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Leica CM1950 - The cryostat for laboratories with a large number of specimens and varying specimen types

Depending on your specific requirements, the Leica CM1950 cryostat can be ordered with a variety of options. Start with the standard instrument and choose from a range of options to meet your laboratory's individual needs.

For an efficient workflow, all instruments come with a spacious cryocabinet to facilitate handling of multiple specimens. The cryostat provides sufficient space to organize your tools, freezing media and glass slides.

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Product Features

Efficiency

A large freezing stage with numbered positions, additional tool trays, and a spacious, easy accessible storage area on top of the instrument help you to stay organized and focus on your sectioning job.

An optional vacuum system in combination with an anti-roll guide assists the user with section flattening.

Additionally, the Leica CM1950 cryostat can be ordered with a motor drive for fast and efficient sectioning of large numbers of specimen.

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Efficiency

Quality

The CE blade holder for high- and low-profile disposable blades provides for a large clamping surface and supports reproducible section quality.

The CryoZone system creates a zone of uniformly cool air around specimen and blade.

Bright and glare-free LED illumination helps you clearly seeing the specimen during sectioning.

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Disposable blade holder

Technical Specifications

GENERAL

Width (with handwheel): 835 mm
Depth (cabinet only): 850 mm
Height (total): 1215 mm
Working height (armrest): 1025 mm
Weight (w/ motor and suct.): 193 kg
Operating temperature range: 18°C to 35°C
Maximum specimen size: 50 x 80 mm
Electric coarse feed: Slow: 300 μm/s, in 20 μm steps
Fast: 900 μm/s

Downloads

Certificate

IFU

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Leica CM1950
What is the CryoZone™?
  1. The CryoZone™ system ensures that uniformly cold air flows continuously over critical areas of the cryochamber.
  2. Cold air flows directly from the evaporator onto the blade/ knife holder ensuring that the set temperature is maintained.
  3. The CryoZone™ system maintains a uniform temperature of the knife/blade holder and anti-roll guide, which improves section quality (stretching and less curling).
Is it possible to retrofit a second compressor or motor drive?
  1. No, it is not possible to retrofit a second compressor or motor drive.
  2. The desired instrument configuration must be specified when ordered.
How often must the HEPA filter be exchanged?
  • The HEPA filter must be exchanged every 3 months.
  • There is no visible indicator on the instrument alerting the user to exchange the filter.
How long does it take to cool down a CM1950?
  1. To ensure the optimum cutting environment it is recommended to cool the CM1950 at least 5 hours from ambient to -25 °C or 8 hours from ambient to -35 °C prior to use.
  2. It is important that all accessories are pre-cooled before use (blade or knife holder, cutting tools, brushes etc.).
Why does the compressor for the object cooling not start simultaneously with the compressor for the cabinet cooling when switching on the Leica CM1950?
  1. After turning on the cryostat, the compressor for the cabinet cooling will cool the cabinet down to -5 °C before the second compressor, for object cooling, can be activated.
  2. Activation of object cooling is delayed to ensure that the object head does not cool faster, due to its smaller mass, compared to the rest of the cryostat. This prevents humidity in the chamber from causing frost build up on the object head, which could result in problems clamping the specimen disc.
Why is the operating time of the Peltier element limited to 10 minutes only?
  1. A Peltier element (electrical cooling) always has two sides – a cold and a warm side.
  2. The cold side is used to quickly freeze the specimens.
  3. The heat produced on the warm side has to be dissipated.
  4. The longer the Peltier element is activated, the more heat is produced and the warmer the cold side gets.
  5. To avoid “weakening” the freezing rate by a warming Peltier element, it is automatically switched off after 10 minutes of use.

Leica CM1950 Parts/Accessories