TECHNOLOGY | COLOUR MEASUREMENT
required for sharing data with customers and suppliers,” he says. “Another consideration is whether the instruments need to measure opaque, translucent and transparent materials. For recipe prediction, the software should offer an algorithm that matches both translucent and transparent materials and allows the preparation of only one set of calibration data for all polymers of a chemi- cal group and not for each polymer. In addition, the use of recycled materials needs to be taken into consideration for recipe prediction.” There are also a variety of external influences
Above: Konica Minolta’s CM-25cG is said to capture reliable colour data from a wide variety of surfaces
Right: The benchtop CM3700A, like other Konica Minolta spectro- photometers, provides tight inter- instrument agreement
address the needs of laboratory and Quality Control professionals who primarily work with opaque materials and plastics. The Ci7500 features SPIN/SPEX measurement to determine gloss levels accurately and is UV calibrated for the advanced optical brighteners commonly used in plastics. X-Rite has a number of other new developments in the pipeline to help the plastics compounding sector. “Whether you are formulating and produc- ing effect finishes or moving towards a digital workflow, it is important to remember that instru- ments alone are not always sufficient,” says Schmollgruber. “Formulation and quality control software that work in conjunction with instrumen- tation play an important role in the manufacturing process and can help speed produc- tion and reduce colour errors. In the second half of 2018, X-Rite will release a new version of its Color iMatch formulation software. The upcoming release will provide masterbatchers and compounders with improved colour matching performance in order to reduce the number of correction steps needed for best colour match. This new release will provide significant updates and offers new data prepara- tion tools, fewer iterations to an acceptable colour match, and the ability to more efficiently formulate colour for plastics.”
Combined solutions When selecting a colour measuring system, compounders and masterbatchers need to find a combined hardware and software solution, according to Andreas Ullrich, Marketing and Sales Manager EMEA at Konica Minolta Sensing. “Firstly, the accuracy of the instrument is crucial, particularly if inter-instrument agreement is
22 COMPOUNDING WORLD | July 2018
affecting colour measurement. “With increasing globalised manufacturing and continually decreas- ing vertical integration, Cloud-based software solutions are becoming a pre-requisite,” says Ullrich. “Digital Colour Data Management (DCDM) can reduce costly preparation and deployment of physical samples. In order to achieve DCDM, the most important requirement is the best possible inter-instrument agreement. In addition, new EU regulations for the use of recycled material makes it more difficult for masterbatchers and compound- ers to match the right colour, because the polymer is changing with each new batch of recycled material. The software must be able to handle this.” Konica Minolta Sensing says its approach to DCDM relies on an established global methodology for consistent quality control management, instruments with close tolerances and a software and IT solution to manage and share digital colour data internally and globally throughout the value chain. The company’s instruments, such as the CM-700d, CM-25cG and
CM-3700A, are all designed to provide an inter- instrument agreement that is smaller than the tightest tolerance of any reference colour. In addition, the modular Colibri platform can be used at all stages of the colour management process.
Managing colour The company says that Colibri is a universal platform for colour management, employing a unique algorithm with the flexibility to adapt to the customer’s workflow. It offers easy handling and a logical workflow and can be integrated into an existing or future IT infrastructure. The Colibri multi- flux algorithm offers a number of advantages, including calculation of colour and opacity in one step, which also provides accurate results for
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PHOTO: KONICA MINOLTA SENSING
PHOTO: KONICA MINOLTA SENSING
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