Hand-operated device especially useful for crushing fresh bone samples.

 

Product Description

A compact, low cost screw-press designed to pulverize 50-500mg of hard, brittle material such as bone or teeth. If fresh tissue is used, the sample is cooled in liquid nitrogen to make the tissue hard and brittle, inserted into in the pre-cooled pulverizer "nut" and then crushed by manually screwing together the two screw plungers. The end result is tissue powdered to the size of grains of table salt or smaller. Use as a preliminary step to homogenization or extraction which then will proceed quickly and efficiently using one of several standard cell disruption methods. For cryo-pulverization of soft or elastic tissue, see the BioPulverizer.

 

Instructions For Use:

The MicroCryoCrusher consists of a BODY or "Nut" and two screw plungers, one long and the other short.

Precool the MicroCryoCrusher metal parts with liquid nitrogen. Remove the long screw plunger, leaving the short screw plunger in the Nut. Place prefrozen sample into the open end and reinsert the long screw plunger.

Hand tighten the screw plungers to compact and crush the tissue sample. Do not use tools to tighten.

Remove the short screw plunger (marked with green) and tap out the pulverized tissue. If tissue remains lodged in the body, screw down the long screw plunger to expel the tissue.

Powdered tissue thaws rapidly, so proceed to the next step of homogenization or extraction quickly.

 

Stainless steel (type 316) and 3 inch dia. phenolic plastic knobs

Autoclavable

"Nut" dimensions: 1 inch X 1 inch with a maximum sample volume 0.8 cm3