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| Rotex Ultra A4 Silver Recovery System. |
 | ULTRA-A Automatic Silver Recovery Systems THREE SIZES - WITH AUTOMATIC PLATING CONTROL The Rotex Ultra-A series silver recovery units are available in 3 sizes or models. All three are intended for use for either batch or continuous-flow operation. They are designed to electrolytically remove dissolved silver from thiosulfate solutions -- both sodium thiosulfate as well as ammonia thiosulfate -- common to photographic fixer baths such as: Rotex Ultra-A units are not intended to remove silver from solutions containing developers or bleaches such as found in E-6 color slide fix, dichromate found in full reversal microfilm or color print paper chemistries RA4, R3 or EP-2. FEATURES |
| Adjustable Plating Current Rotex Ultra-A series silver recovery units have a 'state of the art' automatic plating current control to adjust the plating in direct response to the concentration of silver in the fixer solution. As the silver is depleted from the solution the plating current will gradually reduce to zero. When an increase of silver is detected the plating current will rise. The controller automatically monitors the silver concentration on a 6 minute cycle. Rotating Cathode Rotex Ultra-A silver recovery units feature a motordriven cathode to continuously renew the silver ion in the liquid contacting the cathode, also called the cathode 'junction'. Without agitation of the solution the juncton would be quickly depleted of its silver ions and undesirable chemical reactions would occur. The rotating cathode allows for a compact machine and was pioneered, patented and became the basis of the name 'Rotex'. Direct Drive Rotex Ultra-A silver recovery units use direct-drive gearmotors without belts, gears, drivers, bushings or other components which require service or replacement. The gearmotor shaft is sealed so that fumes from the fixer will not enter the electrical enclosure. Power Supply The power supply features a center-tapped transformer that is wound for low impedance and cool, efficient operation. The plating current is rectified from AC (alternating current) to DC(direct curent) by a full way center tap bridge rectifier that operates more efficiently (makes less heat) than other types of rectifiers. The full-wave center tap bridge rectifier is cooled by a fan that also draws fresh air into the power supply enclosure, thus ensuring long life. An ammeter is featured to indicate the plating current in 'Amperes' and a circuit breaker is provided for convenient protection - no fuses to replace ever! Cathode Connection Plating current is applied to the cathode shaft by a unique contact arrangement using high silver content contacts for exceptionally long life....no brushes to replace or slip rings to oxidize! The Rotex-exclusive contact system was |  |
 | pioneered over 25 years ago and continues in its improved form to be the most effective method yet designed. This
superior contact arrangement allows Rotex Silver Recovery machines to operate at higher cathode speeds for superior
silver plating performance. Silver Value Silver plated onto the Rotex Ultra cathode may be easily dried and 'cracked' or removed from the cathode as 'chotographic chip' or 'flake'. It may be easily smelted into pure silver as its purity is usually 95% or better. ('Coin' silver, by contrast, is 90% silver and 10% copper). It is not unusual for clean, dry chip and flake to be sold for 85 to 87% of its commodity value. Large amounts may be valued as high as 92%. The commodity value of silver is listed in nearly all daily newspapers. Steel Wool Canisters Many local code require silver concentrations be less than 5ppm. Electrolytic systems can not achieve this level on their own! So a "tailing canister" is used after the SRU to reduce the silver levels even lower. Typically a properly maintained tailing canister will run around 2.0ppm. If a second tailing canister is used after the first, levels drop around 0.5ppm. But, the silver trapped in steel wool canisters, is in a 'sludge' of known concentrations. This sludge requires special fluxes to smelt and thus has far less value than clean, dry chip and flake that comes from an electrolytic process. Also, a sample must be assayed to determine the silver concentration. Because of the assay charge and higher smelting cost the value of the trapped silver in this sludge may or may not offset the cost of the canister and the freight. Nonetheless, use of the steel wool canister is recommended to satisfy enviromental codes. Many local codes require silver concentrations be less than 5ppm. Violators can be penalized on a 'per day' basis! Tailing canisters come in two types. Coarse and Medium grain. Coarse is for use in Graphic Arts and X-Ray applications. Medium is for use with other black and white fixers which do not use a "Part B" hardners. Replacement cartridges for these canisters are available. APPLICATIONS Continuous Flow-Through Operation The Rotex Ultra-A series may be used to remove up to 99% of the silver in the fixer overflowing from a film or paper |
| processor by connecting its inlet fitting directly to the processor fixer overflow. The Ultra-A should be connected to
operate anytime the processor operated. A timer can be connected between the Ultra-A and its power source if the user
intends for it to operate during selected hours. The outlet or 'Overflow' fitting on the Rotex Ultra-A is connected to a
steel wool cartridge to trap residual silver as required by most state and local codes. On occasion, a processor may see
varying usage rates with peak periods of use followed by idle periods. The peak period may overflow more silver than the
Ultra-A can recover because of the high flow rate. In such an installation, a Rotex Autometer may be added between the
processor and a standard nonautomatic Ultra. The Autometer will precisely meter a continuous flow rate into the Ultra,
and, during an idle period when no flow is available from the processor, the Autometer simply switches the Ultra off and
waits until more fixer leaves the processor. The Rotex Autometer may also be used to collect fixer from more than one processor overflow for metering through a single Ultra, thereby eliminating the need for an additional Ultra and its 'tailing' steel wool canister. Batch Operation The Rotex Ultra-A series may be used to desilver a batch at a time if desired. The fixer is usually collected in plastic bottles at the film or paper processor(s) and poured into the plating tank. The silver estimating papers (included) are used to estimate the silver concentration to establish the desilvering time. At the end of the time another estimate is made and an additional period of desilvering is accomplished at a lower current setting to remove the reduced concentration. A concentration of less than 50ppm is likely to be achieved although some users report final concentrations below 10ppm. The spent fixer is then trickled through a steel wool cartridge or canister to remove the residual silver as required by most state and local codes. A simple globe valve may be added to the Rotex Ultra-A at a slight additional price to limit the flow rate to the canister. Instructions are included in the Operators Manual. Due to the very low concentration of silver left in the fixer, the steel wool canister will enjoy an exceptionally long life. Materials All materials that may contact the fixer solution have passed exhaustive tests to prove their suitability. Only select plastics, graphite and type 316 stainless steel are used to fabricate such components. |  |
 | 1. Also available for 230VAC, 50/60 Hz connection. Note: Ultra-A power heads may face in any of four directions. Included Please click here for Steel Wool Recovery/Tailing Canisters that may be used in combination with the Ultra-A Series Electrolytic Silver Recovery Systems. |
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