TECHNOLOGY | COLOUR MEASUREMENT
(AxF), a vendor-neutral file format developed by X-Rite that enables the communication of all aspects of a physical material’s appearance. This data can then be used to specify the right level of colour and appearance characteristics to other stakeholders in the supply chain that do not need the level of detail that TAC captures.
Above: X-Rite’s Total Appear- ance Capture (TAC) ecosys- tem brings a new level of realism to digital presentation in the virtual world
Right: The Ci7500 reflectance- only sphere benchtop spectropho- tometer is optimised for opaque materials
“Using the Pantone spectral colour values to specify design intent allows suppliers to easily integrate the data into digital workflows and begin formulating colour faster and with more confi- dence. Masterbatchers and compounders can digitally match any Pantone standard and begin formulation without waiting for a physical sample to arrive. Spectral matching also helps master- batchers determine the most cost-effective amount of pigment to achieve accurate colour at any opacity level. In a digital workflow, the spectral data can then be used in quality control processes in conjunction with spectrophotometers or inline measurement equipment to monitor and measure for colour drifts in production. This reduces product rejects and waste, and saves time,” he says. Schmollgruber also sees a third trend developing in colour measurement of plastics – the use of 3D industrial product design and virtualisation tools. “Being able to see virtual products in a totally realistic manner is vital to many steps in the digital design and production workflow,” he says. “Tools like X-Rite’s Total Appearance Capture (TAC) ecosystem bring a new level of realism to the capture, communication and digital presentation of physical materials in the virtual world. It can also help streamline the design- to-prototyping process by using exact material appearance within the virtualisation process.” X-Rite says that when it is necessary to capture
an accurate digital representation of the physical appearance of a material or create a physically correct digital model that can be used by most 3D rendering solutions, the Total Appearance Capture (TAC) ecosystem can support this. The ecosystem is comprised of the TAC7 scanner, PANTORA Material Hub and the Virtual Light Booth, which are already being heavily used in industries where plastics play a role, including automotive and consumer electronics. Materials are defined in the PANTORA Material Hub using Appearance Exchange Format
20 COMPOUNDING WORLD | July 2018
www.compoundingworld.com
Virtual improvements The Virtual Light Booth (VLB) is intended for industrial and packaging designers working with plastics. It is a 3D visualisation environment for evaluating material appearance such as colour, texture, gloss, transparency, special effects and reflection properties. It allows users to visualise accurately and efficiently and compare 3D digital material renderings side-by-side with physical samples under a variety of lighting conditions. This helps ensure consistency between digital proto- types and final physical products. Another recent X-Rite product development is the MetaVue VS3200, a non-contact imaging colour spectrophotometer that can accurately measure plastics, liquids, powders, gels, or small and odd shaped samples without contaminating the instrument or damaging the sample. The company says the MetaVue VS3200 can speed up colour formulation, production colour checks and quality control operations while reducing waste and rework. Plastics processors can use the device to accurately measure a wide variety of samples that could not be measured with traditional instru- ments. MetaVue is claimed to offer versatility, the ability to view and target what you are measuring accurately and the inclusion of multiple apertures, particularly for difficult-to-measure materials such as liquids and powders as well as small, bulky and odd-shaped items.
Also new is the Ci7500 reflectance-only sphere benchtop spectrophotometer, which is said to
PHOTO: X-RITE
PHOTO: X-RITE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74
