Hey, it’s me, Destin. Welcome back to Smarter Every Day. [KA-CHUNK, KA CHUNK] [JET ENGINE NOISES] [CHU-KUH, CHU-KUH] [KER-FLOP] [DING!] We’re at the Kodak Film Factory in Rochester, New York. It’s amazing that we get to film in the plant and learn how Kodak photography film is made. This is the third of three videos.

In the first video, we looked at the backing and the incredible engineering involved in taking plastic pellets, melting them in a special auger, extruding them, stretching them out, and cooling them over a continuous process. We also learned about an accumulator, a clever arrangement of pulleys that spread out to collect material in the production line, so that the process never has to stop.

In the second video, we took a wide roll and applied a light-sensitive coating with a laminar flow waterfall. We also learned about the special kettles in the basement used to make the layers and that everything is done in the dark. After the coating is applied, it has to go through a mile of conveyance still in the dark, and nineties-era robots are used to move it around.

At the end of the second video, we had a light-sensitive film in big light-proof boxes called caskets. Now, we have to figure out how to cut it up so that it’s small enough to put into a camera. This process is called slitting, and we have to also put sprocket holes in it. After that, we have to build a can and put the film in it. Then, we have to put the can in a box.

I’m very excited to share this process with you. Most importantly, remember that the film we will be dealing with already has the light-sensitive coating on it, so we have to keep everything in the dark until the shutter is allowed to open [shutter click] and expose the image. I will also be taking film photos [click] throughout the process, so we get to see the [click] Kodak process filmed [click] on Kodak film.

We’re going to start at the slitter and meet Tim, the operator. He can do this with his eyes shut. The film comes in from coating in a wide roll form 54 inches, and the cover lifter takes the cover off the casket. The roll is checked and then it is automatically loaded onto the slitter. This slitter can slit 12,000 feet, and one of these large caskets holds 12,000 feet.

We’re going to meet Patrick, a young engineer who has been spending the last few years learning this process. He’ll walk us through every step. Let’s get started! Destin: And it’s about five feet per 35 millimeter roll. Is that right, did I get that right?

Tim: Yeah.

Destin: That’s right. All right. So this is Patrick. Patrick’s an engineer.

Patrick: Nice to meet ya.

Destin: Doing all right?

Tim: This is the unwind. So we put it on the unwind, thread it up. There’ll be a leader in the machine.

Destin: Is this PET or is this acetate? This is Estar.

Destin: Okay, Estar. Got it.

Tim: Yes. So you’ve got your two banks. You got your even and your odd bank. This is a 35 millimeter slitter only.

Destin: So you have tension on one side on the whole sheet, which is right here. This is a whole sheet going.

Tim: Everything’s got tension.

Destin: Everything’s got tension?

Tim: Yeah. These are pulling tensions. See these spinning?

Destin: They’re spinning right now? Oh wow!

Tim: Yes. Yeah.

Destin: Okay. So is this actually moving leader through right now?

Tim: No.

Destin: Okay.

Patrick: I have clutches underneath those pullers.

Destin: Directional clutches.

Patrick: Yeah.

Destin: Oh, that’s how you maintain tension?

Patrick: Yes.

Destin: Gotcha. Okay, I’m with you. That’s cool. So, you know, Tim, you know everything about this machine?

Tim: More than anyone else.

Destin: Yeah? So is Tim, is Tim the guy?

Patrick: He’s the guy.

Destin: So are you an engineer? What’s your title?

Tim: No, I’m just an operator.

Destin: I didn’t mean to offend you by calling you an engineer. So he’s an engineer. So you’re basically teaching him?

Patrick: Yes. Oh, yeah.

Destin: Yeah. That’s how that works, isn’t it? Like every manufacturing job I’ve ever been in, the operators teach the engineers. That’s the way it works. That’s awesome.

Tim: So you’ve got, you know, that’s the even when you got the odd bank over there. So this is basically the the odd bank, they’re all stuck down and then you got your salvage edges going to the

Destin: Recycle?

Tim: Those are just waste.

Destin: And so you go get the silver out of that somewhere.

Tim: Yes. Yeah.

Destin: Okay. And that’s where they knurled that over on the estar line.

Tim: Correct.

Destin: So since this the slitting machine is so big, we can only see it in pieces. This is what we’re looking at as a whole. We get a big roll of film unwinding and being fed into the machine. It goes up and over and down to a series of blades that slit and send half the film to the odd side and half of the film to the even side to be rolled up. The edges are trimmed off and then sent over to a bin so they can be recycled. So up until this process, you know, after we did the photosensitive coating, everybody’s been worried about touching that side. But here it looks like I’ve got a roller. That is it coming in contact here on the other side?

Patrick: Yup, yeah. So we touch the emulsion in this, in this building only, mainly, because it’s actually dried at this point. Right. By the time it gets to us, it’s no longer just a wet, wet emulsion, it’s got some stiffness to it. So we’re, we’re allowed to actually roll and wind on that side.

Destin: So do you have night vision goggles in here?

Tim: Yes.

Destin: Okay. That’s how you have to do it.

Tim: Yeah. Ummm I really don’t use them.

Patrick: No.

Destin [with surprise in his voice]: What?!

Tim: I’ve been working in the dark for almost 30 years, so it’s it’s nothing. So, you can actually see fairly decent. I could see him in the dark, but you go over to a K3 Slitter where they do that film there, you know, the 135 that…You know, you can’t see me from me to you.

Destin: So what is our final product from this room? We are sending out rolls of film that have been slit into even and odd parts. The rolls are 12,000 feet long and the handling system is automated. We can see the web moving through the window and there is a tension control system to keep the web centered. The web then goes through the knives and then up to the rewinds. The rewinds fill up both sides with the 35 millimeter film. Once the 500 feet rolls down, a vacuum splice is used with double sided splice tape to join the leader and the film. The tape has white markers on it so it can be seen. Destin asked Tim if he could understand the confusion on his face, to which Tim replied yes and explained that it all made sense once he saw it. Patrick then walked Destin a few steps away to where they had a huge assembly, the slitting machine blades. They discussed how the film runs straight through the shear cutter and then around the lower roller, making around 100 degrees of contact before it gets out. Destin thanked Patrick for the explanation and mentioned that the episode of Smarter Every Day was sponsored by Nord VPN. My grandfather had a clever way of preventing salesmen from making assumptions about what he could afford - he would wear an old, tattered shirt when he went to buy something. Recently, I discovered a similar trick that can be done with VPNs. Websites can track your IP address and change prices based on where they think you’re from. For example, Microsoft Office is offered for $100 in the US, while in Colombia, it’s only $77. Adobe Creative Cloud is $1,000 in the US, but $198 in Colombia. This is a great use of a VPN, and you can get a good deal on a two year plan with four months free at NordVPN.com/smarter. With NordVPN, you can connect up to six devices and access thousands of servers in 59 different countries. You can even double VPN for extra security. If you’re not happy with it, there’s a 30 day money back guarantee. Destin: Really. Matt: So yeah. Destin: So this is where you put the core over here? Matt: Well, to be honest with you, what happens is this door here would be open. As you said, we’re in a dark environment. This door would be open. There’s an arm that will reach into the rack, bring the roll in and automatically load it. Destin: Okay. Matt: Then this arm comes down. It puts all the computer information that we need to produce this roll. Destin: How does how does the arm know the computer information? Matt: Well it downloads from the actual rack. Destin: Okay, got it. Matt: There’s a card on the rack. Destin: Got it. Matt: That’ll be read and then its sent into the computer. It’s going to know that it’s a 2000 foot wall. 4000 foot or 6000 foot. Destin: Okay. Matt: The customer has different demand and it’s also going to tell it what print to put on there. Destin: This looks very complicated. Matt: That’s just the nuts and bolts of it is it’s very complicated. But for an operator’s point of view, it’s really not that difficult. Destin: Okay. Matt: There’s only a couple of interactions I actually have with the machine. Everything else is automated. Destin: Can you show me what they are? Matt: Yeah. What I’m gonna do. So this is exactly how the roll would have been loaded in under a dark environment. So as an operator, I’m going to take this tape off because we don’t want that. So this chopped it. And what we want is a rounded edge because we don’t want to damage the heart. Destin: Okay, So a rounded edge and so it’s a very specific Matt: very specific cut Destin: Oh, a rounded edge. Yeah, okay, got it. Matt: We don’t want this going through the heart on the other end. Destin: Okay. Matt: Because of the chance when it splices through it will damage the heart. Destin: So that was a vacuum right there. Matt: Yeah.holding it down Destin: So, so that’s the back side of the film. So you don’t scratch it. Matt: Exactly. Destin: So on, on the roll, where’s the photosensitive part? It’s on the inside? Matt: This is the emulsion. Yes. And this is a support. Destin: Okay. Matt: The outside of the support. Destin: Gotcha. Matt: So now I’d pull this knife off, there’d be a balance. I’d throw that out. Destin: Okay. Matt: And it keeps me from overlapping the film. So I butt that up to the knife. I’m going to reset it now. I take a piece of tape and you want it in the center of the film. You don’t want it being perforated. Destin: Okay. Matt: So now I’m going to take this. Destin: You don’t want the tape to be perforated because it’ll mess up your punch. Matt: It’s very, It could be. Our tape could get stuck on the heart and caused damage. There’s a number of things that could happen. Destin: Gotcha. Matt: So now I’ll take the slack out. and I’m going to send the film through. Destin: Where should I be looking right now? Matt: That’s well all this, you got. This arm moving. The film is going to kick through this end and it’s predetermined to make sure that I get the tape off so this this board comes out the knife will cut the film so that I have all the tape through the machine. Gotcha. And then this would be what we call a scratch test end. Every roll that we run, we’ll have a scratch test end that I would send to the tube system Destin: uh huh. Matt: That goes to the quality lab, and the inspector will verify that it meets our standards. Destin: _Got it. So. So what this machine is Matt: “Normally the door would close. So now I’m going to start the machine.”
Destin: “All right, So. So where should I be looking?”
Matt: “So this is where it’s going to wind up. It’s going to unwind from the backend and it’s going to wind up here.”
Destin: “Okay, Sounds good.”
[Machine starts up] [Air hissing]
Destin: “Got it.” [Whirrling sounds as it speeds up] “That’s really fast Matt.”
Matt: “It runs up to 3000 feet a minute.”
Destin: “That’s really fast.”
Matt: “Yeah. We used to run 100 feet a minute on the old style machine.”
Destin: “So this really increased productivity.”
Matt: “Yeah, Greatly. Greatly. We’ve been doing it this way for about 20 years. 25 years.”
Destin: “Did you run it on 100 feet per minute system?”
Matt: “I still do, some products. We still have to run that way.”
Destin: “Can you show me where the holes go?”
Matt: “Oh, you mean the perforation? This right here. And the spinning. So this is the actual punch drum this is the die drum.”
Destin: “Okay.”
Matt: “So as it rotates it’s pushing the perforations.”
Destin: “I see it right here.”
Matt: “Yeah. And the film that’s ejected goes into the heart and gets vacuumed out. Through this exhaust tube.”
Destin: “So. So if I had a high speed camera, I would see little holes of film going that way.”
Matt: “Yeah. Is this is clear. Yeah. You’d see the vacuum taking them out.”
Destin: “Is there a bucket of those holes somewhere?”
Matt: “Right around the wall I can show you after we’re done.”
Destin: “Okay. Sounds good. So can you. Can you run this? So we’re done.”
Matt: “Yeah.”
Destin: “We slurped like a spaghetti noodle. We slurped the end of the film up right?”
Matt: “Exactly.”
Destin: “Okay, so that that roll is done. So at this point, how do you take the core off?”
Matt: “Now, if this was actual production I wouldn’t. What would happen is, this arm right here. You see, there’s a core there. This arm comes down. It takes the empty core, comes back to the retracted position. While that’s going on the manipulator arm is bringing in my next full roll of film.”
Destin: “That’s awesome.”
Matt: “So, yeah, I don’t. I don’t touch anything on this end.”
Destin: “Gotcha.”
Matt: “It’s all automatic.”
Destin: “So what on this machine do you worry about? Is there something that typically messes up?”
Matt: “Uh, not usually.”
Destin: “That’s impressive.”
Matt: “There’s, you might get an unusual occurrence once in a great while, but they’re they’re very reliable.”
Destin: “That’s impressive. So how many of these do you guys have?”
Matt: “We have these two here, and then we have seven on the other side.”
Destin: “Seven on the other side. Yeah, we used to have 28, but because film isn’t quite as popular as it used to be, it’s picking back up.”
Matt: “No, I love it. I love it.”
Destin: “Do you like your job?”
Matt: “Oh, I love it. I love, I started 26 years ago and obviously going through all the changes we’ve gone through, I’m really surprised to still be here.”
Destin: “Yeah.”
Matt: “A lot of us never anticipated that with all the bad news you know.”
Destin: “Are you seeing production go up?”
Matt: “Yeah, it seems to be headed that way. Cause we were, actually been working some overtime. We hear about all the directors out in Hollywood. That still love film.”
Destin: “I still shoot film.”
Matt: “Yeah, no friends of mine. Same thing that when you go upstairs they still shoot 120 and, and I’m a big music fan so I still got record albums They’re coming back.”
Destin: " So that’s the vacuum chamber.And then you have the the the die holder.And then you have the the punch holder.And then you have the the die punch.And then you have the the actuator that that moves it up and down.

Dude! So that’s how much film we’ve run. That’s amazing. All of it - all those little perforations. And that’s silver - there’s silver in that. Exactly - so we recycle it to recover the silver. So once it comes out here, it’s in the light. So this is you just - you just recycle the whole thing. Can I get a picture with you in there, Matt?

Matt said, “Oh, sure.” [shutter click] Patrick said, “So I’m sure he told you, right? That middle bit that’s actually making the perforations. We call that the heart, right?”

D said, “No, he didn’t tell me that.” Patrick said, “Okay, so… I will say that the operator, Matt, he seemed to not have a big concern about that, which tells me that the engineers are doing their job right.”

Patrick continued, “Yeah, there is a lot of technology going into developing that system right, 3000 feet a minute. It is not, not slow when you’re perforating at those speeds. There’s a lot of extra things that you have to start thinking about, right?”

D said, “Okay.” Patrick said, “I mean, when you’re up at 3000 feet a minute, you’re thinking about harmonics now.” D said, “Yes.” Patrick said, “Right, vibrations, harmonics, tensions are really important. So we’re actually sneaking through the maintenance shop here because we’ve got a lot of the hearts on display here. And here’s one kind of, kind of cut open.”

D said, “Oh wow… Oh yeah.” Patrick said, “So, the face plate of the machines here and just this little bit is sticking out.” D said, “Okay.” Patrick said, “And we’ve got all the hoses and stuff hooked up to the front here for the vacuums. And one reason why we nickname it the heart, because we have an oil mist in here.”

D said, “Okay.” Patrick said, “And when it’s running, it’s got the nice red oil flowing through it like a heart one.” D said, “Those are just straight involute teeth, aren’t they?” Patrick said, “Yep.”

D said, “That’s interesting. So can I sit down in this chair?” Patrick said, “Yes.” D said, “And kind of engage with this.” Patrick said, “This is really, really high precision stuff.”

D said, “Okay, so I’m seeing. So you’ve got set screws here.” Patrick said, “Yes.” D said, “That are positioning each individual hole.” Patrick said, “Yeah. So the lower sets, they’re called the dies. And up at the top is the punches, right. So we’ve got a punch and die operation.”

D said, “Can I turn it?” Patrick said, “Uhhh, yes.” D said, “You think so?” Patrick said, “Yes.” D said, “Okay, so. So I grab it here. Okay. That’s a free wheeler, so I should be able to. Yeah. Look at that. Okay, so. So this is just a one to one.” Patrick said, “Yup.”

D said, “I feel no mechanical interaction whatsoever.” Patrick said, “Nope, yeah so it’s actually a through hole.” D said, “So basically here’s my knife. So this hole has to move left and right up and down in order to index with the punch that corresponds with it. And is there, do you know how many there are on the wheel?” Patrick said, “96.”

D said, “There’s 96. And so those are paired.” Patrick said, “Yep.” D said, “And they’re tuned as a pair.” Patrick said, “Correct.” D said, “How long does it take to tune them?” Patrick said, “Months.”

D said, “Months to tune one heart?” Patrick said, “Yep.” D said, “Are you serious?” Patrick said, “Yes.” D said, “Well, I have so many things I want to ask you. Um, How is it driven? There’s a big motor out this way.” Patrick said, “Yep, Yep. So got a serve on the serve on the.”

D said, “Direct drive?” Patrick said, “Direct drive.” D said, “Yeah. That’s incredible. I’m noticing the the slots on the inside. So you have a channel that has Wow. I’m just now appreciating this part. Someone working on this is going through here, with a vacuum ring on the non photo sensitive side, putting dies in one at a time and aligning them. It’s incredible to think of all the posts being aligned and this thing running at 3000 feet per minute. This part has 96 sets of four threaded holes and it cost tens of thousands of dollars - that’s amazing! You can look through the die up at a punch and rock it back and forth on a very important jig to make sure it’s sheared but not in contact. Everything’s a special tool. Donovan showed me how to cut the large metal sheets into strips which would later become canisters. We visually inspected each strip and I was amazed at how fast he was. We then walked around the corner and Donovan showed me a machine that was making the little metal end caps for the film canisters. Patrick then showed us how a big press bends and cuts the strips at the same time and how a velvet accumulator adds velvet to the strips without a pulley. Finally, they cut the velvet separately so it doesn’t get connected between the strips. That’s so cool.

Destin was amazed by the process of making a film can. He asked Sermin, the operator of the machine, to show him how it works. Sermin explained that the rolls of film are hung in the A cabinet and the end caps are put in the dial. The lid is then put on the can and the whole can is put on a conveyor belt. The can then travels to the adjacent room, where all the components come together and the can is sealed with a light lock. Destin was amazed by the process and said, “Oh, look at that. That’s so cool.” Patrick then explains the machine to me, and it is so complicated that we would benefit from seeing it work first and then discussing what’s happening. We start with a piece of tape applied to a small plastic spool that will be in the center of the film can. The film is then taped to the spool and quickly rolled up, before being cut. The can is then placed over the rolled up film, and an end cap is placed on top to make it light tight. Rhythmic clicking and clacking can be heard as the can is moved into position. My name is Rich and I’m here to explain the final packaging process of 35 millimeter film. After the film can is dropped in the plastic case, a gray lid pops on the top and it is pushed down as it advances forward. The can then goes through a tube up over the spooler and out into the white line where the packing lines are. After that, it goes through a 3P package line and is formally packaged in several different formats. An inspector then checks the carton print for expiration and the proper amount of packages are put in the box with the label. The case then goes through the taping machine and is stacked on a pallet. Finally, the carton is opened with a little arm and five spools are loaded into the carton. This is then checked with metal detectors to ensure that the can is ferrous. [Op3] Yes, everybody here is very nice.We all work together as a team and it’s a great atmosphere.Everyone here is very helpful and it’s a great place to work.

Destin has been visiting a packaging company to see their production line. He has been talking to the operators and learning about the process. The machine has to have at least five boxes for it to work, otherwise it will stop and the individual has to come to the station and remove it. There is a top kicker that looks identical to the bottom kicker and it bends the flap down. The emulsion number and expiration date are printed on the side of the package and the flap is glued in position at the next station. The rails will compress it together for a few seconds and then it is checked with lights to make sure the flap isn’t up. It is then ejected with a suction cup and inspected by the packaging operator. The boxes are placed on the pallet and the labels are sticking out. The operator has been working there for four months and he is the youngest. He is hoping to work his way up and the other operator has been there for 43 years and enjoys working with everyone. It was great meeting Rich and the rest of the team at the Kodak plant in Rochester, New York. Rich was kind enough to help me understand the 35mm film process and take a picture with his team. We had a good laugh together and I’m grateful for the experience.

If you enjoyed this tour, consider going out and shooting some film yourself. You can also support my work by signing up for the email list at Smarter Every Day dot com or at Patreon dot com slash smarter every day.

Thanks for watching and have a great day!