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April 1956
CINE TECHNICIAN
53
Humphries' New Laboratory
A number of exceedingly interesting features are incorporated in the colour developing and printing equipment of the new extension of George Humphries' Laboratories which went into production this month after the completion of a series of processing tests which lasted ten days.
The whole of the equipment was designed by members of the staff and nearly all of it was built in Britain. Many of the items were in fact manufactured in Humphries' own workshops.
One feature of the developing equipment that is of special interest is the system of bottom drive. The top rollers of the machine revolve freely on nylon bearings while the bottom rollers are driven through shaft gear from the main driving shaft. Under this system if at any time the film being processed becomes slack it drops off the bottom rollers and transmission through the various baths ceases until the slack has once more been taken up.
These processing machines comprise three sections, only one of which, the pre-developer, developer and stop, is in the dark. The second section comprises bleach, track application and final fixing and washing. The third, and last, section of the machines is the airconditioned drying cabinet which is
automatically controlled for relative temperature and humidity.
As a stand-by in case of electrical power failure there is a diesel generator designed to come into operation automatically so that the machine can be kept running without interruption.
The total length of each machine is 45 feet and the main chassis of each is split into two sections each of which can be raised by electrically driven gear out of the solution tanks for inspection and maintenance. Raising one of these sections to a height of eight feet takes thirty seconds.
The lower part of the processing machines projects downwards into the basement and here, too, are housed the bulk chemical mixing tanks and their equipment. All these mixing tanks have hot and cold water supply, heat exchangers and automatic stirrers, Control of the working temperature of solutions is automatically maintained to within plus or minus half a degree. All solutions are continuously filtered during processing.
The complete installation will comprise five Eastman Colour processing machines, each operating at a speed of 90 feet per minute. Humphries also have one 35mm. negative Eastman Colour machine and one 35mm. positive Eastman
Colour machine which have been in operation for the past two years.
The new colour production printing room can house seven highspeed fully automatic colour
CHEMICAL ROOM
printers. Sodium vapour lamps have been installed which give a much higher level of light intensity for the benefit of operators. The sound and picture subtractive printers, with a capacity of 90ft. per minute were designed and built by Humphries engineers under the supervision of the Chief Engineer, Mr. J. L. Stuart.
M.C.