3M Photo Color Systems Division Receives ISO Certification

3M Photo Color Systems Division film manufacturing plant in Weatherford, Oklahoma

We are proud to announce the ISO 9002 certification of our Weatherford, Oklahoma film manufacturing plant. The certification demonstrates our commitment to quality manage-ment and manufacturing.

What is ISO 9000?

ISO stands for International Standards Organization, which is an independent non-profit group that is comprised of industrial standard-setting bodies from 92 countries (the U.S. is represented by the American National Standards Institute). The organization, founded in 1947, sets international norms for everything from paper sizes to screw threads to film speeds.

Scotch 200 makes PHOTOgraphic Magazine's Top Ten List

PHOTOgraphic magazine's April '93 issue lists the top ten color print films which includes Scotch brand 200. The article called the film "an excellent ISO 200 color-print film, that provides high-fidelity color, excellent sharpness, fine grain, and a wide exposure latitude."

ISO 9000, published in 1987, is actually a series of 5 related standards (numbered 9000 through 9004) that refer to quality management and manufacturing. In practical terms, ISO Certification helps us to ensure that we deliver a product that consistently meets the expectations of our customers.

How is ISO Certification Achieved?

Most everyone in the United States is familiar with the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) emblem, which has come to stand for quality. They are the third party registrar that have sent their inspectors in our plant to review our manufacturing and quality systems. They have been looking at things like process control, product inspection, enforcement of quality directives, quality manual, specifications, calibration, training, record keeping and clarification of management responsibilities.

3M Commitment to Quality

In February 1991, our manufacturing facility in Ferrania, Italy was the first photographic plant in the world to receive ISO 9002 certi-fication. Since that time, we have been committed to earning ISO certification for all of our operations, both international and U.S. This process is part of our ongoing commitment to our customers.

Your Question Answered:

What do the markings on a 35mm film cassette mean? How does my 35mm camera read these markings?

One of the most useful innovations in modern 35mm cameras is their ability to allow us to simply drop in a cassette of film and close the camera back, without having to worry about setting the correct film speed.

How Film Speed is Set

The film cassette chamber in the camera has a series of electrical contacts, which sense a pattern of black and silver squares on the film cassette. This pattern, known as the Camera Auto Sensing (CAS) code, automatically sets the proper film speed. There is a unique black and silver checkerboard pattern for each speed of film that is imprinted on each film cartridge. Some cameras have multiple electrical contacts for sensing other infor-mation. Simpler cameras may have only one contact for sensing only ISO 100 and 400-speed films. If you load a non-DX coded film into your camera, in most cases, the camera will default to the ISO 100-speed setting.

The CAS code also carries information about the number of frames per roll, but not all cameras can read this information.

Occasionally the CAS code can be misread by the camera. This may be due to dirt, dust, or fingerprints on the sensors in the camera. Periodic cleaning of the camera by a compe-tent service center can minimize this problem.

The Magazine Bar Code

The film cassette carries other coded information, known as the "magazine" bar code.

The magazine bar code contains a unique product identification number and the number of full frame exposures contained within the cassette. This information is particularly helpful to the photofinisher in the presort operation, and is automatically read in some minilab equipment. The primary function of the magazine bar code is to ensure that film are processed correctly, for example, E-6 film (slide film) is not processed in C-41 chemicals (negative film).

Some manufacturers, including 3M, have a secondary bar code for automated internal quality control functions. The remaining area of the film cartridge contains product identification, artwork and film type in human-readable form.

Summer 1993

3M LabLine is published quarterly by 3M Photo Color Systems Division for photo finishing laboratories in the United States and Canada.

Writer/Editor: Mary Beth Leone, Marketing Public Relations Associate

Design, layout and production supervision: Paul Deák Design

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Write us at 3M LabLine, 3M Center Bldg. 235-3C-23, St. Paul, MN, 55144-1000, or call us at 800/233-8579.

"Scotch" is a registered trademark of 3M.

3M LabLine