A dry film makes a very hot photo debut.A photographic film that doesn't need silver or developing chemicals may soon appear in commercial print shops. Called VerdeFilm by its developer, Xerox Corp., the new film replaces silver halide A silver halide is one of the compounds formed between silver and one of the halogens — silver bromide (AgBr), chloride (AgCl) and iodide (AgI). As a group, they are often referred to as the silver halides, and are often given the pseudo-chemical notation AgX. with a selenium-based compound that reacts to light only when the film is under an electric charge. The new product's chief advantage, the company says, is that it eliminates the multistage mul·ti·stage adj. 1. Functioning in more than one stage: a multistage design project. 2. Relating to or composed of two or more propulsion units. chemical processing required by most conventional photographic films Fujifilm [1] [2] Velvia 50
"This is a dry process," says Edward H. Ernst, general manager of Verde Print Technologies, a Xerox division. "No wet chemicals or effluents are added to or taken away from the film." The process is based on electrophotography, Ernst says. The film consists of a sheet of aluminized mylar with a 1-micrometer-thick layer of a heat-sensitive polymer. Embedded in the polymer are selenium selenium (səlē`nēəm), nonmetallic chemical element; symbol Se; at. no. 34; at. wt. 78.96; m.p. 217°C;; b.p. about 685°C;; sp. gr. 4.81 at 20°C;; valence −2, +4, or +6. particles. Unaffected by light in its resting state, the film becomes photosensitive A material that changes when exposed to light. See photoelectric. only when subjected to an electrical charge. Then, when exposed to light and gently heated, the film reveals an image--a process akin to that used in laser printing. "By putting the film in an electric field and exposing it to light, the film's photo-conducting particles become charged," Ernst says. "When you heat the film, the charged particles migrate toward the back of the film, toward the aluminized mylar, which acts as an electrode electrode, terminal through which electric current passes between metallic and nonmetallic parts of an electric circuit. In most familiar circuits current is carried by metallic conductors, but in some circuits the current passes for some distance through a . Finally, when the film cools, the particles stay fixed in their new positions, leaving a permanent image." Casual exposure to light doesn't wreck the film -- another advantage. "Loading this film is like dropping paper into a laser printer," says Ernst. In its current form. VerdeFilm will prove most useful for high-resolution black-and-white "intermediate master images," used by industrial printers to make magazines, catalogs, and posters. Xerox reports no plans to market a color VerdeFilm or consumer version. The name VerdeFilm implies a "green," or environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly, also referred to as nature friendly, is a term used to refer to goods and services considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.[1] , technology, says Xerox spokesman John Rasor, in line with the company's goal of reducing the hazardous effluents common to silver-halide photography. California has classified the new film as "casually disposable," Xerox reports, with selenium leakage below detection levels. The company also plans to recycle exposed film, removing the selenium for reuse. |
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