Services of hard tissue laboratory

Companies have now modern microscopic techniques available to make research on different materials and make proper quality control of the products. The BioMater-Centre and its hard tissue laboratory can prepare thin slices for microscopy from materials containing for example wood, plastic, fabric, bone (or other tissue) or metal. The specimens can be measured and analysed by microscopic techniques. The equipment and methods of the hard tissue laboratory enhance possibilities of the companies and research institutes to carry out research on the properties of their products in different environments.

Especially the bioengineering companies and the research institutes take the benefit from this kind of studies. Possible application areas are for example orthopaedic implants, the stents used in vascular surgery and dental or bone research. We believe that woodworking companies benefit from these methods, too.

The Cutting System (Macro Exakt 310 CP, fig. 1) is capable of cutting through soft tissues like muscle, hard tissues like bone, hard materials like metal, and brittle materials like dental enamel or undecalcified bone without damaging of the materials or, most importantly, without disrupting the interface between the different substances.

Figure 1: Macro Exakt 310 CP cutting system.

Micro Grinding System (Exakt 400 CS, fig. 2) is capable of preparing thin slices from different materials (~20 microns) which ensures the quality of microscopic analyses.

Figure 2: Exakt 400 CS microgrinding system.

In figure 3 you can see thin samples including metal, bone, amalgam and tooth.

Figure 3: Thin slice made of birch (left), metallic bone screw and dental amalgam filling in a tooth.