Kodak CP-48S manual Corrective Action and Prescriptions, First check for operational errors

USING THE “VISUAL PROCESS CONTROL GUIDE” TO TROUBLESHOOT PROCESS

RA-4FUJI FRONTIER

If your Process RA-4 control chart indicates an out-of- control position, you may use the “Visual Process Control Guide” to investigate potential causes and apply corrective action.

First check for operational errors:

Make sure the control-strip code matches the reference-strip code.

Calibrate the densitometer.

Recheck the control-strip aims and verify the correction factors.

Make sure you have used the right set of correction factors for calculating your aims, for the process cycle or model of processor used, see page 7..

Verify the problem by processing a second control strip.

Determine if any recent processor maintenance could have caused a problem.

Use an accurate thermometer to verify that the developer and other solution temperatures are correct.

Match your plots to the “Visual Process Control Guide” to identify your problem:

Match your control plots to the examples given on the “Visual Process Control Guide.” Compare only one plot parameter at a time (BP, HD-LD, LD, D- min). Note that the patterns of the red, green, and blue plot deviations can be an indicator of different problems.

Write down the problems indicated by each parameter for the plots that are out of control. Consider that you may have more than one problem occurring at the same time.

Consider each potential cause of the out-of-control condition, and verify the operational conditions of the processor.

When you have determined the most likely cause(s) of the out-of-control condition, take corrective action to eliminate the symptom of the problem.

Corrective Action and Prescriptions

The Yellow Patch monitors the performance of the bleach-fix solution for retained silver. A bleach-fix solution that is underreplenished or diluted will not efficiently remove silver in the paper, leaving retained silver in higher density areas. The yellow patch is not plotted on a control chart; it is meant to be a visual reference only. Compare the yellow patch on a processed control strip with the yellow patch on the reference strip. If the processed control strip yellow patch appears brown or less saturated in color, or “muddy” compared to the reference, you may have retained silver. You can confirm retained silver by the following test:

1.Take your processed control strip and process it again through your processor in order to re- bleach-fix the control strip.

2.Compare the yellow on the re-processed control strip to the yellow patch on the reference strip. If

re-bleach-fixing has improved the yellow patch on the re-processed strip, then you have confirmed a retained silver problem.

Prescriptions:

—Replace bleach-fix tank with fresh bleach-fix tank solution.

—Also, recalibrate the replenishment pumps for the bleach (P2-RA) and fix (P2-RB) replenisher solutions.

Using the KODAK EKTACOLOR Processing Cartridge 111 with Digital Minilabs, CP-48S/CP-49E CIS-229E 9