FAQ

We would like to remind you that all orders of the PU resin must be placed via our web page!

1. Is there a discounted price for institutional and educational laboratory ?

A educational discount is available for universities or non-profit research institutions.
The discount is 40% of the currently published prize.

2. What is the difference between PU4ii and PU4ii-L?

We use the PU4ii for smaller animals like mice and rats. The processing time is about 10 to 30 min,
which is perfect for the casting of smaller animals. Longer processing time maybe needed when
casting larger objects, e.g. human cadaver. The processing time for such objects is typically much
longer (40 to 60 min) and we then advise to use PU4ii-L.

3. What does processing time mean?

Time needed to mix the PU4ii including the injection/perfusion. Best is when the resin is mixed
with the solvent (EMK) and the pigment in advance. This mixture may be kept for minutes or hours
if sealed tightly. Immediately before casting the hardener is added to this mixture, stirred briefly
and then injected with a syringe. To remove small air bubbles in the resin, the final mixture is set
under vacuum for 2-3 minutes using a standard vacuum chamber.

4. For standard casts what is the best color in your experience?

In mice we prefer the blue pigment because the quality of the casting procedure is immediately
visualized by the staining of paws, ears, nose and tail.

5. Where do I get a good description of the casting procedures?

See Krucker et al 2006. Detailed description will be sent to you upon ordering.

6. I realize that you provide PU4ii as kit. I wonder whether the PU4ii kit
contains the solvent, resin, hardener?

The kit contains 500 g (equals 0.5 l) resin, enough hardener, and pigment (of your choice).
You will need to buy solvent at your local provider for chemicals.

7. How many animals (e.g. mouse, rat, rabbit etc.) can I cast with one kit?

On average, we use 5 g of resin for one mouse. Under optimal working conditions, the
kit will be allow to cast 100 mice.
For a rat we use 15 g of resin. For hole animal/organ a rule of thumb could be triple the
average blood volume. And, for larger animals a local intra-arterial casting may be
sufficient and render superior casts than complete-animal-casts.

8. I was wondering if it would be possible to buy the resin in smaller quantities?

Normally we do not provide smaller quantities of the resin because shipment costs
would exceed the prize of the kit.

9. I read that the PU4ii is autofluorescent. What is the purpose of offering a fluorescent
dye on your home page? Do I need a to add a fluorescence dye to observe fluorescence?

The PU has some autofluorescence, although weak, for certain application it is sufficient. To
enhance fluorescence and add specific fluorescence, we also offer two fluorescent pigments
which can be added instead of the regular pigments.

10. What can we do to prevent the needle of the syringe to come off the blood vessels.
Do you have any idea how to lock the needle in the appropriate position of blood vessels?

We inject mice and rats through the left ventricle and cut the right atrium.
The needle (Butterfly VENISYSTEMS with needle: 20 mm, OD 0.5 mm, ID 0.4mm) is either
held by a haemostatic clamp or glued with a drop of superglue.

11. Are there any modifications for microCT procedures?

For microCT you need to introduce radio opacity. No radio opaque material has been
found to mix to the resin without impairing its viscosity. Immersing the casts in osmium
solution are still the only solution. See Krucker et al 2006.

12. Can I pay by our credit card ? Can I pay by bank check?   I am having trouble transferring money from our bank to yours.

We can not accept bank checks! But you can pay by credit card ( Master Card and Visa accepted). We will need the following information:
Name of the card, number of the card, expiration date, and security code (on backside of the card).For security reasons you should subdivide this information in different email !

Please be aware that malicious software may be able to detect credit card information in an email. If you decide to use email, you may send the information as a graphics file (e.g., jpg, gif or tiff format).

Please note: Additional fees for shipping, custom fees and local taxes may be billed separately.

 

13. What do I need besides the polyurethane resin kit to be able to do perfect casts?

The PU resin needs to be mixed whit a solvent to obtain low viscosity. Best results where obtained when adding 30% Ethylmethlketone [EMK from MERCK: # 106014 (2-Butanon) puriss. or 2-Butanone from ACROS Organics #149670010]
The hardener has shortest shelf life and should be covered with dry gas XTEND-IT from SMOOTH-ON after each opening.

14. Can I order the PU kit through our purchasing department?

Yes, however, all orders have to be booked on our website (www.vasQtec.com) in order to properly process the mandatory Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) (see conditions from the University of Zuerich).