Take a Tour Through Polaroid Film Factory

If you’ve ever wondered how Polaroid film is made, you’re in for a treat. The company itself published a video that gives you an exclusive look inside the Polaroid film factory, the only place in the world where this instant film is produced. The tour takes us through the entire process, from raw materials to the final pack of film. But it also adds a human element, introducing us to the passionate people who keep Polaroid photography alive.

Rescuing the last Polaroid film factory

Back in 2008, the original Polaroid factory was forced to shut down. But instead of letting instant photography disappear, a small group of dedicated enthusiasts took on the challenge of saving it. They started with just ten people, determined to keep the legacy alive. Since then, the team has grown to nearly 140 employees, all working with machines that date back decades.

Making Polaroid film

Making Polaroid film is no easy task. It starts in the warehouse, where massive rolls of negative and positive sheet layers arrive from a coating facility in Mannheim, Germany. The positive sheet comprises six layers, coated twice, while the negative sheet has twelve ultra-thin layers—each thinner than a human hair in the Polaroid film factory.

Because the materials react to weather, temperature, and humidity, every roll is slightly different. This means the production team must constantly adjust to ensure high-quality film. The negative sheet is particularly sensitive and must be handled in total darkness from when it’s coated to when it finally becomes a Polaroid picture.

The chemistry behind every Polaroid photo

The developer paste is at the heart of each Polaroid film pack. That’s a blue chemical mixture stored in tiny pockets at the bottom of the film frame. When you take a photo, the camera’s rollers spread this paste between the negative and positive sheets, triggering the chemical reaction that develops the image at the Polaroid film factory.

Because even small variations in chemistry can affect the final picture, a team of quality technicians and chemical engineers rigorously tests each batch. They expose the film to warm, cold, and neutral conditions and analyze factors like saturation and contrast. Only when a batch meets strict standards does it go into large-scale production.

Producing the essential components in the Polaroid film factory

The developer paste is mixed in massive reactors, much like batter for baking. The largest reactor can hold 800 liters of paste, enough to produce about 80,000 packs of film.

Once the paste is ready, it’s time to create the pods, the small pockets that hold the chemicals. The potting machine fills and seals these pods at an impressive rate—over 12,000 pods per hour. Jimmy, one of the factory’s longtime operators, has been working with these machines for decades.

Next, the negative and positive sheets are cut to precise dimensions. Because the negative sheet must remain in complete darkness, operators wear night vision goggles to work with it. This takes some getting used to, as the goggles cause a slight delay in vision, but essential for work at the Polaroid film factory.

The film is then placed inside a black cassette, which is made through a process called molding. Black plastic granules are melted and injected into a mold to form the final cassette shape. These cassettes then move along a conveyor belt—like a miniature highway—toward the assembly machines.

Assembling a Polaroid film pack

The assembly machine is where everything comes together. The white mask material (the border around a Polaroid picture), the positive sheet, and the negative sheet are layered, laminated, folded, and cut. The developer paste pods are added, and the black cassettes arrive just in time to be filled with film.

Before the cassettes are sealed, a metal spring is placed inside to help eject the film into Polaroid cameras. Depending on the film type, a battery may also be included. Finally, the cassettes are wrapped in a silver pouch to protect the film from light and humidity. After one last quality check, they’re boxed and shipped worldwide from the Polaroid film factory.

Keeping an old-school process alive

Producing Polaroid film isn’t just about chemistry and engineering; it’s also about problem-solving. Many of the machines used in the Polaroid film factory date back to the 1970s. Since these machines are no longer made, the team must repair and refurbish old parts rather than replace them. There are no microprocessors, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi—just pure mechanics, soldered wires, and old-school craftsmanship.

Even though the original Polaroid formula still exists in archives, recreating it isn’t straightforward. Many old chemicals require complex synthesis and are no longer available or environmentally friendly. Instead, the team works on developing new, sustainable chemistry to match the classic Polaroid look as closely as possible.

The people of the Polaroid film factory

At the end of the day, Polaroid isn’t just about the film—it’s about the people who make it. The oldest employee started working at the factory in 1978, just a few years after the iconic SX-70 camera was released. Meanwhile, the youngest employee joined last year, bringing fresh energy to the team.

Jennifer, the lab head, originally planned to work in forensics but found herself drawn to the thrill of instant photography. She even met her husband, Edwin, at the factory, and his father, Benny, also works there. Then there’s Tiffany, who works in the reactor room and at the potting machines alongside colleagues who have been with Polaroid since the mid-70s.

Many employees are so passionate about their work that they return even after retirement, helping keep the Polaroid film factory running. It’s a tough, complicated, and sometimes frustrating job, but as they say—there’s never a dull moment.

Despite the challenges, the team is committed to perfecting modern Polaroid film. While the new formula might not yet match the original exactly, they believe they’ll get there with time. In the end, the magic of Polaroid isn’t just about the chemistry or machines—it’s about the people behind the film just like it’s about the ones in front and behind the camera.