Radiographic processing is necessary for the 

production of the useful visible image.

It links exposure to interpretation and 

influences quality.

This short history of processors shows development 

of equipment from the time of manual processing 

through automatic hanger transport systems to 

modern automatic radiographic processors.

One way to illustrate theory or to bring 

it home to make it easy to understand might be to 

consider the development of the equipment that was 

produced to support the theory in question.

In this case radiographic processing,

we know that processing specifically the 

developer converts the latent image into the 

visible image.

It takes the latent image,

which is a few atoms and black metallic 

silver resulting from an initial 

exposure.

And that this quantity of silver is not 

useful.

We can't see our images hidden as such or latent 

image.

And this image must be amplified 

uh over a million times into a 

more useful image.

A greater quantity of silver.

This is the function of the developer.

The developer undergoes an oxidation reduction 

reaction.

So the function of processing is convert the 

latent image into the visible image.

And we know that the function of processing 

is controlled by the theory of processing 

which provides a set of 

conditions under which this development or process 

processing or development undergoes or 

does its work specifically.

We have a relationship of time and temperature 

to a given chemical activity.

We have the time of development,

we have the temperature of development.

These need to be controlled for consistency,

consistent quality.

They need to be controlled to help us to generate a 

given level quality unto 

itself or to alter the quality.

So there's many aspects to this time 

temperature and activity relationship.

But keep in mind that we can indeed 

say that the one way to process 

for consistent quality is the maintenance of 

the time temperature activity 

method of processing.

This allows us to alter the time 

temperature or activity one at a time or we 

could alter all three to achieve a 

different level of quality.

Or we can alter one or all of these 

units in an effort to 

modify the processing to 

uh somehow affect a quality change 

and increase or decrease in density.

Or basically a speed shift sense 

symmetrically.

Or we might alter the contrast level.

Now of course processing has been around since 

the days of 

the inception of radiography.

And yet the automatic processor has only been with us some 

17,

18 years.

So that's very new.

And of course radiology as such as a science is 

relatively new in the field of medicine.

So let's go back and we will consider 

just how processing developed 

in the light of its equipment that's used with it.

We might first begin with manual processing 

situation and that's not really too different from 

automatic situation.

We start off with the exposed film being 

placed in chemical tanks,

developer fixer wash and then finally it's 

dried the average processor will have 

a wet compartment and then the dryer 

in manual processing.

The dryer of course would be separated away from the wet 

solutions.

But basically this is a concept.

The chemistry system of processing involves 

a developer fixer and wash at least these 

three steps In the first 

manual processing situation.

And this is often called deep tanks,

which is erroneous because uh they could be deep tanks or 

shallow tanks.

It could be one gallon to 25 gallon 

processing tanks.

But these are manual processing tanks because they 

require manual agitation,

manual time control.

Uh while temperature is uh to a degree 

automatic,

it must also be monitored prior to the actual development 

phase.

In this particular system we have two separate tanks 

is outlined by the black band around each 

age we start off on the left hand tank,

we have a water inlet and the water is temperature 

controlled and it flows around these separate 

tanks.

The tanks being stainless steel or a rubberized 

material will control the temperature of the 

chemicals in the tanks.

First,

we start with the developer from the 

developer of the film will be removed.

And of course we have to remember two things.

One,

we have a time temperature activity relationship in the 

developer so much time when the film's immersed in 

the developer with agitation at a certain 

temperature.

Of course developer is of a certain activity level.

Also next,

the film,

once it's removed is usually drained and here 

again we see the second point to remember is the fact that 

while that chemistry is being drained off from the film,

there is some development going on.

So we need to remember that that should be included in the 

total development time or 

take steps not told it in the air to 

allow Ariel oxidation and further development in 

the air,

but immediately remove it from the developer and place it into a 

shortstop or directly into a first rinse or 

fixer bath going back.

We see that we have a stop bath.

The stop bath could be a water bath.

It could be simply this water here we have for 

temperature control.

More specifically,

a stop bath is often called a shortstop and 

it's usually an acid.

Now there are two functions for the stop bath.

One is to uh first neutralize the 

developer being an acid.

It very rapidly neutralizes the developer remaining on the 

film and within the film,

the stop bath also prevents 

the carry out of the developer into the fixer 

tank because if developers carried into the fixer 

tank,

certainly the fixture,

which is also an acid will neutralize developer.

But the fixer in turn would be further diluted by 

this waste material.

It would be deluded and thereby less 

active after a period of time.

So to protect the fixer we use the stop bath 

or first rinse or as I said,

it could be called a shortstop 

if we go on over to the wash tank and the 

wash has a chemical function in that it removes 

all of the chemicals that are remaining.

We noticed first of all that it's just a great big tank divided 

in half and it says a cascade wash tank.

That simply means that we have active water flow.

And this is a classical example 

that we find throughout all the photography.

The water will move in here all the way to the 

left at the water inlet and the water flows 

up over this dam or 

weir and then eventually it will come down 

and up and out at this point.

So it is flowing counter to the 

passage of the film through these tanks.

This is called the counter current flow of 

wash water and this counter 

current flow provides for the 

dirty water.

Two be present where the film enters.

Of course the film is loaded with fixer anyway,

so immediately the fixer is flushed out of the film 

is removed,

is taken down the drain.

Uh Next we have the film moved into the 

cleaner and cleaner water,

and finally,

after the film is fully washed,

it exits where the water is the cleanest.

So in effect it's actually rinsing off the surface of the 

film.

So we have a very clean film and the minimal amount 

of water spots or chemical debris 

left on the film.

So this then is a counter current flow to affect the 

very best washing system.

This system of counter current flow or a modification of 

it Has been maintained in 

all the automatic processors down through the last 

17 or 18 years and there is but one 

exception to this flow and it happens to use a 

concurrent flow.

But the conditions that are unique to an 

automatic processor that would allow a 

concurrent flow or a change from this 

basic idea of the counter current flow or 

manifest in the fact that we have much improved 

films.

Uh certainly the polyester film base 

which will pick up less moisture,

retain less chemicals,

less shrinkage and adjustments to its 

size and condition.

Uh Modern,

high activity chemicals and things of this 

nature.

So basically what we have here in this 

manual system of developer 

shortstop fixer and wash has been 

maintained in all of processing.

It's just been modified or refined and 

mechanized.

So we might first of all begin and say,

well when did the first mechanization come in?

Actually back in the middle forties or late forties.

We have the first of the automated 

manual systems and that's more 

descriptive than technically accurate,

in that they took the manual processing system that you 

see here and they adapted to it,

an automatic processor.

This is the PICO corporations 

processor and it is a manual 

System Insofar as its tanks.

It's time factors,

its temperature factors,

but the movement of the film is done automatically 

and it was called the PICO Model 

14 film machine.

We can see hangers.

The hangers of course are manually loaded.

The hangers are placed into a compartment and then the machinery 

will pick up a hanger,

move it first into the developer tank.

Now,

once this is lowered down,

then a second conveyor system moves it on a timed 

basis through the chemistry.

And then at that end of that sequence it's lifted back up 

and then inserted into the shortstop and 

so forth.

And down here we have the dryer chamber.

Keep in mind that this small improvement,

it's not small in that this is a very large 

processor,

it's extremely large and bulky.

But the adaptation from 

manual processing to an automated 

manual system,

it was quite a step forward in that it provided a 

better degree of consistency.

Here is a machine that provides consistent 

time.

Whereas many people,

not all but many people in the good old 

days as such would manually 

process by site development.

They would discard a time temperature 

relationship,

but they would look at the film and they would 

agitate they would time until they 

achieved a certain density and that certain 

density was usually chosen as what they thought was wanted 

by the radiologist more so than what was technically 

accurate or needed.

Uh This way they didn't have to be quite so 

careful with exposures.

But now we have an automated processor,

a machine that eliminates the human variable 

or the human uh poor intentions 

and it produces a consistent time and this is the 

first step to provide consistent quality.

Next,

if we go to a greater in detail,

look at this particular machine,

we can see the inside,

this machine had its own 

agitation.

It had nice large tanks and 

everything pretty much lend itself to quality.

Here we see the racks being lowered down and then of course 

it would be moved through the chemistry at the end,

lifted back up.

So this is uh an automated 

system as such and it was still being 

used in many localities until uh 

The early 1960s.

It used to be true of the 

layout of a manual darkroom system that you made 

very certain that you placed the manual tanks because they 

were messy and they were smelly and water 

invariably was splashed around,

you placed these messy tanks away from at the 

opposite end of the dark room from your loading benches,

your film,

bend your sorting and so forth.

With the advent of the automatic processor.

The units were much smaller and 

because everything was contained within this 

compartment as such and the 

operator didn't handle the chemicals,

we can see that we have a more efficient dark room.

The operator doesn't need to walk back and forth across the dark 

room,

stand in one place and feed in this case two 

processors.

The processor as such could be installed totally within the dark 

room through the wall,

partially in other words,

just to feed tray protruding into the dark room.

Or we could have just the receiver 

been on the outside of the wall in the light area.

Or with modern systems we can of course have the 

process er totally in the white light if we have an 

automatic feeding system.

So there's quite a bit of alternatives there.

Now the basic dark room again,

we have the feed tray and the technologist places the 

film on the feed tray and the film then passes into the 

processor and go through an automatic sequence 

of time,

temperature and activity.

The first processor of this automatic 

system was not a roller transport as we know it 

today,

it was a continuous roller transport system and 

basically it was first released as 

uh a handless system.

Now the hanger,

this system is one way of turning it.

The continuous roller system is another of course 

with the continuous roller and having the film double 

back on itself,

It allowed for much smaller processors followed 

to the hanger system and this was quite an 

advantage.

They still were very large machines,

very expensive and it took a long time to process.

But an automatic machine selling at 

$37,500 that would 

deliver a film dry in 

approximately 15 minutes was certainly much 

faster and cleaner and neater and more consistent quality 

wise,

that would be the counterpart,

the manual processing system that required almost an hour.

It was very messy,

smelly,

took up a lot of space and did not have 

the same degree of quality.

So the basic process that we're going to talk about the modern 

X ray processor,

we have this kind of shape and 

dimension.

The developer fixing,

washing the dryer is attached because the 

chemicals are not being splashed around so we can 

use an electrified dryer assembly in 

close proximity.

In manual processing of course the dryer chamber had to be moved 

away maybe two or 3 ft away from the 

the the possibility of splashing and 

so forth from the manual system.

There's often a problem insofar as what is the 

front and back of an automatic processor.

You perhaps have your own concept up 

front and back.

Many people talk about the light side versus the dark 

side but yet we can have a processor totally in the 

dark or totally in the light.

So one way to consider this is that every 

processor has a feat.

End and receiver in every processor has a 

drive side and a non drive side.

And this is one way to orientate when you're talking with a 

serviceman or you're looking for parts or 

assistance notice that there is 

a unique feature here that we have the developer,

the film passes out of the developer directly into the fixing.

There is no short stop or first rinse.

This is not 

necessary in the automatic processor for two reasons.

One we have uh squidgy 

assembly which will keep the developer 

from being carried into the fixer and thereby diluting.

And then we also have a hardening agent in the 

developer which will help to control the amount of swelling 

of the developer.

And because we control the amount of swelling,

there will be less developer trapped within the gelatin layer 

and therefore let's carry it out.

And there's two uh ancillary reasons.

Also,

one of course,

is that he used films that retain far less 

moisture than did the older films used in manual 

processing.

And also the film is transporting so 

rapidly in the modern systems 

that there tends to be less time for accumulation 

of this chemical.

Now moving on to the actual processor,

we find the first model m processor 

introduced by the Kodak Corporation 

In November of 1957.

It was very large.

If we can look inside we can see that there were 

six tanks we have 

to developer to fix to wash and a tremendous 

long horizontal dryer.

The blower is tremendous.

It's about four ft in diameter,

is a very large machine.

These racks are very heavy and 

requires a hoist to remove them.

Certainly different than what most of you would experience by looking around 

your own department of radiology or office.

The next model was slimmed down.

It was refined and as you can see uh 

by the modern dress of the young lady.

Uh This was a modern machine,

it was Trimmed down,

it was improved,

this was the model M2 and 

the price was reduced.

Then we see another view notice the 

building mixing valve,

a rather elaborate system for adjusting the temperature 

replenishment and temperature 

and here's the temperature control for the dryer assembly.

Down here we have two counters,

one counter notified as to the number of 

films fed at the feet end,

but the other counter told you how many exits exited the 

machine at the other end and sometimes they would 

not be the same.

This is the M three.

Now,

to make a smaller unit,

a more versatile unit.

Kodak took the dryer assembly which remember was a 

big long horizontal unit and doubled back.

Now the dryer comes down and around 

and this is cleaned up.

It's neater.

The tanks are smaller as we can see 

here the big large 

blower assembly has been laid on its side and is now 

underneath the shortened tanks.

And instead of six tanks we now have two developer 

fix and a wash.

So the development time has changed.

The films have changed throughout this 

period and we have a much more compact 

processor.

This particular feed station had a storage box that was light 

tight underneath.

That's the reason it's shaped this way.

The next evolution in the Kodak line 

was a model M four A and M four B.

But this followed a unit that looks very 

similar to this,

that was really a cut down,

modified M three and this 

particular unit was the first of the most popular brand 

of Kodak units,

The M four series.

So the first unit looks something like the M three we just 

saw but it was of this size,

it had gray metal size sheet metal 

and it was called the M four standard 

M four A and B.

Are mechanically quite a bit different than the M four 

standard M four A and B.

Are identified by wood,

green paneling that are easy to remove.

Lift out panels much neater,

more of a modern appearance to it And the price 

dropped down into the teens about 

$14,000.

This machine was a standard cycle of dry to 

drop seven minutes,

so we've come down double the speed or 

half the time if you wish to produce the 

film.

The other end inside.

We noticed that now we have a staggered sequence.

We have developers still a little bit longer than is the fix and the 

wash.

Okay.

Instead of two developer tanks,

we now have a long developer tank.

Less fixing time.

Let's wash your time.

The dryer assembly actually starts right here insofar 

as a squeegee exit assembly up and 

over and then down through the dryer assembly where we have hot air 

blowing in from a direct dry blower assembly and then to the 

receiver bin,

the replenishment pump and the replenishment tanks 

originally replaced underneath the processor.

But notice the proximity to the heater 

element and which would be right across here,

it's not shown.

And the blower which of course would get very hot with the hot air in 

it.

Uh This will cause more rapid oxidation of 

the developer and these tanks and most machines have been 

removed.

But that was probably the most popular processor ever built by 

Kodak and it has since been discontinued.

Was produced for about 10 years up until the 

late 1960s.

Uh companion of the M.

Four for small clinics and doctor's office was was 

a unit that was approximately half the 

size of the M.

Four and that's the M.

Five.

The Kodak instamatic processor model M five.

We noticed a very small compact unit.

It was very efficient And it operated at 

about eight minutes.

This unit sold for approximately 

$7,000 and as 

such was immediately purchased to do a 

very large job instead of being used just in Doctor's 

offices,

it found its place in surgical suites and things of this 

nature.

So as a result it became 

apparent that the market was ready for a smaller machine 

would would have a high capacity and at the 

same time be able to 

withstand a large workload.

This unit however,

was not designed for this workload and many of them were 

converted and 

purchased and converted installed in large hospitals 

and used that way.

But his original intention to be used in the small doctors 

office and carried a small price and it was a low 

capacity processor 

Then uh in 1966 at 

the annual convention.

The Kodak yeah,

People introduced the 92nd cycle 

which also besides films and chemistry 

ah required a faster processing 

system.

And this was the Kodak RP matt.

This is a model M six.

The original model M6,

It operated 103 and a half degrees and produced the 

film in a tremendously fast 90 

seconds.

And since that time,

more and more people have converted to the more 

rapid 92nd cycle.

Again,

if you you can notice the relative size,

it's approximately the same size as the M 

five.

The more modern version of the M six is called an M 

six a.m. Which is about six inches 

higher than what you see right here,

which this is a basic M six model.

The M six a.m. Is the current version that is 

being offered,

sells for approximately $8000.

And the reason that's six inches higher is to allow 

for more uh hi more 

and easier access to all of the various components within 

the processor.

This unit was a little difficult to work on at 

times.

Now in the PICO corporation,

they were developing their own processors for X 

ray.

Of course PICO is well known throughout photography 

uh insofar as producing processing 

equipment.

So they developed this particular unit to compete with 

Kodak in the X ray market,

we have a series of tanks to developer 

tanks,

fixed wash in this wet section.

There is a gap in which there's a squeegee roller assembly to the 

dry section and again we have a horizontal dryer 

notice the replenishment flow 

and needle valve assembly for adjusting replenishment building,

mixing valve and temperature gauges.

This machine,

the first model expect Rolex which is the 

correct name as the correct name for the Kodak machine 

would be so mad.

This is PICO Role but it's often called a PICO 

X.

It's much smaller than the model Amorim two or 

M3 the Kodak produced.

So this was a significant savings in space 

and efficiency to a degree.

This was further made smaller and refined by the 

elimination of one of the developer tanks and a pre dryer assembly in the 

dryer.

And that produced the Pay Karol X.

M.

Processor.

Again a seven minute processor that 

produced the film dry to drop in approximately 

seven minutes.

The unit is very efficient and this became 

the most popular model of the PICO line 

for many years.

Introduced in the early 19 sixties.

It was produced throughout the sixties.

The next model to compete with Kodak's M five 

was Pecos version of the small processor 

for the small doctor's office clinic 

surgery places where there was not a need for a 

high volume and this is the PICO X.

F.

The basic modern designs of the 

ah PICO unit Was 

exemplified in the paper roll XR which had 

variable speed and it was able to 

run 90 seconds.

It also had a 

far advanced temperature 

control system,

a solid state electronic temperature control system.

And this particular one which is red was a one of a 

kind that was shown at a convention.

Most of them are not quite this bright.

Uh This then led to the 

scale down PICO.

Ex you we we will see you again in a moment but 

next to it is a PICO X.

You take a Rolex.

You either name correctly describes it 

in which we now have for the first time in the PICO 

processors.

A good vertical dryer assembly 

instead of the old familiar horizontal dryer in the 

PICO XR.

So the XR was the last of the horizontal dryer and the 

big unit internally this is approximately the same as 

this.

But when they went to the PICO X.

U.

They changed roller configurations and so forth.

Here's a closer look at the PICO X.

You in which all of the controls are placed up high 

so that they can be easily seen 

and and adjusted if necessary or 

monitored.

So pick a Rolex.

You is currently the units sold by PICO 

to handle uh large and small 

capacity.

This is a pro fix ray the very first one and it's called the 

standard profile X ray unit 

Or the a 23,000 series.

Actually the a 23,000 series is the one that most 

people are familiar with and it's a unit 

that is a modified it's a 

cleaned up unit compared with the standard 

But profits reproduced the standard unit to be 

the proverbial model T in everybody's garage.

It sold originally for $5,000.

It was a 3.5 minute machine.

And the concept was that anybody could afford it and it 

produced a quality radiograph.

Uh And as such because of this 

kind of marketing endeavor it did spur 

many people on to consider processing where they had not 

done so before.

So we really started a whole new boom 

of of people considering the automatic 

machine in the late 1960s 

the more modern Prefecture A processors 

would be the low capacity units simply called Prefecture.

A low cap And the high cap or high capacity unit 

that would do a tremendous 385 mixed 

films per hour.

Today the profits Ray markets the independent one 

tabletop processor and the Independent 

too which is a high capacity floor model.

The Picker Corporation originally came out with a very 

far in the future design of their 

Picker diplomat.

Picker pick somatic one with the spray bar 

mechanism,

very few rollers.

Then they produce the straight line model of the pixie two and 

three.

And then finally just recently developed the Picker 

Diplomat 1000.

This has been replaced by the Picker Diplomat 2000 

model high capacity processor 

that leads us to modern machines such as the G 

E 400 the tabletop series,

the Mustang Destro Alphatec Corsair,

the G.

E film,

a film.

O Matic tabletop processors.

Modern processors have gotten smaller and 

they they have gotten more reliable and they're being 

used in many different ways.

But still they do control the 

processing time,

temperature and activity relationship.

They are similar inside and 

the changes the growth that we're having 

now is due to their efficiency.

The fact that they do provide consistency and 

that in a small nutshell is the 

short history of processors.

Mhm.

Mhm.