materials testing | Colour monitoring
The Datacolor 45 provides uniform circumferential illumination for repeatability even on textured surfaces
point that they expect to take a picture of the colour they want on their smart phone and be able to send that over to the colour lab to get it matched.” Becker notes that smart-phone cameras only capture RGB data, not the full spectral curve needed to get the best colour match under all light sources, but the technology will give a ballpark match.
“The biggest need is to give the designer of the original part a tool to specify colour that will deliver colour solutions based on end-use properties and durability at the lowest cost,” adds Beck at Americhem, who notes that in some cases a designer will request a colour that isn’t possible in plastic.
X-Rite’s Ci6x spectropho- tometers provide greater measurement accuracy in the production process
Perhaps these needs could be met by an entrepre- neurial software application developer working with a relative newcomer to the colour measurement industry, Variable. The latter company’s Node+Chroma is a portable, wireless tool for communicating colour that was originally designed for the consumer space but is fi nding application in a wide range of industries. These include the plastics supply chain from product design- ers for brands all the way back to compound and masterbatch producers, says Jonathan Bragdon, chief business offi cer at Variable.
The Node+Chroma is a pocket- sized tristimulus colorimeter that is integrated with a smart device – possibly a dedicated device, but more likely the user’s smart phone or tablet – as the user interface. “The device extends the capability of colour communication to the
front-end, sales side of the business,” explains Bragdon.
40 COMPOUNDING WORLD | July 2014
“The user doesn’t need to understand colour science in order to provide actionable colour information back to the lab when they see a colour they want to match.” The device is designed to be part of a system that not only takes a colour reading, but, through a software application, makes the measurement useable to a wide audience by correlating it to a specifi c product library, for example. Variable is collaborating with application development companies to design user-friendly apps and services that meet the needs of specifi c markets or fi t into specifi c company systems and processes. In addition to communicating colour in sales and design, the Node is fi nding use in manufacturing quality control. “Because it is wireless and easy to carry, the user can walk through a manufac- turing area and do spot checks of
colour,” says Bragdon. He notes that the Node wirelessly connects to any smart device using an API connec- tion. Bragdon says production of the device, which began two years ago, has
been refi ned for consistent quality and is now fully commercial.
Wireless connectivity is also available on conven- tional handheld spectrophotometers for quality control. Last year, X-Rite launched its Ci6x series of handheld spectrophotometers for greater measurement accuracy in the production process. The instrument is designed to provide tighter controls of colour for materials, in-process parts and fi nished goods along with an audit trail to ensure productivity for facilities with multiple sites, says the company.
The instrument has wireless connection capability
for fl exibility in transferring colour data from the production process. The NetProfi ler 3.0 program allows companies to calibrate to a single centreline standard and ensure that colour measurements taken through- out the supply chain are accurate and reliable. By simplifying and automating an audit trail, brands and manufacturing plants can monitor compliance at any facility. X-Rite also introduced the Ci4200 compact bench-top spectrophotometer, which is compatible with X-Rite handheld instruments and has an embedded NetProfi ler program. Datacolor introduced the Datacolor 45 family of hand-held spectrophotometers in early 2014 with a Bluetooth interface for software communication. Datacolor 45 instruments provide uniform circumferen- tial illumination for repeatability even on textured surfaces. Ease-of-use features include a low-profi le measuring head, dual measurement buttons and a live-navigation user interface. All instruments are offered with Datacolor Tools colour QC software.
www.compoundingworld.com
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