Film coating machine (homemade) on Flickr

[Emulsion]

Photos of a homemade film coating machine. Click on the thumbnails for bigger pictures.
This is not mine... I just noticed the photographs.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dark_or...7603226919391/

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Photos of an abandoned Kodak plant.
Paper driers
http://www.flickr.com/photos/katalog...n/photostream/

Chemical mixing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/katalog...n/photostream/

[AgX]

Thanks!

That really looks sound. I'd like to have such a maschine...

I wonder how the four-layer coating is done. By four seperate runs or by using another type of coating head than that through?

Sorry, I have to correct myself. I was misled by that `coating´ photo. It is not a through technique applied, but rather that `stream-over-blade´ technique.

[Steve Smith]

Excellent. And I love the use of wood in engineering products!

Originally Posted by AgX

I wonder how the four-layer coating is done. By four seperate runs or by using another type of coating head than that through?

If my memory of the Ilford factory tour is correct, that is a cascade coater. It is possible to inject several emulsions at the same time which flow over each other before coating the film with multi-layers. The one in the link looks like it is set up for a single emulsion at the moment though.

The text does say that this is a prototype head so perhaps there are plans to make a multi-layer coating head.

This looks similar in size to the pilot machine Ilford use to test batches of emulsion before running it on their full size machine - which is huge!


Steve.

[rmazzullo]

Well, since it is now clear that someone has created a coating machine (2 years ago!!), that miniaturized automated emulsion making can't be too far behind. Combine both of these ideas in your basement (automated emulsion making and film coating), and multiply that by however many you care to imagine, and you might start a new "mini-micro custom film maker" phenomenon.

I would love to see some examples of the results. Especially considering the number of layers that were coated (see the 4th photo in the series).

Better yet, I would love to see technical details of the machine, particualrly the multi-layer coater. And many close up photos, of course.

After seeing this technological flight of fancy take to the air, why on earth should I stop at manual methods of emulsion making?

Very, very nice indeed.

Bob M.

(edit) Actually, seeing the photos of the coating machine is giving me plenty of construction ideas. Too bad I threw away my erector set I guess I can always use Legos.

[AgX]

Originally Posted by Steve Smith

If my memory of the Ilford factory tour is correct, that is a cascade coater. It is possible to inject several emulsions at the same time which flow over each other before coating the film with multi-layers. The one in the link looks like it is set up for a single emulsion at the moment though.

That's why I did not call it cascade. It would make no sense with only one emulsion. However, if that DIY-coater would stack several throughs onto that blade...

[rmazzullo]

What I would like to know is how do the separate emulsion layers stay separate during the coating phase?

Are there additives in each particular emulsion layer that prevent mixing (different specific gravity)?

Or is it that you can just layer one emulsion on top of another, providing you chill the emulsion stack very soon afterwards that the layers remain separate before mixing has a chance to occur?

Did we cover this already in this forum in another thread perhaps?

Thanks,

Bob M.

[Steve Smith]

Originally Posted by rmazzullo

Or is it that you can just layer one emulsion on top of another, providing you chill the emulsion stack very soon afterwards that the layers remain separate before mixing has a chance to occur?

There are a few patents for this. This one: http://www.google.com/patents?id=i0M...cascade+coater
shows the coating head in cross section and shows the individual coatings staying in layers.

The text on page four explains that the layers do not mixduring coating.

Steve.

[David A. Goldfarb]

That's very impressive.

[Captain_joe6]

I think PhotoEngineer needs one of these. Let's all pitch in $1 and get him one for christmas, so that he build his own film manufacturing empire and supply us all.

[rmazzullo]

Originally Posted by Steve Smith

There are a few patents for this. This one: http://www.google.com/patents?id=i0M...cascade+coater
shows the coating head in cross section and shows the individual coatings staying in layers.

The text on page four explains that the layers do not mixduring coating.

Steve.

Thanks Steve, this is very interesting...

Bob M.