KODAK BIMAT TRANSFER PROCESSING SYSTEM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP33-02415A000500120032-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 13, 2001
• Sequence Number: 32
• Publication Date: January 1, 1966
• Content Type: MISC

_BIlsl6broved For Release 2001/08/15 : CIA-RDP33-02415A000500120032-7
PRESSURE
ROLLER
An Introduction to the
KODAK BIMAT
Transfer
Processing System
In recent years, the need for simplified photographic process-
ing systems has become paramount. The conventional proc-
ess-develop, rinse, fix, wash, and dry-has proven to be
cumbersome in many applications. Secondly, it is often im-
portant to view results quickly, and if possible, without in-
volved complicated processing techniques and bulky, ex-
pensive equipment. A new KODAK process goes a long way
toward solving these problems; a high-quality negative is
processed without free liquids, a positive film transparency
is produced as the negative is processed, the technique is
simple, and equipment requirements are within practicality.
The Materials
The processing technique uses either of two special processing
films, KODAK Dry BJMAT Transfer Film, Type I (ESTAR Base)
or KODAK Dry BIMAT Transfer Film, Type 2 (ESTAR Base)
Type SO-160. Both films consist of a 4-mil polyester film sup-
port carrying a hydrophilic gelatin layer containing physical
development nuclei. The Type I material has a gelatin backing;
the Type 2 material does not. Before these processing films can
be used to process exposed film, they must be soaked with one
of the appropriate processing solutions called KODAK BIMAT
Transfer Imbibants.
Presoaked BIMAT Transfer Films, ready to use for process-
ing, are available for many BIMAT transfer processing systems
(See systems chart). Most users will prefer to purchase BIMAT
Transfer Film in the ready-to-use form rather than perform
the presoaking operation themselves.
KODAK BIMAT Transfer Films Special Applications Sales
Types 21 A and 22A
(ESTAR Base)
(For Aerial Photography)
RECORDAK BIMAT Transfer Special Applications Sales
Films, Types 21B and 22B and
(ESTAR Base) Business Systems Markets
(For CRT Photography) Division
*KODAK BIMAT Transfer Films are marketed directly to the user.
For ordering instructions contact the appropriate sales depart-
ment at: EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY
Rochester, New York 14650
For the user who needs to perform the presoaking opera-
tion, most of the KODAK BIMAT Transfer Imbibants listed in
the table are available in packaged form. (Exceptions are
noted.) KODAK Dry BIMAT 'Transfer Film, Types I and 2
(ESTAR Base) are available in the common widths from 16mm
to 91/2 in. Presoaking recommendations and technical assist-
ance are also available to the user.
Wherever we use the term BIMAT Transfer Film in this
pamphlet, we mean either the Type I or Type 2 material, pre-
soaked by the user, or one of the Type 21 A, 21 B, 22A, or 22B
materials, supplied presoaked.
The KODAK BIMAT Transfer Imbibants are solvent-
the images formed. (Conventional processing requires 3
steps and 3 solutions to accomplish this-develop, rinse in
stop bath, then fix). Additional processing is required to
produce archival records.
The KODAK BIMAT Transfer Process in Brief
Four basic components are needed for BIMAT Transfer
processing: a KODAK BIMAT Transfer Film, suitable process-
ing chemicals, suitable handling equipment, and an exposed
negative film.
The BIMAT Transfer Film is soaked in the imbibant which
is absorbed by the special gelatin layer on the Transfer Film.
The BIMAT Transfer Film, treated to contain a prcdcter-
mined amount of imbibant, is then laminated in intimate
face contact with the exposed negative film for a suitable
length of time. At the end of the processing time, the two
films are separated. The negative is developed and fixed,
and the BIMAT Transfer Film contains a positive image.
Both films are damp (they feel slightly tacky to the touch);
with suitable equipment, they can be completely dried. If
kept dry, the images will have satisfactory stability for it few
months. If image permanence for archival keeeping is neces-
sary, both films should be washed and dried, in the conven-
tional manner, as soon as convenient.
The process follows the principles of diffusion transfer
processing. When the exposed negative film is placed in in-
timate contact with the presoaked BIMAT Transfer Filin, the
Solution begins to diffuse into the emulsion of the negative
film. Exposed negative grains begin to develop, and both
unexposed and exposed negative grains begin to dissolve in
the silver halide solvent, Some of the dissolved silver halide
diffuses into the BIMAT Transfer Film where it is reduced to
silver on the nuclei there present and forms a positive image.
What BIMAT Transfer Processing Offers
The advantages of BIMAT transfer processing over conven-
tional processing techniques reflect the convenience, sim-
plicity, quality, and, since saving time often means saving
money, the economies offered by transfer processing. Spe-
cifically, the advantages are:
No Free Liquids. No free liquids are required at the time
of processing negative films. Liquids cannot be squeezed or
shaken from the BIMAT Transfer Film. Thus, the solution
containment problem is completely eliminated from photo-
graphic processing._This is important in airborne processors
and those operating in a space environment, as well as proc-
essors associated with electronic computer read-out systems.
The absence of corrosive, free liquids permits the use of
transfer processing in camera magazines without wetting
and damaging adjacent components. Processing can he ac-
complished in locations where no water is available, such
as in transit.
The materials handling problems are greatly reduced due
to the simplicity and convenience of processing without free
liquids. Processing is not affected by equipment position or
orientation or the presence or absence of gravity.
containing deve/SO~0$~
/ ~~t a CIA-RD2,49
simultan ?usly aftc!"'cornpTe fe ry' by 't IecifFlslon grans~ef. ~~4-rl~aneously. A good-
mechanism. No further processing steps are requred to use quality positive image is produced while the negative is being
?Eastman Kodak Company, 1966, (also 1965) T. M. Reg. U. S. Pat. Off.
 It is most important that equipment be properly designed
to accomplish the presoaking. The system must provide the
required pickup of imbibant. The presoaked BIMAT Transfer
Films must be wound tightly and accurately without trap-
ping any air bubbles between convolutions. Anyone con-
templating building equipment for presoaking is urged to
contact Special Applications Sales for information.
Packaging and Storage. Customers purchasing ready-
to-use presoaked BIMAT Transfer Film will not need to be
concerned about packaging. The material will be supplied
in a package designed to permit maximum shelf life of the
unopened package. (Opened packages should be used soon
after opening.) The customer performing the presoaking
operation will, however, need to package the presoaked film
suitably so that the material will keep until needed. Several
types of packages have been investigated and descriptions
can be obtained from Special Applications Sales.
Information on the keeping characteristics of the various
packages and imbibants is still being collected and therefore
all the answers are not yet in. The information thus far avail-
able indicates that the shelf life of presoaked BIMAT Transfer
Film is dependent upon the following factors:
1. Storage temperature
2. Quality of package
3. The particular imbibant formula and pickup required
4. The type of negative film the BIMAT Transfer Film
will process and processing method
Preliminary information indicates that properly packaged
presoaked BIMAT Transfer Film can he successfully stored
as follows:
Storage Temperature Shelf Life
40F( 4C) 3 to 4 months
70 F (21 C) 2 to 3 weeks
100 F (38 C) I to 2 days
Presoaked BIMAT Transfer Film must not be frozen.
As soon as more information is available, specific recom-
mendations will be published for each combination of BIMAT
Transfer Film and BIMAT Transfer Imbihant.
Lamination for Processing. The three basic methods
of laminating and processing with BIMAT transfer techniques
are discussed above. The equipment for lamination can be
quite simple yet precise. It must assure good, even contact
without entrapped bubbles or other foreign material. Proper
processing cannot occur when there is poor lamination.
Builder or pressure rollers are required. Good tracking is
important and is dependent upon good alignment and suffi-
cient hack tension on supply rolls. Temperature control is
not critical for most systems. Depending upon the environ-
Suppliers of Equipment for Applications of the KODAK BIMAT Transfer Processing System
This list is not presented as being complete nor is it an endorsement by Eastman Kodak Company.
EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY ROCHESTER, N.Y. 14650
An Introduction to KODAK BIMAT Transfer Processing System - - - 5-66-RPP-GMajor Revision
th
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it
d Stat s of America
e
n
e
Mark Systems, Incorporated
2999 San Ysidro Way, Santa Clara, California 95051
ment in which the processing must be accomplished, tem-
perature control may need to be provided. Commercial
equipment for the lamination operation is beginning to ap-
pear.
Delamination. In sonic applications, delamination (or
separation) of the positive and negative film can be accom-
plished by running the laminating equipment backward pro-
vided the equipment has been designed to accomplish this.
The same requirements of good, tight winding with a pres-
sure roller and good alignment apply especially if the damp
films are to be wound upon themselves without drying. A
poorly wound roll of either film will dry at the edges and
result in sticking and discoloration. Alternatively the films
can be dried at the time of delamination. Films dried thus
should be stored and used at 30% R.H. or less to prevent a
return of tackiness (the gel layer of the BtMAT Transfer
Film, Type 21A or 21 B, is hygroscopic).
Post-Processing Treatment. The post-processing treat-
ment required (if any) depends entirely on the subsequent
use and required storage life. If either archival or commer-
cial storage is required, then both films must be washed and
dried in the conventional manner. A Morse B-5 rewind
processor can be used for washing. If sophisticated process-
ing equipment such as the KODAK VERSAMAT Film Processor
is available at some nearby facility, then fixing as well as
washing and drying is recommended. (Fixing improves the
hardness of the emulsions of the two films.)
if conventional post-processing facilities are not available
to either wash and dry or just dry the two films, the following
procedure is suggested: The positive film can be laminated
to a special transparent 2.5-mil polyester film material, such
as KODAK Dry Cover Sheet for BIMAT Transfer Film (ESTAR
Thin Base), Type SO-358. This will permit immediate han-
dling of the damp film and protect the positive image against
damage. This lamination step is just as important as it is in
the processing step, and the same equipment design parame-
ters apply. The image keeping of the positive image on the
BIMAT Transfer Film is reasonable (about a week) and
should be adequate for most applications when on-the-spot
interpretation is necessary and the positive film can be dis-
carded in a few days. With equipment of appropriate me-
chanical design, cover-sheeting offers a way of making large
quantities of positive film available for use in a very short
time.
If the negative is to be preserved, it should be wound tight-
ly and sealed in an impervious package to prevent its drying
out until it can be given a suitable washing-and-drying
treatment.
Radio Corporation of America, Defense Electronic Products
Missile and Surface Radar Division, Moorestown, New Jersey 07960
Presoaking Equipment:
Fairchild Hiller Corporation
1455 Research Boulevard, Rockville, Maryland 20850
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 The continuously generated positive image can be used
immediately. To complete the negative processing, a second
BIMAT Transfer Film is laminated to the negative, held for
a period, and then separated when convenient. Alternately,
the negative can be fixed in the conventional manner.
The obvious advantage of this method is that it allows
quick access to a usable positive image and still produces a
high-quality negative.
Continuous Process. This method uses one presoaked
B[MAT Transfer Film to produce, on a continuous basis, one
positive film and the processed negative film. In use, the
presoaked BIMAT Transfer Film is laminated to the exposed
negative, and the two are allowed to remain in contact until
processing is complete. Two methods of allowing the two
films to remain in contact for a period of time are to pass
the contacted films around a slowly revolving drum or
through a straight-line tunnel. When processing is complete,
the films can be separated.
The continuous process is also adaptable to providing a
rapid-access positive. This is accomplished by conducting
the process on a heated drum or in a heated tunnel. It is
chemically easier to obtain a positive rapidly than it is to
obtain a completely developed and fixed negative image
rapidly. Hence some systems have been designed to discard
the partially processed negative once the positive is available.
The high-temperature continuous processing method re-
quires more critical control of temperature and time of
lamination than the other methods.
The continuous processing method is best suited to appli-
cation where a monitoring function is required.
Sensitometric and Image-Structure
Characteristics
The sensitometric and image-structure characteristics of
films processed by the BIMAT transfer technique compare
favorably with those of films processed in the conventional
manner. In-bibants (and ready-to-use presoaked BIMAT
Transfer Films) are available to process many different types
of films. In some cases there is a choice of either high- or
low-contrast images.
Generally speaking, BIMAT transfer processing results in
a slightly lower gradient, equal or better granularity, ap-
proximately the same resolving power, and improved modu-
lation transfer characteristics when compared to conven-
tional processing. Fog tends to be slightly higher, but this
should cause no problems. Transfer processing is less affected
by temperature changes than conventional processing. The
minimum time for processing can be decreased as the tem-
perature is increased,
Because the negative emulsion, the BIMAT Transfer Film,
and the BiMAT Transfer Imbibant act as a complete system,
andsince-the processes are usually designed to go to com-
pletion, the sensitometric properties are not subject to the
usual controls required in, conventional processing. For ex-
ample, gradient is usually determined by the imbibant-
negative emulsion combination rather than processing time
and temperature. Another important factor is that fresh
processing chemicals are always used for processing all
areas of the negative film. For these reasons, the BIMAT
transfer processing technique is a highly reproducible one;
it is not subject to the usual variables-operator, equipment,
and processing conditions.
Applications of the BIMAT Processing
Technique
The current commercially available materials are designed
In-flight processing is easily accomplished without free solu-
tions being involved. The simple wind-up method of opera-
tion is directly adaptable to tactical aerial reconnaissance.
By the time the aircraft returns to base, processing will have
been completed, and a positive image can be made available
for study immediately upon landing. Mark Systems, Incor-
porated, of Santa Clara, California, has builtin-flight proc-
essing magazines with ejectable cassettes using the wind-up
method of BIMAT transfer processing. The Fairchild lliller`T
Corporation of Rockville, Maryland, has designed a mobile i
flight line processing system using the wind-up method of 1
BIMAT transfer processing.
Larger reconnaissance aircraft can accommodate the dual
BIMAT Transfer Film method in which the positive image is
available almost immediately for on-the-spot interpretation.
Thus, films can be examined to determine whether the in-
formation originally sought has been successfully recorded.
If not, more photographs can be made while the aircraft is
over the target area, thus assuring a successful mission.
Equipment for this process has been designed by Eastman
Kodak Company under U.S. Air Force contract.
The continuous processing method with the rapid-access
availability of a positive image is especially suited to cath-
ode-ray tube monitoring. Two systems are currently offered.
In the first, a positive is obtained very quickly and the par-
tially processed negative is discarded. The second system
produces both a positive and a completely processed nega-
tive but not as quickly as in the first system. The Missile and
Surface Radar Division of RCA, Moorestown, New lcrsey,
has designed equipment for the continuous method of BIMA'r
transfer processing that produces rapid access to the positive
image.
It is anticipated that future investigation will greatly ex-
pand the list of applications. Current laboratory work indi-
cates that, with appropriate chemistry,a great many differ-
ent types of films can he successfully processed by the BIMAT
transfer technique. Thus many customers, in an endless
variety of photographic situations, would benefit by the
many advantages offered by the BIMAT transfer processing
system.
Recommended Techniques
Successful operation of any BIMAT transfer processing sys-
tem requires the following operations: presoaking, packag-
ing, and storing the presoaked material, lamination for
processing, delamination, and post-processing treatment.
Presoaking. As mentioned earlier, it is expected that most
users will want to purchase ready-to-use presoaked ItiMAT
Transfer Film. This film is supplied presoaked with one of
several imbihants toaccommodate numerous films and ap-
plications.
Eastman Kodak Company recognizes that some users
will need to perform their own presoaking operations.
Others may need to have a back-up facility for presoaking
to supplement the purchase of ready-to-use material. infor-
mation about presoaking techniques will be furnished upon
application to Special Applications Sales, Eastman Kodak
Company, Rochester, New York 14650.
At present, several techniques have been designed for pre-
soaking BIMAT Transfer Film. There are continuous systems
and rewind systems. Both can be accomplished with one
stage of presoaking. A greater capacity for presoaking films
is realized when 2-stage presoaking is used. Equipment for
single-stage rewind presoaking of BIMAT Transfer Film is
being marketed by Mark Systems, Incorporated, of Santa
Clara, California.
Approved For Release 2001/08/15 : CIA-RDP33-02415A000500120032-7