BRIGHT 5040 User manual

Revised May 2012 1
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
5040 Wax Microtome/Quick Release Feather Blade Holder
Serial No: 5560

Revised May 2012 2
INSTRUCTION MANUAL 1
SAFETY INFORMATION 3
Consumer Protection 3
Please Take Note Of The Following Warnings: 3
ELECTRICAL 3
OPERATION 4
ACCESSORIES 4
PRODUCT SAFETY SUGGESTIONS 4
DECONTAMINATION CERTIFICATES 4
IMPORTANT 4
WARRANTY 5
Optional Feedscrews 5040 7
1.2.3 QUICK RELEASE FEATHER BLADE HOLDER BLOCK 8
1.2.4 KNIFE CARRIAGE FEED CONTROL 8
1.2.4a FINE TRIM ADJUSTER / FTA (if fitted) 8
1.2.5 BLADE ANGLE 8
1.2.6 BLADE LOADING 8
1.2.7 SPECIMEN HOLDERS 8
1.2.8 SPECIMEN ORIENTATION (where fitted) 9
1.2.9 ADVANCE / REWIND CONTROL 9
1.2.10a LEFT HAND SIDE ADVANCE/REWIND CONTROL - /LHS (where fitted) 9
MOTOR DRIVE (where fitted) 9
FOOT SWITCH (where fitted) 10
1.2.11 SECTION COUNTER (where fitted) 10
1.2.12 MOTORISED ADVANCE / REWIND (where fitted) 10
1.2.13 OTHER ACCESSORIES 10
2. OPERATION 11
2.1 FITTING THE SPECIMEN 11
2.2 TRIMMING THE SPECIMEN 11
2.3 SECTION CUTTING AND COLLECTION 11
2.4 HINTS ON SECTIONING 11
3.1 DAILY CARE 12
3.2 MAINTENANCE & SERVICING 12
3.3 DECONTAMINATION 12
4. SPECIFICATION 12
ORDERING INFORMATION 14
OPTIONAL FEATURES 14
5. SPARE PARTS AND ACCESSORIES 15
5.2 5040 Electronics Spares List 17
5.3 Accessories and Consumables 18
A KNIFE SHARPENING SERVICE IS AVAILABLE - DETAILS ON REQUEST 18
MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET 19
Name: CRYO-M-BED 19
MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET 20
Name: CRYOSPRAY 20
MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET 21
Name: LOW TEMPERATURE OIL 21
WARNINGS: Low Temperature 26
Knives/Blades 27
DECONTAMINATION CERTIFICATE 28
DECONTAMINATION PROCEDURES 29
QUALITY SURVEY REPORT 30

Revised May 2012 3
SAFETY INFORMATION
Consumer Protection
The Consumer Protection Act 1987 Part 1. refers to Product Liability. This legislation was issued as a direct result of an
EC Directive to all member states and has been in force with effect from 1 March 1988.
The Bright Instrument Company Limited, ever mindful of the need to ensure that their products are not subject to misuse
and/or incorrect handling, have made it their aim to communicate any possible dangers to their customers.
Whilst the Bright Instrument Company Limited markets products manufactured to the highest safety standards, it is in the
interest of the purchaser that he is aware of the resultant dangers of misuse and/or incorrect handling of these products.
Please Take Note Of The Following Warnings:
ELECTRICAL
a) Warning - A warning notice is fixed to the instrument (where applicable) stating that it should be disconnected
from the mains supply before removing the panels. This warning should be strictly observed.
b) Fuses – Fuse ratings are clearly indicated on all fuse panels adjacent to the fuse holder. If and when
replacement is necessary, the correct fuse rating and type must be adhered to.
c) Earthing (Grounding) – A protective earth terminal is fitted and must be used in all two-wire installations.
MICROTOME KNIVES/BLADES
The microtome knife/blade can be a hazard in the laboratory. Personnel should be made aware of the dangers and
observe the following warnings:
a) DO NOT leave the microtome unattended with an exposed knife/blade in position. Remove the knife/blade, or
cover with the guards or visor provided.
b) DO NOT leave unboxed knives/blades lying around. Place knives/blades that are not in use in their boxes or
packets.
c) DO NOT carry knives/blades unless secure in the box or packet provided.
d) DO NOT clean the knife/blade along its length. Wipe the knife from the back edge to the cutting edge.
e) REMEMBER that even used knives and blades are dangerous. The are still sharp and may have been used to
cut potentially infectious specimens.
f) DISPOSE of used knives and blades with the same care as other sharp objects. On no account should used
knives or blades be placed in waste bins.

Revised May 2012 4
OPERATION
When placing specimens in the microtome vice clamp jaws or holder, or carrying out manipulation, ensure the cutting
hand wheel is locked with the head in the uppermost position, to minimise risks.
LOW TEMPERATURES
Low temperatures are present in cryostats and in freezing head stages attached to microtomes. On no account should
you touch these cold surfaces without the use of gloves or sufficient clothing covering your exposed wrists/arms etc.
touching cold surfaces can result in cold “burns” and permanent tissue and nerve damage.
ACCESSORIES
Fluids supplied as accessories with Bright instruments, such as Cryospray 134 and microtome oil are strictly for
laboratory use only. They should not be taken by mouth and precautions afforded to other laboratory chemicals should
be adhered to.
PRODUCT SAFETY SUGGESTIONS
All Bright Instrument Company Limited personnel are encouraged to make suggests regarding product safety. We also
welcome such suggestions from our customers. They may be submitted by completing the appropriate (Safety) section
of the Quality Survey Record Form supplied with all Bright instruments, or alternatively, by letter, telephone, fax or email.
All communications should be direct to our Quality Assurance Department and will be acknowledged.
DECONTAMINATION CERTIFICATES
IMPORTANT
If the instrument or any part of it is to be returned to Bright Instrument Company Limited, a decontamination certificate
must accompany it, and please note the following:
a) If the instrument or any part of it has been exposed to or been in contact with potential pathogenic or radioactive
material, it is essential that it be decontaminated.
Set procedures are laid down by the Health and Safety Executive for decontamination. For the avoidance of
doubt, we ask that instruments or parts returned to us should be accompanied by a completed decontamination
certificate. A copy of this can be found at the back of this instruction manual and we suggest you use a
photocopy of this when returning parts.
Alternatively we would be pleased to:
b) either post or fax you another copy should you require.
c) Should the instrument or any part of it be received in a condition that Bright Instrument Company Limited,
consider to be a potential biological hazard, the instrument or part will be returned un-repaired at the expense of
the customer.
d) Overseas customers declarations must indicate that the package contains ‘British Returned Goods’. Failure to
do so will involve customs duty payable by us, which will be invoiced to the sender.

Revised May 2012 5
WARRANTY
The Warranty relating to the instrument is outlined in our Terms and Conditions of Sale paragraph 6.
The Seller ‘s products are carefully inspected and submitted to its standard tests.
The Seller warrants all its products to be free from defects in workmanship and materials under normal conditions of use
and service provided always:
a) that if any of the goods so manufactured is alleged to be defective in workmanship and material and is returned
carriage paid, and protected against damage in transit to the Seller’s works at Huntingdon within 12 months
from the date of despatch and if after examination by the Seller that goods or part of them are found to be so
defective then the Seller will repair or replace them free of charge and will return them to the Buyer , carriage
paid.
b) where any part of the goods manufactured by the Seller is repaired or replaced under the terms of the foregoing
warranty, such warranty shall thereafter be limited to a period of six months from the date when the goods shall
have been re-delivered to the Buyer.
c) this warranty does not apply to any defects caused by wear and tear, incorrect installation abnormal conditions
of working, accident, misuse or neglect.
d) That save as in this clause herein before expressed, the Seller shall not be under any liability for negligence or
otherwise in respect of defects in goods delivered or for any injury, damage or loss resulting from such defects
and the Seller’s liability under this clause shall be in lieu of any warranty or condition implied by law as to the
quality or fitness for any particular purpose of such goods.
e) This warranty is expressly in lieu of all other warranties, guarantees or liabilities expressed or implied by any of
the Seller’s Representatives or Agents.
Please see our separate Product Warranty sheet for deliveries to the mainland UK.
WARNING
Before proceeding to Operating Instructions, ensure you are familiar with the contents of the pages marked
‘Safety Information’. This instrument must only be used by competent persons.

Revised May 2012 6
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
1) INTRODUCTION
The Bright 5040 is a rotary rocking microtome with specimen retraction on the return stroke. In standard form it
can cut sections up to 60µm thick and will accept specimens up to 50 x 70mm.
Suitable for paraffin wax and plastic embedded specimens, the microtome is fitted with a standard specimen
vice clamp or a quick release holder for cassettes, A wide range of options and accessories are available,
including motor drive and feed screws for cutting sections up to 300µm
Knife/Blade guards are fitted to protect the operator from the knife/blade during normal operation. All controls
are also placed clear of the knife/blade to permit all settings to be made in comfortable safety.
1.1 RECEIPT AND UNPACKING
All packing must be carefully removed and parts checked against enclosed packing list. If any damage or
discrepancy is noted, please inform our agent/distributor or Bright Instrument Company Limited immediately.
1.1.2 UNPACKING PROCEDURE
The following should be followed when the instrument is received:
a) At least two people are required during the unpacking. The microtome weighs 15Kg.
b) Check that the outer packing is in good order and does not show signs of serious damage.
c) Remove the microtome from the case and unpack it.
d) Remove and unpack the accessories.
FITTING THE CUTTING HAND WHEEL
Push the hand wheel FIG 1(1) over the shaft on the side of the microtome. Ensure pin on shaft engages slot in
centre of hand wheel, press home firmly then fit centre screw.
1.1.3 FITTING THE COARSE ADVANCE/REWIND CONTROL
The rewind knob is fitted FIG 1(3) into the top of the microtome, ensuring it engages properly.
1.2 FEATURES
Refer to FIGs 1 and 2.
1.2.1 CUTTING HAND WHEEL
The hand wheel can be locked with the cutting arm in the upper position. Move the handle on the wheel to the
top, pull the small lock knob FIG 1(2) and rotate it quarter of a turn, release and ensure it locates correctly.
To operate the microtome, release the lock and turn the hand wheel in a clockwise direction.
1
3
FIG 1
24
5
6

Revised May 2012 7
1.2.2 THICKNESS CONTROL
The knob FIG 1(5), on the front of the microtome, is used to set section thickness in µm. Simply turn the knob
to the desired setting
FEEDSCREWS
A range of alternative feedscrews is available to cover section thickness’ from 0.2µm to 300µm. If one of these
has been fitted in the factory, an appropriate scale of microns will also be fitted where available. However, if the
user substitutes an alternative himself, the following table should be used to obtain the current section
thickness.
Optional Feedscrews 5040
Optional
Feedscrews 5040
50256 manual
50256-1 MAR
50255 manual
50255-1 MAR
50257 manual
50257-1 MAR
50258 manual
50258-1 MAR
50259 manual
50259-1 MAR
50260 manual
50260-1 MAR
“Thin Section” Standard in cryostat Standard in wax
microtome
0.2 to 12µm 0.5 to 30µm 1 to 60 µm 2 to 120µm 3 to 180µm 5 to 300µm
0.2µm incrs. 0.5µm incrs. 1 µm incrs. 2µm incrs. 3µm incrs 5µm incrs.
With scale With scale With scale Without scale Without scale Without scale
Scale Markings:
2 5 10 20 30 50
4 10 20 40 60 100
6 15 30 60 90 150
8 20 40 80 120 200
10 25 50 100 150 250
12 30 60 120 180 300
Note: MAR = Motorised Advance/Rewind
FIG 2 5040 QUICK RELEASE FEATHER BLADE HOLDER
1. Blade clamp lever
2. Blade angle locking lever
3. Blade angle indicator
4. Blade guard
5. Blade loading plate
6. Fixed blade guard
7. Blade guard knob
8. Blade clamping plate
9. Knife block clamp locking lever
1
2
3
45
6
6
7
9
8

Revised May 2012 8
1.2.3 QUICK RELEASE FEATHER BLADE HOLDER BLOCK
The complete knife holder block FIG 1(6) can be moved towards or away from the specimen. Raise the knife block clamp
locking lever FIG 2(9) on the right side of the knife holder and slide the holder to the desired position, or use knife
carriage feed control. Note that the knife carriage feed control can be replaced by the FTA (Fine Trim Adjuster 1.2.4a)
Press the lever down to lock.
In normal paraffin was section cutting, the knife holder would seldom be moved once it has been put in the most
convenient position for the size of the block.
NB: The knife block clamp lever must be firmly locked during sectioning to prevent instability.
1.2.4 KNIFE CARRIAGE FEED CONTROL
The knife carriage feed control FIG 1(4) on the centre front of the microtome moves the knife holder backwards or
forwards once the knife lock clamp lever FIG 2(9) has been raised. This device permits incremented movements of the
knife holder, for example, for trimming a specimen.
1.2.4a FINE TRIM ADJUSTER / FTA (if fitted)
Works exactly the same as the knife carriage feed control
1.2.5 BLADE ANGLE
Release the blade angle locking lever FIG 2(2) and taking the body of the blade holder in both hands, move it against the
lower part of the assembly until the correct angle is shown on the blade angle indicator (3). Then re-lock the blade holder
body with the blade angle locking lever. Nominally this angle should be set to 3º.
1.2.6 BLADE LOADING
a. Move the blade guard to the lower position using the blade guard knob FIG 2(7).
b. Unlock the blade clamping plate FIG 2(8) using the blade clamp lever FIG 2(1).
c. Push the blade loading plate FIG 2 (5) to one side and very carefully place a new blade into position making sure that
the blade is the correct way up.
d. Slide the blade loading plate back to the centre of the assembly and use the blade clamp lever to lock the blade into
position. Please note that as the blade wears it is possible to slide it to a new position by repeating this process and by
doing this it is possible to utilise the whole length of the blade.
1.2.7 SPECIMEN HOLDERS
318 Quick Release Holder for wax cassettes
The microtome is normally supplied with an orientating specimen holder with a specimen vice
Alternatively, a cassette quick release holder may be fitted. To exchange specimen holders, simply
unscrew the holder supplied from the orientating head.
Some versions of the microtome are supplied with a fixed (non-orientating) specimen vice. In this case
a cassette quick release holder can be clamped into this vice.
Other types of specimen holders are available.
FTA (Cryostat
version)

Revised May 2012 9
1.2.8 SPECIMEN ORIENTATION (where fitted)
To change the orientation of the specimen, first unlock the clamping lever, then either turn
the adjusting knobs, or move the specimen holder by hand.
NOTE: Before attempting to change the orientation ensure cutting hand wheel is locked.
1.2.9 ADVANCE / REWIND CONTROL
The Advance / Rewind control (on top of the microtome) is
used to advance the specimen to the knife and for trimming. It is also used to reset the
mechanism usually after cutting each specimen.
NOTE: the control cannot be rewound if the specimen is at the top of the cutting stroke;
either lower the specimen or set the thickness control to 0µm to disengage the ratchet
mechanism.
A used feed indicator on the front of the microtome shows how much of the specimen-advance
remains. Rewind the mechanism when the white pointer reaches the red zone, by turning the knob on
top of the microtome clockwise, or if Motorised Advance / Rewind is fitted then see paragraph 1.2.13
1.2.10a LEFT HAND SIDE ADVANCE/REWIND CONTROL - /LHS (where fitted)
The operation is exactly the same as for the Advance/Rewind control on the top of the microtome. Please note that this
option is not available with Motorised Advance/Rewind
1.2.10 MOTOR DRIVE (where fitted)
The motorised cutting system on the 5040 microtome is used for cutting large or hard specimens, and is also useful for
serial sectioning. The system can be disengaged for manual cutting.
1. Ensure the specimen will not collide with the knife.
2. To engage motor drive, pull and turn hand wheel plunger knob.
Then slowly rotate hand wheel until plunger engages. The hand
wheel is locked in motor drive. See section 1.2.1 for manual use.
3. Switch on drive. The green power light will illuminate.
4. Select trim mode (for continuous running of motor drive) press
start button (green)
5. Use the speed control to adjust cutting speed, when the head is in
the cutting zone.
6. Adjust the zone control. The space between the upper and lower
positions indicates that part of the specimen travel which is
determined by the speed control.
7. By switching to single, the arm will be made to stop at the bottom
of each stroke, allowing section collection.
8. To stop the drive, press stop. Start and stop functions can be used at any time.
9. The emergency-stop button stays in when pressed. Twist button in direction of arrows to release. Then press
start to continue drive.
LHS (Cryostat
version)

Revised May 2012 10
FOOT SWITCH (where fitted)
Plug the foot switch into the socket on the lower front surface of the motor drive control box. When the motor drive is in
use, the left and right foot switches will duplicate the action of the stop and start buttons respectively.
1.2.11 SECTION COUNTER (where fitted)
The section counter is used to pre-set the number of cutting stokes from 1 to 9,999 strokes. Press the buttons on the
counter until the required number of sections is displayed, then press the reset button.
For each cutting stroke the counter display will increase by one, giving the number of sections cut until it reaches the pre-
set value when the red up light will illuminate and the drive will stop. To repeat the cycle, press the reset and start
buttons.
1.2.12 MOTORISED ADVANCE / REWIND (where fitted)
Do not operate the rewind motor when the cutting arm is in motion. Only operate the rewind motor
with the cutting arm at the rest position. The advance motor may be operated when the cutting arm
is in motion. Operating outside these parameters can cause damage to the mechanical
components of the machine.
MOTORISED SPECIMEN ADVANCE
1. Set the Specimen thickness control to 0µm
2. Fully rewind specimen, by pressing the rocker switch in the appropriate direction.
3. Adjust position of knife carriage with knife to specimen clearance set to a minimum.
4. Lock knife carriage.
5. Begin advance, with cutting arm fully up, by pressing and releasing ‘advance’ switch whilst rotating the hand
wheel. The longer the switch is pressed the thicker the section. If ‘advance’ switch is pressed for more than 2
seconds, a faster advance of the specimen is achieved.
MOTORISED SPECIMEN REWIND
1. Fully rewind specimen press ‘rewind’ switch for a minimum of 2 seconds and release. The feedscew will
automatically stop when fully rewound.
2. To stop the specimen rewinding during the period, press ‘advance’ switch and release immediately.
3. For small rewind increments, press and quickly release ‘rewind’ switch.
1.2.13 OTHER ACCESSORIES
Debris Tray: Use this tray to collect section trimmings etc:
Alternative Feed Screws: See section 1.2.2 Instructions for fitting the alternative feed screws are supplied with the
feed screws.