The automated photographic measuring facility at Cambridge

The design and performance of the automated photographic measuring facility at Cambridge is described. It consists of a precision laser scanning microdensitometer connected to a series of computers that process the data on-line. Plates up to 350 mm square can be measured. The microdensitometer samples the plate to 12 bit accuracy at a speed of 230,000 samples/second. The positional accuracy is better than a micron. Other features include platen rotation and automatic focus.