The semiautomatic processor most commonly used in Navy imaging facilities is the Image Maker, manufactured by the King Concept Corporation (fig. 10-20). When this type of processor is used, film and paper are processed in a lighttight canister. Before being processed, the material must first be loaded on stainless steel reels for roll film or in a plastic basket for sheet film or paper. Depending on the setup of the processor, the holding tanks are either filled with chemicals manually, or they may be filled automatically. The solutions are then automatically added to and dumped from the processing drum. The time, temperature, and solution steps are all controlled by a computer. After the material is processed, it is then removed from the drum, squeegeed, and dried.

The advantages of a rotary drum processor is it is of relatively low cost, small in size, and can run many different processes through the same machine. The major disadvantage is that the chemicals are dumped instead of replenished which is not environmentally sound and can be costly.

ROLLER TRANSPORT PROCESSOR

Automatic processors commonly use roller transport systems (fig. 10-21). When you are using these machines, the material being processed moves at a constant speed by friction. The materials are guided through the processing solutions by a series of rollers and rack assemblies. On many processors, a leader tab must be attached to the beginning of the roll to aid in pulling the film through the machine.

The size of the solution tanks and the length of the path through the solution determine how long the material must remain in each solution (processing time). On some automatic processors, the finished, dried, processed material leaves the processor and is then automatically cut and sorted.

Roller transport processors contain two major sections: the wet section and the dryer section. The wet section contains the developer, fixer, and wash tanks. The film is then transported through a squeegee assembly and enters the dryer.

Many different types of processors are used throughout the Navy. Each type has specific installation,

Figure 10-21. Roller transport processor.

operation, and maintenance instructions supplied with it. Therefore, in this section only general information that applies basically to any machine processor is discussed.