Breakthrough colour measurement system

The past few years saw growing preference for colour control and inspection systems in Asia’s thriving industries. Since manufacturing performance is always measured by final product quality, appearance has become an important concern among producers that colour inspection process has become more specialised and in accordance with today’s preference for aesthetic, yet functional products.

 

For industrial sectors such as home electric appliances and automotive interior where some brands prefer to use plastic parts from different suppliers to assemble their final products, colour inspection could take months just to get it right. In this area, Datacolor products and services have become indispensable to customers wanting to minimise the costs and reduce time in colour communication.  As Kongchuch Wongrukmit, Sales Manager for SE Asia / ANZ of Datacolor Asia Pacific (HK) Limited puts it: “Datacolor offers a portfolio of colour inspection and measurement products that are aimed at improving product quality and at the same time saving on costs and reducing the time needed from concept to consumer.” Mr. Wongrukmit cites two of these solutions:  the SpectraVision and the Datacolor 200. “The textile industry is our main market segment and will continue to be so. In parallel, we also focus on growing non-textile market segments, such as plastics, which is increasingly demanding colour inspection and measurement tools.” 

 

Enhanced quality at reduced costs

The Datacolor SpectraVision solution is a Hyperspectral Imaging Spectrophotometer designed by Datacolor that enables retailers and their suppliers to objectively measure and digitally communicate the colour of the “unmeasurables” – such as for prints, trims, yarns, laces, etc. – to save costs and shorten the production time.  For instance, in the fashion industry where textile and apparel are major products, Datacolor SpectraVision enables consistent, repeatable colour measurement for the “unmeasurables” finished products. The solution improves end-product quality by removing subjectivity from the colour measurement process and ensures uniform assessment throughout the supply chain with high inter-instrument agreement. It also allows the use of existing measurement data with backward compatibility to Datacolor benchtop instruments.

 

Datacolor SpectraVision 

 

Essentially, Datacolor SpectraVision ensures savings of up to 50% of the colour approval process costs as it reduces colour approval steps and the number of iterations/strikeoffs required. It also lowers the cost associated with shipment and maintenance of color standards by digitally storing the data and eliminates the need for physical sample shipments. “Datacolor SpectraVision can measure colour samples that normal spectrophotometer cannot perform measurement accurately before. It is a breakthrough technology that optimises colour measurement especially when there is an issue of sample size being too small and when there is limited colour sample area of measurement,” Mr. Wongrukmit said. Datacolor SpectraVision is a more efficient colour management of components in a garment or in coordinating sets and can greatly expedite decision-making with digital communication of colourimetric and image data, thus shortening approval cycle by enabling colour evaluation at the point of production.  

 

Another important product is the Datacolor 200 Family.  One model, the Datacolor 200M is an affordable benchtop spectrophotometer that enables textiles, paint & coatings, and plastics manufacturers to meet their formulation and product quality goals by providing precise colour measurements. When combined with Datacolor formulation or quality control software, the instrument enables manufacturers to achieve greater efficiencies in their production process.

 

 

 

Datacolor 200M 

 

Datacolor 200M utilises Datacolor’s proprietary SP2000 technology, which can capture the true spectral fingerprint of any colour at the highest possible accuracy. It enables repeatability of colour measurement which results in higher consistency in production quality.  

 

To date, the world’s leading manufacturers select Datacolor’s spectrophotometers to specify, formulate and control critical colour. The Datacolor 200 Family features a compact, modern design with simplified installation and a Service Indicator LED for additional confidence in colour measurements. Morever, Datacolor 200 Family colour measurement data is compatible with other Datacolor sphere instruments.  “As an entry level benchtop spectrophotometer, the Datacolor 200M is a high-accuracy colour measurement tool and is highly suitable for small- to medium-size business enterprise, which is a growing area,” Mr. Wongrukmit explains. 

 

Mr. Kongchuch Wongrukmit, Sales Manager for SE Asia/ANZ of Datacolor Asia Pacific (HK) Ltd  

 

Growing in Asia 

Customer focus is one of the core values of Datacolor, which has been continuously expanding its market reach. In Southeast Asia, the company has aggressively taken steps to boost its presence.  It recently set up a representative office in Vietnam with a team of sales and technical professionals, and the office would later be expanded to support the fast-growing industries in the country. The Vietnam representative office is also responsible for Cambodia.  

 

As Southeast Asia is a strategic market for Datacolor, it expects to further be on the lookout for opportunities in the region. “We see growing sectors in the region and aim to deliver our best new products and technologies to serve Asian customers,” according to Mr. Wongrukmit. As Datacolor moves forward in Asia, expect more innovative solutions to support this dynamic region.   

  

Datacolor Asia Pacific (HK) Limited

Unit E, 15/Floor, Billion Plaza 2,

No. 10 Cheung Yue Street, Cheung Sha Wan,

Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2420 8283

E-mail: asiamarketing@datacolor.com

Website: www.datacolor.com