Business screen magazine (1946)

PRINTING: automation plus know-how. Exacting Standards in Color Duplication Are Maintained on These Machines Heart of the vacuum system which keeps entire lab dust-free is this Spencer Turbine machine. SPECIAL BUILDING EQUIPMENT THE Critical Role of vacuum dirt/dust removal in the printer stages of film processing is noted on these pages. Throughout the Byron laboratory, cleaniness is truly "next to Godliness." The entire structure is served by a central vacuum system similar to that used in modern hotels, avoiding the use of portable cleaners which tend to filter out larger pieces of material while returning dust to the air. Below decks, on the lower level, is another important service area housing the compressor room. In this space, two Nash 50 hp. compressors are set up — one runs continuously with an air-bypass should pressure become too great. The other Nash compressor is an emergency unit which automatically cuts-in if the pressure falls below a certain level. Compressed air is stored in a large tank, is then fed to the squeegees on the developing machines. The compressed air fed to the printers is first passed through an air dryer which removes all moisture. Another 20 hp. vacuum compressor and its accompanying storage tank supplies the vacuum squeegees for both developing machines and printers. • NEARLY 25 Years Ago, Byron designed an optical system for use in a standard continuous printer and became one of the first laboratories in the country to print color films. At the same time, the company set up exacting standards for color duplication and called this process "Color-Correct" — a phrase registered in the U.S. Patent Office. This quality tradition is evident in the first floor areas which house printer facilities on K Street. A typical printing room has two Bell & Howell "additive" color printers. At each printer location is an AC outlet, DC current for the printing lamp, three compressed air outlets, and one vacuum air outlet. Compressed and vacuum air, in addition to serving normal printing requirements, are used to operate squeegees on both raw stock and negative, blowing off any lint or dust, immediately drawing such material into the vacuum line. The printing rooms are, of course, in dark room light but white light can be switched without affecting any other area. Incidental the white light switches are seven-feet h and located on the right side of each d^ so there is no chance of turning them while raw stock is exposed. In addition to normal printing rooms, the new lab has t very large rooms, each of which is set up w an additive color printer with looping fac ties. On the other wall in each room is large Peterson color additive bi-directio panel printer capable of running 500-fe per-minute, printing picture and sound tn simultaneously (both forward and rever; so that rewinding or rethreading of negat and raw stock for each print is eliminated Another printing room houses the Del optical one-to-one printers and the DePue duction printers. This equipment also has Bell & Howell additive light source so that Byron timing can be done by one medium programmed tape. This area also has modest-size printer maintenance shop ak This Bell & Howell Color Additive Printer has been set up for "looping" (loop tree not in pho Nash 50 hp. air compressors and a nearby 20 hp, vacuum compressor which supply squeegees on both developing machines and the lab printers. BUSINESS SCREE