Reveni Labs, the Canadian brand which has successfully released two accessory light meters via crowdfunding campaigns, has launched a new Kickstarter for an automated film processor.
The new film processor is called the Dunkbot, and is mostly made from commonly found parts used in 3D printers.
The new machine designed By Reveni Labs’ Matt Bechberger is built around a crane-like robotic arm.
“By combining a simple dip-and-dunk method with off-the-shelf parts, the Reveni Labs Dunkbot was created to make at-home automated film processing more accessible and affordable.,” the project’s Kickstarter says. “The Dunkbot lets you get quality results with minimal effort and cost, by automatically managing the times, temperatures, and agitation cycles for your black and white, C-41, E-6 or ECN-2 processes.
“The Dunkbot is based on readily available parts commonly found in 3D printers, making it easy to repair and maintain. It will work for you for a very long time.
“The Dunkbot manages the times, temperatures and process steps automatically, and notifies you when the film is ready to be hung up to dry. The film tank has light traps on both the top and the bottom. Air flows in and out of the top, while liquids flow in and out of the bottom.”
The Kickstarter page shows videos of the processing routine, which involves loading the film into the included developing tank, which is then dunked one-by-one into six pots of chemicals
The Kickstarter page says the machine can process “three rolls of 35mm, two rolls of 120 film or six sheets of 4×5 at a time. The machine is ready to run a 2nd time after completing the first run, so multiple runs of film can be processed in quick succession, if needed. Only the pre-soak and rinse water needs to be replaced with fresh water.”
The Dunkbot includes:
- Dunkbot machine components
- Six stainless steel pots
- Light-proof developing tank
- Two Paterson-style film reels (universal for 35mm, 127 or 120/620 film)
- Universal in-line power supply (24V 6A, 100-240V 50/60Hz)
- Toolkit
The basic unassembled Dunkbot costs around £585/$705 and a mostly assembled version costs around £750/$900. The Kickstarter runs until 16 April, and the campaign needs to raise £257,000; in its first 24 hours, the campaign had reached around 4% of its goal.
According to the campaign page, the finished Dunkbots will start shipping in September, if the campaign is successful.
I'm a New Zealander who has been living in London since the mid-1990s, shooting film seriously since the year 2000. Kosmo Foto was launched in 2012 and has since become a film brand, with the release of my first films Kosmo Foto Mono 35mm (2017) and Kosmo Foto Mono 120 (2019).
I’m doing everything I can to promote film photography in the 21st Century, and help it survive and thrive. If you want to write something for Kosmo Foto, please drop me a line at foto.dowling@gmail.com.
If you watch ‘wristwatch revival’ on Youtube you’ll notice how close this is to vintage watch cleaning machines in concept