Leica EM KMR2 Glass Knifemaker

Leica Updated: 2009-02-07 RSS
Leica EM KMR2 Glass Knifemaker

The Leica EM KMR2 glass knifemaker produces 45° glass knives from 6.4, 8 and 10 mm thick glass utilizing the balanced-break method. This method begins with a standard 400 mm long glass strip in any of the three thicknesses and continuously breaks the strip into equal halves. You then have a number of flat sided squares perfect for making 45° knives suitable for light and electron microscopy applications. Accessories include knife boxes, scoring wheels and trufs, the ultramicrotomist's standard boat for glass knives.

The dimensions of the Leica EM KMR2 (WxHxD in mm and weight): Basic instrument 400x330x300 16.0 kg

Perfect Sections Begin With a Perfect Glass Knife
For resin sections you need a sharp, strong and stable knife edge. For cryo sections (Tokuyasu samples) an extremely sharp knife edge is required.
Thanks to the Leica EM KMR2 and the balanced break method, you can produce perfect glass knives fulfilling the highest requirements for many applications.

The Balanced Break Concept
The secret of producing a straight, controlled break in a strip of scientific-quality glass is to apply equal weight and pressure to each side of the score. Only when the mass of the glass is balanced are perpendicular edges produced during the break and this is a prerequisite for perfect glass knives.
The balanced-break technique enables you to start out with a standard 400 mm long strip of glass in any of the three thicknesses 6.4, 8 or 10 mm and continuously break the strip into equal halves. You will then have a set of flat-sided squares perfect for making 45° glass knives that measure up to your most stringent requirements.

Easy to Use
All the precision mechanics are factory set and built into the instrument. All alignments are pre-set for you – just score and break.
* No skill necessary to produce glass knives.
* Moveable end stops for easy and accurate positioning of the glass strip.
* Break-adjust can be set at the desired pressure to achieve a slow break – critical for good quality knives.

Perfect and Reproducible Glass Knives
The Leica EM KMR2 introduces two new scoring positions, enabling optimal corner to corner breaks. The longer score is used for scoring the strips before breaking into squares. It can then subsequently be used for scoring the squares to make the knife pairs.
* Preferable for room temperature sectioning. The shorter score is an option for those preferring a longer "freebreak".
* Glass knives with the longest useable knife edge.
* Real knife angle close to 45°
* Preferable for cryo sectioning

Superior Quality Glass
Leica Microsystems has been supplying glass for ultramicrotomy for over 40 years. The strips are made from glass especially selected for Leica for its.
* Uniformity
* Minimal inherent stress
* Mineral composition
* Breaking characteristics
With improved manufacturing techniques -the glass of today from Leica Microsystems is even better than ever. Tolerances within strips and batches are exceptional. Each strip is checked for the quality of the scored and broken edge – the manufacturer's edge – and thickness.

Breaks Thick Glass
Thicker glass forms a longer useable cutting edge essential for many of today's applications. In histology, for example, a longer knife edge is indispensable for the preparation of semithin resin embedded sections. Also, for cryo sectioning (Tokuyasu method), a long useable knife edge is required to produce as many sections as possible without changing the knife. An 8 mm knife has a useable edge 30 % longer than the standard 6.4 mm knife and this increases to 60 % more for a 10 mm knife.
The EM KMR2 has been developed to break thicker glass far easier than ever before. This is aided by the new design scoring wheel with integrated cartridge, which ensures a precise score prior to the break.