Operating the BD FocalPoint™ Slide Profiler
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15.2.2 Cleaning Slides
Before inserting slides into trays, inspect each slide for excessive mounting media, external dirt,
dust, fingerprints or other debris that may interfere with the optics of the system's microscope.
When mounting coverslips, avoid excessive air bubbles which may cause the slide to be
unreadable by the BD FocalPoint™ Slide Profiler.
For slides with glass coverslips
1 Dampen the slide with glass cleaning solution or alcohol, either by dipping the slide in the
cleaning solution or by spraying the slide with the solution. Do not allow the cleaning solution
to wet the barcode label.
2 If necessary, and only on conventionally-prepared slides with glass coverslips, use a razor
blade to remove any excess debris or mounting medium on the coverslip or on the back of
the slide.
3 Thoroughly dry the slide with a lint free tissue or cloth to ensure that the slide is free of lint or
streaks.
For slides with plastic coverslips
• Quickly dip slides in 100% methanol and wipe the surface with a
Q-tip. Do not allow the cleaning solution to wet the barcode label.
15.3 Loading Trays
This section describes how to insert slides into trays, how to use switch slides to indicate a
change in the type of slide preparation, and how to remove the slides from a tray when
processing is finished. Pay particular attention to these instructions because improperly loaded
slides may crack or break during processing.
15.3.1 Inserting Slides Into Trays
Before inserting slides into trays, ensure that the trays are free of dust, dirt, or excess mounting
medium. Mounting medium is sticky and can cause trays to jam in the instrument. If necessary,
clean the trays with alcohol and swabs as described in Section 16.2.
Consider the following before inserting slides into trays:
• Use only slides approved for processing on the BD FocalPoint™ Slide Profiler.
• Use only slides that have BD FocalPoint™ compatible barcode labels affixed to them.
• Do not use slides with coverslips extending beyond the edges of the slide.
• Do not place plastic-coverslipped and glass-coverslipped slides in the same tray unless the
system has been configured to run both coverslip types. To run both coverslip type slides on
a BD FocalPoint™ instrument for the first time, requires a service call. Both coverslip types
cannot be run on the same BD FocalPoint™ instrument until the instrument has been
properly configured.
• Do not use a tray that has been damaged or has loose or missing clips.
• Do not use a tray that has a damaged, peeling, defaced, or unreadable barcode.
NOTE
Do not use a razor blade on slides with plastic coverslips.
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