Plastics

What Is Color Measurement for Plastics?

What do plastic colors mean? They represent the aesthetic appeal of the plastics product, and they can also indicate overall product quality. Plastic color measurement involves grading the consistency and value of the final colors, helping to maintain a reliable aesthetic across production lines.

Measuring plastic colors is critical to overall output quality. By measuring and monitoring the appearance of the plastics, this process helps maintain a consistent aesthetic and quality during daily operations. Some of the advantages of reliable color measurement include:

• Boosting brand integrity: By ensuring your product colors meet a consistent standard across production days and machines, you'll be able to build your brand reputation.
• Increasing sales: Developing your brand and establishing product confidence with consumers can help you deepen engagement and increase sales.
• Cost-effective production: When you maintain quality controls during production, you can boost sales revenue and reduce waste, leading to maximized cost-effectiveness in your operations.

What Our Tools Measure

With our specialized tools for plastic colors measurement, you can evaluate many different types of products. Our tools can measure:

• Plastic bottles: Our optimized tools can monitor plastic bottle colors and ensure they meet branding and quality standards across production lines.
• Extrusion molded plastic: When measuring extrusion molded plastic colors with our tools, you can ensure overall quality and appearance consistency.
• Injection-molded plastic: Various types of injected molded plastic can be evaluated for color integrity with our solutions.
• Pellets: Evaluate plastic pellets' color consistency with our state-of-the-art tools specialized for this type of application.
• Safety cones: Ensure color reliability and industry standards compliance with our tools to evaluate safety cones' production colors.
• Ophthalmic lenses: Our tools can ensure ophthalmic lenses meet all industry compliance regulations and maintain consistent product integrity.

Types of Plastics Color Measurement Instruments

At HunterLab, we have many plastics color measurement instruments, including the UltraScan VIS, ColorFlex L2, MiniScan EZ 4500, Agera, SpectraTrend HT and UltraScan PRO. These instruments are used to measure a wide variety of plastics, such as:

• Plastic bottles
• Extrusion molded plastic
• Injection molded plastic
• Pellets
• Safety cones
• Ophthalmic lenses

UltraScan VIS

The UltraScan VIS is an ideal tool for measuring color in both opaque and translucent plastics, such as preforms and plastic bottles. With its diffuse d/8° geometry and automated UV calibration and control, the UltraScan VIS measures transmittance, reflectance and haze in a single accurate measurement.

UltraScan VIS offers superior inter-instrument agreement and reliable performance over the long term. It conforms to standards like ASTM E1164, JIS Z 8722 and Conditions C, E and G.

This device delivers optimized precision and automated specular component inclusion and exclusion. With a 10-nanometer optical resolution and reporting interval, it offers highly efficient measurements to maximize productivity. Open on three sides, the spacious transmission compartment allows for easier operations. The included EasyMatch QC software helps you manage data and records seamlessly.

ColorFlex L2

Level UP your Color Confidence with the ColorFlex L2 now enhanced with a modern smart interface, a sealed spillproof case, stellar product updates, and so powerful that no PC is required. Elevate your color accuracy and user experience like never before. Designed to streamline and expedite your quality control processes, ColorFlex L2 Spectrophotometer gives you unsurpassed confidence and trust in your outcomes. Compact and ergonomic build requires minimal space while offering enhanced durability and reliability. Measures everything from opaque solids, liquids, powders, granules and pellets to translucent solids and liquids.

MiniScan EZ 4500

For safety cone color measurement in compliance with ANSI Z535.1, choose the MiniScan EZ 4500. This portable device has easy one-handed operation, so you can take measurements on the go. Its ergonomic design helps reduce operator fatigue and boost productivity throughout the day, and its light weight makes it easy to carry wherever you need to go.

The MiniScan EZ 4500 uses 45º/0º geometry for enhanced accuracy, and its software features essential color indices and scales such as CIE LCh, CIE L*a*b*, Hunter L,a,b, and more. This device displays views for the following:

• Spectral difference plot
• Color data
• Spectral data difference
• Color plot
• Spectral data
• Color difference data
• Spectral plot

Wherever you need to measure, this device delivers exceptional precision and convenience for your applications.

Agera

The Agera is ideal for opaque plastics like opaque plastic film, sheet plastic, enclosures, plaques as well as other plastic materials like pellets and vinyl siding. Measuring from 360 nm - 700 nm with UV control, it measures both color and 60-degree gloss, and it includes a five-megapixel camera to capture images and help with sample positioning. The onboard software includes color scales and indices such as CIE L*a*b* ,Hunter L,a,b, Yellowness Index, Whiteness Index, and more.

Able to simultaneously measure gloss and color and store the data, this versatile device delivers optimized usability for your requirements. It offers an intuitive user interface and touch screen to streamline day-to-day operations and maximize efficiency. With features tailored to operator needs, the system makes management more straightforward and convenient.

SpectraTrend HT

As an in-process solution, the SpectraTrend HT provides real-time, continuous color data so that any variations can be tightly monitored and adjusted in real-time. It features both color and height sensors and has a compact, easy-to-use design. This device's advanced color monitoring capabilities enable you to decrease operational waste, maximize color quality consistency and reduce costs related to variation risks.

The software provides E313 Whiteness Index, Tint, E313 Yellowness Index, D1925 Yellowness Index, Hunter L,a,b and other critical color scales and indices. With this industry-leading device, you can measure individual products or bulk items, allowing you to customize monitoring based on your unique applications. The SpectraTrend HT offers dependable performance for web, individual and bulk products so you can get the most value and precision from each measurement.

UltraScan PRO

The UltraScan PRO is the perfect device to measure the color of ophthalmic lenses. Measurements over the entire spectral range of 350 to 1,050 nm are made in a matter of seconds, and spectral data is collected every 2 nm and reported for every 5 nm. It measures transmitted and reflected color as well as spectral transmittance, spectral reflectance and transmission haze.

UltraScan PRO conforms to haze standard ASTM D1003 and numerous reflectance and transmittance standards, including CIE 15:2004, DIN 5033 and JIS Z 8722 Conditions C, E and G. The high precision of the device is ideal to meet stringent research applications and ensure quality control for lenses. Offering outstanding inter-instrumental agreement and three reflectance measurement areas, this solution can deliver seamless measurement with trusted accuracy.

The device also comes with EasyMatch QC software to help you manage data and ensure compliance across production lines.

Contact HunterLab for Plastics Color Measurement Tools

At HunterLab, we offer trusted solutions to match your most demanding color measurement applications. We've delivered innovative, versatile equipment solutions for color measurement and quality control for over 65 years. Today, we continue to lead the industry with state-of-the-art solutions that match your requirements.

When you partner with us, you can have confidence that you'll gain optimal precision, usability and reliability from our tools. Help ensure consistent quality across your production lines with our specialized products.

If you're interested in getting more information on our solutions, our expert team is here to help. To learn more about our plastics color measurement tools, contact us today.