provide the trigger for the automatic cutter to separate the individual 

 psrints from the roll after it has been developed and dried. 



The exposed paper is developed, fixed, washed, and dried in a 

 continuous system (fig. 7) of the type used for processing V-mail during 

 World War II. This equipment has teen at the Hydrographic Office for 

 several years. No modifications were necessary to adapt it for BT print 

 processing. It is still used for other work when BT prints are not 

 being processed. The paper is attached to a 72 -foot leader strip which 

 threads it over and under a series of rollers. The paper is thus lead 

 up and down into the succeeding tanks which contain developer, fixer, 

 and wash water. The temperatures of the solutions are thermostatically 

 controlled. From the tanks the paper is fed directly onto the drying 

 drum and finally comes off the drum ready for the automatic cutter. ■ 



The dried paper is cut into individual prints by a Pakoline 

 cutter (fig. 8). As processed dried prints are automatically fed through 

 the cutter, the slit made by the printer accurately positions each print 

 for cutting. Constant operating speed allows the operator sufficient 

 time to check each print. As the slit in the paper strip reaches the 

 cutter bar, a feeler spring is triggered by the slit in such a manner 

 that the cutter bar cuts the paper exactly at the slit. The severed 

 print then falls into a tray and is ready for sorting, checking, and 

 distributing to the various agencies. 



6. Production Capacities of the Processing Equipment 



Test runs of the various pieces of equipment show that they 

 can process the following number of checked and correct slides and log 

 sheets and bathythermogram prints per day: 



BT Recorder-Camera ________ UoO slides/day 



Pakomatic Printer ________ 2,000 prints/day 



V-Mail Developer -Dryer ________ 6,000 prints /day 



Pakoline Cutter _____ — -32,14-00 prints/day 



Each of these figures is for the average daily capacity of 

 the particular machine and does not take into consideration the number 

 of personnel available or the fact that one person may be called upon 

 to operate more than one machine. Time required for mixing chemicals, 

 heating solutions in the tanks, cleaning equipment, sorting slides and 

 selecting grids was Included. 



7. Estimate of Costs 



As the processing of BT data has not been in progress long 

 at the Hydrographic Office, the following costs are based on an estircate 

 of processing 38,300 slides and 153,200 prints per year. The number of 

 slides is an average of the totals received at the Hydrographic Office 

 during the years 1^53, 195^^, and 1955 . 



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