Colour and Surface Measurement for the Plastic Industry Colour Measurement for Development, Manufacturing and Quality Control Quantified, Controlled Colour Measurement for the Plastics and Rubber Industry Colour Measurement is a vital tool for the plastics industry. The visual appearance of a product is often the first quality indicator for the customer, so it should be controlled throughout design, specification, manufacturing and Quality Control (QC). Konica Minolta can help to implement a solution throughout the entirety of the process, offering users control, certainty and traceability. Konica Minolta colour measurement solutions are widely used within the plastics industry. Portable and benchtop instruments provide accurate results for all manner of samples including solid, liquid, glossy, pellet, transparent and textured. Using the accurate and traceable colour measurement instruments of Konica Minolta in conjunction with a QC software, brand owners can reliably, accurately and efficiently produce colour across workstations, sites or between supply chain partners. Communication: Control: Colour communication to meet colour quality standards from idea through design, development, production to a final quality control. Quality control measurement in production including raw materials and finished products. A colour measurement system will reduce waste and save time within development and manufacturing. This will help your organisation to establish a consistent brand or product colour that can be measured and reproduced anywhere in the world. 2 Example Applications Colour and Gloss Measurement Colour Quality Control Using digital and / or correctly maintained physical standards, the colour of masterbatch, liquid colour or part finished product can be inspected against specification. Products can be measured at the end of, or during production to ensure the finished product has the desired appearance. Colour Specification Colouring process can be measured from the masterbatch and compound material production stage to help prevent out-of-specification production, boost the efficiency of large production batches, and reduce manufacturing costs. The colour of plastic raw material can be accurately specified, produced and approved to minimize waste and misalignment. Gloss and Surface Measurement Gloss and surface texture can have a significant impact on the visual appearance of products. Colour can be measured independent of surface texture using a spectrophotometer with 45/0 or d/8 geometry. The impact of gloss can be measured using an instrument with a gloss trap to exclude the specular component. This is common in automotive plastics or where components of different materials or from different suppliers are used. Transparent Items Using a spectrophotometer with a transmittance measurement chamber, colour can be measured, matched and controlled on transparent and semi-transparent plastics. Opacity can also be measured and defined in reflectance mode using an opacity jig or drawdown cards. Obtaining accurate measurement data for transparency and opacity is vital for efficient calculation of pigment loading and colour matches. 3