Further, in this thin section manufacturing apparatus 1, since the suction nozzle 19 is fixed to the base portion 16 of the second direction moving mechanism 13B, the sample stage 11 is moved forward by the operation of the second direction moving mechanism 13B. However, the distance between the suction port 19a and the tip end portion 12a of the cutting blade 12 during the suction of the cutting waste 18 can always be maintained at a minute constant distance. For this reason, when cutting the embedded block B, the suction of the cutting waste 18 by the nozzle 19 is sufficiently close to the cutting blade 12 when the cutting operation is completed without causing interference between the suction nozzle 19 and the cutting blade 12. It can be carried out.
Therefore, in this thin section manufacturing apparatus 1, the cutting waste 18 can be reliably removed while the suction force of the suction nozzle 19 is kept low.

  Further, in the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the suction with the suction nozzle 19 is not always performed when the embedded block B is roughly cut, but during a minute time after the cutting operation by the cutting blade 12 is completed. Since only suction is performed, there is an advantage that the environment around the embedding block B is less likely to be disturbed.

Next, a second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 will be described. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part as 1st Embodiment also including 3rd Embodiment demonstrated later, and the overlapping description shall be abbreviate | omitted.
FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the thin-section manufacturing apparatus 101 of this embodiment corresponding to FIG. 3 of the first embodiment.
The thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 101 of this embodiment has substantially the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment, but in the second direction, on the opposite side of the suction nozzle 119 across the tip 12a of the cutting blade 12. The point from which the air blowing nozzle 35 (air blowing means) is provided differs from the thing of 1st Embodiment.
The air blowing nozzle 35 is integrally fixed to a support block (not shown) that supports the cutting blade 12, and the suction port 119 a of the suction nozzle 119 is widened toward the end.

In the thin-section manufacturing apparatus 101 of this embodiment, immediately after the cutting with the cutting blade 12 is completed during rough cutting of the embedded block, suction is performed by the suction nozzle 119 on the tip portion 12a of the cutting blade 12, Air is blown from the air blowing nozzle 35 for a short time. Thereby, the air blown from the air blowing nozzle 35 presses the cutting waste 18 of the tip end portion 12 a of the cutting blade 12 toward the suction port 119 a, and the pressing force pushes the cutting waste 18 from the tip end portion 12 of the cutting blade 12. It acts as an assisting force for peeling.
Therefore, in this thin section manufacturing apparatus 101, the cutting waste 18 adhering to the front-end | tip part 12a of the cutting blade 12 can be suction-removed more smoothly.

Further, in the case of this thin section manufacturing apparatus 101, the air blown from the air blowing nozzle 35 is mainly sucked into the suction port 119a, so that air sucking out from around the embedding block B is reduced. There is an advantage that the environment such as temperature and humidity around the embedding block B is less disturbed.
In particular, in the case of this embodiment, since the suction port 119a of the suction nozzle 119 is formed so as to widen toward the end, the air blown from the air blowing nozzle 35 is reliably sucked from the suction port 119a, and the embedded block B Air suction from the surroundings can be further suppressed.

Next, the third embodiment shown in FIG. 5 will be described.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 201 of this embodiment.
In the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 201 of this embodiment, the sample stage 11 that supports the embedding block B is installed so as to be movable up and down in the vertical direction via the second direction moving mechanism 213B, and the cutting blade 12 is set to the sample stage 11. Is installed so as to be movable back and forth in the horizontal direction via the first direction moving mechanism 213A. In this embodiment, the embedded block B is cut by the cutting blade 12 by the horizontal movement of the cutting blade 12 by the first direction moving mechanism 213A, and the sample table 11 is lifted and lowered by the second direction moving mechanism 213B. The cutting thickness of the embedding block B is adjusted.

  In addition, a suction nozzle 19 is attached to the base portion 216 of the second direction moving mechanism 213B to suck and remove the cutting waste 18 attached to the tip portion 12a of the cutting blade 12 during rough cutting. In this embodiment, the cutting blade 12 is installed on the movable portion of the first direction moving mechanism 213A so that the tip end portion 12a faces obliquely downward from the first direction (X direction in FIG. 5), and the suction nozzle The suction port 19a of 19 is arranged on the sample stage 11 side (downward side) with respect to the distal end portion 12a of the cutting blade 12 in the vertical direction which is the second direction (Z direction in FIG. 5). And when the cutting blade 12 moves to the cutting completion position in the first direction by the operation of the first direction moving mechanism 213A, the suction port 19a faces the tip portion 12a of the cutting blade 12 from the lower side with a minute gap. In the position.

  Although the thin-slice manufacturing apparatus 201 of this embodiment has a structure in which the cutting blade 12 side is moved with respect to the sample table 11 by the first direction moving mechanism 213A, the basic configuration regarding the arrangement of the suction nozzle 19 is the first implementation. Since it is substantially the same as the form, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effect as in the first embodiment.

However, in the thin section manufacturing apparatus 201 of this embodiment, the second direction, which is the thickness direction of the thin section in the embedded floc B, is the vertical direction, and the suction port 19a of the suction nozzle 19 is the tip of the cutting blade 12. Since it is arrange | positioned vertically under the part 12a, when attracting the cutting waste 18 adhering to the front-end | tip part 12a of the cutting blade 12 from the suction opening 19a, the gravity which acts on the cutting waste 18 acts as an assist force.
Therefore, in this thin slice manufacturing apparatus 201, the cutting waste 18 adhering to the cutting blade 12 can be suctioned and removed more reliably.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various design change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,101,201 ... Thin section production apparatus 11 ... Sample stand 12 ... Cutting blade 12a ... Tip part 13A, 213A ... First direction moving mechanism 13B, 213B ... Second direction moving mechanism 18 ... Cutting waste 19, 119 ... Suction nozzle 19a, 119a ... suction port 35 ... air blowing nozzle (air blowing means)
B ... embedded block

Claims (8)

A thin-section preparation device that cuts out a thin section from an embedded block in which a biological sample is embedded,
A sample stage for supporting the embedding block;
A cutting blade that moves relative to the sample stage in a first direction to cut the embedded block;
A suction nozzle that sucks and removes cutting waste adhering to the tip of the cutting blade, and
The suction port of the suction nozzle is arranged closer to the sample stage than the tip of the cutting blade in the second direction, which is the thickness direction of the thin section in the embedding block. Thin section preparation device.   The suction nozzle is configured such that a relative position with the cutting blade is variable in the first direction, and a relative position with the cutting blade is fixed in the second direction. 2. The thin-section preparation apparatus according to 1. A second direction moving mechanism for moving the sample table relative to the cutting blade in the second direction;
A first direction moving mechanism for moving the sample table relative to the cutting blade in the first direction by moving the second direction moving mechanism relative to the cutting blade in the first direction; Prepared,
The thin section manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first direction moving mechanism moves the suction nozzle relative to the cutting blade in the first direction together with the second direction moving mechanism.   The thin suction nozzle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the suction nozzle performs a suction operation of cutting waste adhering to a tip portion of the cutting blade after completion of the cutting operation by the cutting blade. Section preparation device.   The air blowing means for blowing air toward the tip of the cutting blade from the side opposite to the suction port of the suction nozzle across the tip of the cutting blade in the second direction is provided. Item 5. The thin-section preparation apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 4. The second direction is a vertical direction,
The thin-slice manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the suction port of the suction nozzle is disposed vertically below the cutting blade. The cutting blade is held such that a predetermined rake angle is maintained with respect to the embedded block,
The cutting piece is spirally bent in a direction away from the rake face of the cutting blade, adheres to the tip of the cutting blade in an adhesive state,
The cutting piece is peeled off from the tip of the cutting blade while being rotated in a direction to reduce the spiral shape by the suction force from the suction port arranged on the sample stage side with respect to the tip of the cutting blade. The thin-section preparation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the thin-section preparation device is sucked into a mouth. The embedded block in which the biological sample is embedded is supported by the sample stage, and when the thin blade is cut out from the embedded block by relatively moving the cutting blade and the sample stage, it adheres to the tip of the cutting blade. A method for removing swarf that removes swarf,
The cutting waste adhering to the tip portion of the cutting blade is removed by suction from the sample stage side rather than the tip portion of the cutting blade in the second direction, which is the thickness direction of the thin section in the embedded block. A method for removing cutting waste as a feature.

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