TECHNOLOGY | COLOUR MEASUREMENT
Right: Douglas Brownfield, Commercial Director of Ampacet’s LIAD Smart colour automation solutions, at the company’s NPE 2024 stand
Regarding technology and software advances for colour measurement and correction, Ampacet introduced at NPE 2024 the LIAD Smart Spectro- Metric 6, an in-line, continuous colour measure- ment and correction system. The unit combines advanced AI colour measurement and correction technology to adjust colour dosing in real-time from a closed-loop automated system that enables varying usage percentages of PCR and regrind materials while maintaining colour standards, said Brownfield. SpectroMetric 6 is comprised of several Ampa- cet LIAD technologies. This includes Spectro, its in-line colour measurement system in which patent- ed fibre optic sensors with automatic calibration compare colour data captured by its spectrometer to a preset or target colour standard to deliver consistent and accurate colour monitoring. The non-contact sensor is highly accurate (D<0.05) and provides Delta E calculations based on L*a*b* standard colour values without interrupting production, and it is repeatable regardless of ambient lighting, Brownfield said.
Micro feeding SpectroMetric 6 also incorporates LIAD Smart’s ColorSave Micro, which the company said is the industry’s first gravimetric micro feeder, which enables accurate dosing down to one pellet. The patented unit is designed with a single vibrational, protected inner channel that eliminates exterior vibration and can accurately dispense materials with LDRs as low as 0.1%. It can be used for all types of additives including flowable, granular materials and micro pellets. SpectroMetric 6 can also use the ColorSave 1000 gravimetric feeder. The highly precise micro gravimetric feeders
accurately meter the base masterbatch and proper blend of FluxQF mono pigments automatically, based on in-line spectral data.
Right: Ampacet’s SpectroMetric 6 software determines which pigment combination will correct the colour
The in-line measurement of Spectro provides instant notification when it detects an out-of-colour tolerance, then the SpectroMetric 6 colour correc- tion software determines which pigment combina- tion will correct the colour. The unit simultaneously weighs each FluxQF pigment individually while metering the mixture directly with the base colourant and PCR resin blend for delivery to the extruder.
Software benefits Colour management solutions provider Datacolor said colour is a significant attribute in plastics manufacturing for many final products. For com- pounders and masterbatch makers who are responsible for blending polymers with pigments, consistent and accurate colour formulation can be challenging. According to Datacolor, compounders and masterbatch makers face three primary challenges when managing the colour of their products: colour matching, consistency between production runs, and the cost and efficiency of production.
IMAGE: AMPACET
Digital colour management tools for master- batchers, like spectrophotometers and formulation software can help make matching, formulating, reformulating, and controlling the quality of colours easier, with the combination of these tools enabling consistent results that maximise operational efficiency, said Ricardo Lovetro, Managing Director, Brazil, and head of sales in Latin America for Datacolor. “Colour formulation software is not just about achieving the colour. It helps ensure the appropriate physical properties necessary for a good formula are achieved depending
on the product’s final usage,” Lovetro said. 44 COMPOUNDING WORLD | July 2024
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IMAGE: M KNIGHTS
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