8mm/16mm Motion Picture Film Processor

[Shreyans Suhagiya]

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a passion project I’ve been working on for quite some time. To the best of my knowledge, this might be the world’s first truly desktop-sized 8/16mm motion picture film processor.

The only reason I started this was that I did not like the fact that I had to wait weeks to send the film and wait for a lab to process it, even when I wanted to test an expired roll or try a creative look for film. I mean paying for shipping, lab fees, taxes, and Kodak increasing film prices with their new AUH film. Its rediciluos. I mean AI is already bad enough, we might actually lose film. So I wanted a compact and versatile lab setup right at home. The goal is to get Lab-grade results fast and cheap.

With the current prototype I built, it can:

• Process 8mm and 16mm motion picture film (the new one AUH, although a dedicated rem-jet removal unit can be added. I haven't designed it yet)
• Process up to 200ft of 16mm film in under 40 minutes.
• It can do Push +1, Push +2, and Pull +1.
• It can also do variable bleach bypass.
• And processing a 100ft roll of 16mm film only costs roughly $5 to $7

That being said, the current state of the machine is... functional... but needs a lot of work
It’s still very much a prototype (a Frankenstein made of 3d printed parts, marine-grade silicone, 316 steel, PVC, polypropylene (PP)). Running a batch right now requires a lot of manual intervention, and frankly, it's a bit of a pain to operate. It proves the concept, but it’s definitely not plug-and-play just yet.

To actually turn this into a highly efficient machine, here's the massive to-do list I'm currently tackling to take it from a finicky prototype to a reliable desktop lab:

• Bumping it up to process a single 400ft roll per hour.
• Overhauling the racks for fast, easy leader lacing (the current setup is way too tedious).
• Building a clean-up system so as not to have to disassemble the entire thing to clean it. Also, a dedicated system to collect exhausted chemistry.
• Adding an integrated, dedicated drying chamber. Curretnly its just a bunch of hair dryers.
• A proper agitation and a hybrid heat exchanger to ensure consistent development.
• And a dedicated control panel.

Anyways, just wanted to share something I'm working on and see if anyone out there is also crazy enough to keep holding onto film in this modern age. I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you have any questions about the build, the mechanics, or the chemistry side of things, feel free to reach out or drop a comment below.

Cheers.

 

P.S Some pictures + foot for reference (Sorry I didn't have a banana for ref)

[Geffen Avraham]

Amazing! Please make something that can process 400ft of 16mm. That's table stakes for me and any serious users.

If you do 400ft 16mm loads reliably, it stops being a toy and can actually compete with a lab.

[Brandon Paterno]

solid. id be all over something like this a million times over versus a lomo tank clone.

i’d imagine that the commodification of certain mechatronic components would make a linear processor like yours more within reach. plus with the gobs of power for realtime adjustments available with most modern mcus… but chemical reflow and analysis could be tricky. are there (affordable/attainable) ways to judge the exhaustion of a developer so that replenisher could be added at a variable scale?  

regardless, no weird ass shapes to get made. a good food grade sheet metal enclosure could do wonders. or like some cereal containers!! 

[Shreyans Suhagiya]

4 hours ago, Geffen Avraham said:

Amazing! Please make something that can process 400ft of 16mm. That's table stakes for me and any serious users.

If you do 400ft 16mm loads reliably, it stops being a toy and can actually compete with a lab.

I was thinking of making it slightly bigger, as it would easily be able to process 2 rolls of 400 ft 16 mm film in one batch, given how ECN-2 chemistry scales and exhausts. When I ran the numbers, the chemistry came around to $67 for 800ft of total film.

Also, I designed it in a way that it can be easily scaled to process 35mm, and even 65mm film. I have a custom chemistry calculator that would tell you the exact amount of chemistry needed to process the exact amount of film. Once I have reliable, tested numbers, I will share the link.

[Shreyans Suhagiya]

2 hours ago, Brandon Paterno said:

solid. id be all over something like this a million times over versus a lomo tank clone.

i’d imagine that the commodification of certain mechatronic components would make a linear processor like yours more within reach. plus with the gobs of power for realtime adjustments available with most modern mcus… but chemical reflow and analysis could be tricky. are there (affordable/attainable) ways to judge the exhaustion of a developer so that replenisher could be added at a variable scale?  

regardless, no weird ass shapes to get made. a good food grade sheet metal enclosure could do wonders. or like some cereal containers!! 

For the smaller scale, I designed it so it takes one shot chemistry, so once exhausted, you just make a new batch. But because the design is modular and can be scaled to process large-format films, bigger versions of the machines can be equipped with pH sensors to track the chemistry exhaustion, and pumps can be added for replenishment, but at that point, it becomes an industrial machine and defeats the whole point of it being a desktop-sized lab.

That being said, I did think about adding a pH sensor and another sensor that I can't seem to recall, off the top of my head, that would give a good idea about developer exhaustion. Then a peristaltic pump and weir can be added to control the developer replenishment. But I skipped it in favour of just making a new batch when starting with new rolls to guarantee tight developer control. This is what gives this machine the edge over the labs. With new chemistry, every run gives lab-level results and consistency at home with the minor inconvenience of mixing a new batch.

[Geffen Avraham]

8.3 cents a foot for 16mm, at home, would be amazing!

 

SendCutSend or PCBway or Oshcut can likely make you sheet metal for this.

Edited August 11 by Geffen Avraham

[Aristeidis Tyropolis]

This is wonderful! 

Loving the socks too 😀

[Juan Bouza]

Hello, I'm developing an automatic continuous processor for 16" and Super 8 film. The idea is that it can process black and white Ektachrome and CN2 color negatives. I have a fully equipped prototyping workshop with CNC machines for producing parts. I would appreciate your collaboration and expertise in carrying out this project. 
saludos Juan Bouza