COLOUR MEASUREMENT | INSTRUMENTATION
A smarter approach to colour
The latest colour measurement systems are designed to better integrate into today’s smart manufacturing systems, easing use and cutting
waste.Peter Mapleston reports
Suppliers of equipment to measure the colour of plastics compounds both in-line and in the lab continue to make advances, with the latest developments promising to help customers reduce waste while making their operations smarter and more connected in line with the move to Industry 4.0 manufacturing systems. “We are seeing more and more brands and their suppliers shifting to a digital workflow as part of the Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing trend,” says Richard Knapp, Product Manager at colour measurement and management systems producer X-Rite and subsidiary Pantone (perhaps best known for its Pantone Matching System – PMS – proprietary colour space). “Digital colour communication plays a critical role in embracing Industry 4.0 strategies and helps improve efficiencies, reduce production times, waste and costs as well as supports sustainability efforts,” he adds.
“Using digital standards for colour and
appearance complements traditional physical standards used by designers, specifiers and suppliers. When digital standards and spectral data
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are shared across the supply chain, they can be implemented immediately in designs, marketing, formulation and production. This ensures everyone is working with, measuring and reporting based on the same digital colour specification,” Knapp explains. “The data can be easily integrated into product design software, formulation software, measurement devices, and quality control software. From a production standpoint, this streamlines the colour management workflow and helps create detailed audit trails at each step - from the lab to production to assembly. It also makes it easier to identify and eliminate potential colour errors throughout the process,” he says. X-Rite measurement devices, Color iMatch
formulation and Color iQC quality assurance software all integrate with PantoneLIVE, allowing suppliers to use spectral values to verify colour accuracy and improve manufacturing efficiency. The company says this means, for example, that a masterbatch producer can start formulation more quickly and with more confidence. Digital standards also include valuable
July 2019 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 39
Main image: The latest
developments in colour measurement are designed for better integration into smart
manufacturing systems
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
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