INSTRUMENTATION | COLOUR MEASUREMENT
RAL researches colour design
RAL, the provider of colour samples, is collabo- rating with the Institute International Trendscout- ing (IIT) at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK) in Hildesheim, Germany on digital communication of professional colour design. RAL says the cooperation will include re-
search projects on the subjects of design, colour and surfaces, as well as an expansion of the range of products and services. The company says that it is no longer sufficient to talk about colour as a separate component of design, because stakeholders expect integrated information and inspiration on surfaces, materi- als and colour-related topics via various chan- nels and media. �
www.ral-farben.de �
www.iit-hawk.de
from anywhere in the world and quickly share those analyses across the supply chain. For example, higher-end hyper-spectral spectropho- tometers can be used to skip the time-consuming process of creating plaques - a process that can take up to 25 minutes just to make a single pass/fail decision. With modern technology, this decision can be made in five minutes,“ he says. “In addition to improving precision and efficien-
cy, modern spectrophotometers can capture sample temperature measurement. This is impor- tant because plastics samples right off the line are much hotter than ambient temperature – some- thing that can significantly impact colour appear- ance. This feature increases operational confidence and enhances reliability,” he explains. Balthazar says colour measurement is changing in plastics compounding. He says that historically there has been limited adoption of digital colour management on the end-processor side of the plastics industry. However, ongoing global econom- ic challenges, including recent factory closures and lockdowns in Asia, are forcing many companies to shift production locations to different countries or regions. As a result, they are now relying on digital colour management to transfer colour standards globally. Together with raw material shortages and increased calls for sustainability, this is leading industry professionals to seek out technologies that increase efficiency, improve agility and minimise the risk of colour error - reducing waste.
www.compoundingworld.com
As market shifts continue, he says the industry
will further increase its embrace of digitalisation to streamline communications and production across the supply chain. Combining specialised software with hand-held, ultra-portable spectrophotometers allows the measurement, analysis and communica- tion of colour digitally from any part of the world. When using portable devices, it is also now possible to have good inter-instrument agreement (IIA) — two or more spectrophotometers reading the same colour. While a single spectrophotometer in one location may not rely as heavily on IIA, it is essential if communication of colour is required across different offices or a supply chain. The closer the IIA, the more consistent colours will be across products, materials and locations. Datacolor believes high raw material prices,
pressure from consumers and government policy to implement sustainability measures, and supply chain challenges will continue to raise concerns among plastics manufacturers. “This combination of factors is spurring the industry to adopt modern technology that lowers costs, enables virtual communication, and helps facilitate the use of recycled material,” says Balthazar. “Digitalisation, automation, and cloud-based software will soon become the go-to solutions for cost and communication concerns, further advancing production processes,“ he says. “The industry will eventually come to expect seamless interactions across the supply chain – from suppliers and manufacturers to retail locations and consumers – while immediately identifying manufacturing errors or off-shade colours to save time that would be otherwise wasted on multiple rounds of corrections.”
Recycling challenges Sustainability and the use of recycled materials also provide challenges in colour management and quality control because the physical characteristics of plastics vary widely and can be difficult to replicate without compromising their stability. Balthazar says that the plastics industry recognises that production errors resulting from off-colour products have both economic and environmental repercussions and are showing increased interest in digital colour manage- ment solutions that can reduce waste and assist in reuse of off-colour product. Spectrophotometers and software, such as
Datacolor‘s Match Pigment with its ‘recycle feature’, July 2022 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 37
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Above: Recycled materials present additional challenges in terms of colour management and control, says Datacolor
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