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No. 398

Factory Shots 5/8

Factory Team | May 1, 02:49 PM

Photo by Lia Sáile

The Reactor

This image shows our reactor wherein we mix the chemical paste when we are moving the film’s paste from laboratory samples onto a larger production scale.

The developer used in instant film is a viscous liquid, and all ingredients are mixed in this reactor under controlled conditions. The developer is oxidation sensitive; air is removed using a vacuum. The reactor is purged with nitrogen when chemicals are added, to prevent air coming in. Never operate this machine without protective clothes…!

This is one of our oldest and legendary, and for sure most important machines when it comes to producing new instant films.

8 Factory Shots will present one photo a week for eight weeks.

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Comments:

  1. Jon, we did have to start from scratch with our chemistry because, for one, Polaroid stopped ordering their chemistry as far back as 2005, so some chemicals are now unavailable. Some chemicals were made in-house expressly for Polaroid and they closed up shop. Finally, some of the chemical components are now banned by environmental laws such as the Kyoto Protocol. Outer appearances aside, our film is approx. 90% completely new materials from the materials Polaroid used. If it was as easy as turning the switches back on and using the same formula, our factory team of course would have. Rebecca, our factory team is working tirelessly to refine the film and we hope to one day have materials that are on level with Polaroid film. Keep in mind that it did take Polaroid about 17 years to refine their instant integral film, and Impossible is only in year 3. We have made huge strides in that time, however, and our newest line of film is the best we’ve created so far.

    Best,
    Patrick

    said Patrick | 379 days ago

  2. It’s hard to believe that you had to start from scratch with the chemistry, did Polaroid trash all the old recipies? I think you guys are doing a fine job bringing this technology back, there’s a lesson here somewhere about not forgetting our past accomplishments, and keeping records so that analog solutions will always be around to back us up in the event we get too enamoured with digital, which in my humble opinion, is cold and heartless.

    said Jon Enoch | 384 days ago

  3. I have bought the films and they are not good at all. Compared to the Polaroid Films. I admire what you guys did, please keep it up and make the ones that will produce like Polaroid Films. Thanks!

    said Rebecca | 386 days ago

  4. Does the reactor do shots of espresso for those long nights in the lab?

    said MICHAEL | 386 days ago