PiSmart lid-attached cassettes deliver peace of mind.

PiSmart lid-attached cassettes deliver peace of mind.

PiSmart lid-attached cassettes deliver consistent and reliable performance. Histotechnicians face increasing demands for high-quality specimen preparation, requiring high quality products that can support these demands. StatLab's PiSmart lid-attached cassettes were evaluated to ensure they meet the rigorous requirements of grossing, processing, embedding, and long-term storage—while maintaining ease of use.

Comprehensive Workflow Testing
PiSmart cassettes were tested across four customer sites with 200 cassettes evaluated through each step of the workflow, including printing, processing, embedding and sectioning. Cassettes were also tested for overall usability following their use in the workflow.

Lid Closure Integrity
Lid closure was evaluated both at StatLab’s facility and in real-world lab conditions using challenging biopsy cycles to ensure tissue retention.
Print Quality
Cassettes were printed on PiSmart printers and assessed for readability and scannability after traditional (Sakura VIP, Leica Peloris) and microwave (Milestone Logos) processing. At the embedding station, cassettes were tested on block trimmers to ensure patented pips protected the print face (see Figure 1). Pencil markings were also tested for legibility post-processing.
Figure 1.
Patented PiSmart Pips
Usability
Using the System Usability Scale (SUS), users rated cassette performance after use in daily workflows. Usability scores were recorded and then normalized on a 0-100 scale, with StatLab targeting the “excellent” range (85-100%).
Table 1.
Cassette Questions for System Usability Scale (SUS)
Table 2.
Cassette usability score for print quality across all workflow steps.
Table 3.
Scannability Across Workflow
Table 4.
Lid Closure Through Tissue Processing
Sectioning
Participants evaluated cassette stability during sectioning using their standard lab methods. Fit within the block holder was rated on a 6-point scale (1 = unacceptable to 6 = exceptional).Table 5. 
Sectioning – Cassette Stability
Table 6.
Usability Testing Results
Results
Performance variation in adhesion slides was apparent in IHC testing. Tonsil, widely considered to be a low-difficulty tissue, performed well with minimal failures. Variations in adhesion performance became more noticeable with medium-difficulty tissues like skin but was most substantial with high-difficulty tissues like breast. Failure rates due to tissue wash, folding, and separation were observed at medium-high rates of failure in SuperFrost+ and TOMO slides. Failure rates with KT5+ were the lowest recorded. (see Table 2).
Conclusion
After comprehensive and rigorous workflow testing, data indicated high usability and high functionality scores across each step of the workflow. Customers can be confident in robust performance and quality when using PiSmart cassettes with PiSmart printers.
REFERENCES
1. Brooke, J. (1986). “SUS: a “quick and dirty” usability scale”. In P.W. Jordan, B. Thomas, B.A. Weerdmeester, & A.L. McClelland (eds.). Usability Evaluation in Industry. London: Taylor and Francis

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