A Soft-Touch Surface Designed for Scratch-Free Motion-Picture Film Processing

A “soft-touch” surface is used on the film-bearing portion of processing rollers in order to accomplish motion-picture film processing with a minimum of process-attributable damage. The need for this development has come from the increased use of multirank 35mm and 16mm films such as 35/32, 35/S8 and 16/S8, the desire to process both 16mm and 35mm films in the same machine, and an increasing concern with soundtrack quality. Conventional processing spools cause edge abrasions or scratches. In the past this edge damage has not been a major problem, since it was outside the normal 35mm or 16mm picture area. The same degree of edge damage on many of the present multirank films would render a high percentage of the processed film unusable. — A multifingered rubber-like soft tire is placed on a flat spool, creating a uniform film-support surface consisting of many soft, flexible fingers. This fingered surface also provides support over the entire width of the film, thereby distributing machine tension and minimizing in-process fluting. These tires may be used to process any 35mm or 16mm format film, perforated or unperforated, in the same machine without physical damage or costly changeovers. U.S. Patent No. 3,493,161, assigned to the Eastman Kodak Co., has been granted on the tire described in this paper.

Print ISSN

0361-4573

Published

1970-08

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J00889