cnc microtome

I realize this is a bit of a weird one but here goes.

The reason I got into the 3D printing was to produce solid models of
CT scans of a honey bee I had done, all in the hope I can use the way
honey bee's work to inspire a mechanical design for a hovering vehicle.

CT has turned out to be good but it looses all colour information and
that can be handy to differentiate between parts of the insects joint
structure.

The answer is to use mechanical sectioning I think. I have found
literature where they embed tissue in paraffin wax and then cut it
slice by slice on a microtome, they take a picture of the cut surface
after every slice and use the series of images to construct a 3D model.

One problem with using a microtome is that we don't have one. The
second is synchronizing the camera with the moving specimen or
creating a suitable stop. What I do have are some really sturdy
linear stages complete with thk rails and 1mm lead ballscrews.

I'm thinking of a simple 2-axis machine, the vertical axis has the
blade holder and blade (available as spares). The horizontal axis
which would lie in the optical axis of the camera holds the specimen.

repeat
Blade comes down
Blade goes up
take picture
sample goes forward

The cut face never moves and this really helps the optical alignment.

This group has some weird characters, any of them used microtomes? I
can imagine I'm going to have to get the thing sturdy.

Cheers,

Graham