Agfa-Gevaert commitment to film production

[cmacd123]

AGFA Grevert Film capabilities:

The belgan plant only makes polyester base film as far as I know, the Leverkusen plant made acetate. I don't think that you can just switch the base without doing other changes to the film.

[PHOTOTONE]

Originally Posted by cmacd123

AGFA Grevert Film capabilities:

The belgan plant only makes polyester base film as far as I know, the Leverkusen plant made acetate. I don't think that you can just switch the base without doing other changes to the film.

The Gevaert plant in Belgium was making top quality film long, long before polyester was ever invented. Of course you have to make adjustments, but I have total confidence that if Gevaert saw a market, they could easily product film coated on acetate base.

[AgX]

Primarily this would be a matter of subbing layer, which however could induce a chain of implications.

But Agfa produced in the past Agfapan films as well on acetate as on polyester (the S-versions).

Furthermore I don't get the point (I'm slow on the intake): why should a manufacturer coating on polyester switch back to acetate?

[PHOTOTONE]

Originally Posted by AgX

Primarily this would be a matter of subbing layer, which however could induce a chain of implications.

But Agfa produced in the past Agfapan films as well on acetate as on polyester (the S-versions).

Furthermore I don't get the point (I'm slow on the intake): why should a manufacturer coating on polyester switch back to acetate?

I can think of no good reason.

[Photo Engineer]

You cannot make the different supports on the same equipment as they use different making procedures. Once made, the two film supports cannot be coated with emulsion on the same equipment. You need different subbing or electrostacic processes on each machine. The electrostatic device requires a complex light trap to prevent fogging the film as it produces heavy UV and the emulsion must be capable of taking to the support which is charged.

With an electrostatic device, you also have to have a complex discharge machine to dissipate the charge so as to avoid static fog while coating at high speed.

If the plant is built for both, then there is no problem, otherwise it takes $$$.

This does not even account for the different grades of film such as 2mil, 5 mil and 7 mil. The machine must have variable tensioning for these.

This is a very very simplified picture of the various problems. If the plant is built for them all, then there is no problem.

PE