X-Rite Pantone Inc. has introduced the SpectraLight QC light booth to give companies a superior way to visually evaluate the colours of samples for production approval, helping to bring products to market quicker and reducing instances of waste. The SpectraLight QC reduces the rate of sample rejections at multiple locations by providing better consistency of light sources and standard conditions under which the colour of products are assessed visually. The process results in improved speed to market and reduced overall costs and gives quality control managers new monitoring and reporting tools to control and communicate more precisely.
It provides a cost-effective way for companies to evaluate how the colours of products look when they are placed under the same illumination as where they are sold or used. In many cases, end users want quality control personnel and lab technicians to make judgments on the suitability of sample colours using their eyes rather than just numerical values from instrumentation. The SpectraLight QC uses digital programming to precisely control and display light levels to enable customers to accurately and consistently meet ASTM (American Society for Testing and Material) International and AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) standards for illumination levels specified for making critical evaluations. The new light booth uses built-in sensors to monitor and automatically adjust fluorescent lamp light levels, compensating for the diminishing lux due to age and wear.
With a modest amount of training, quality control or quality assurance personnel can create and save profiles on personal computers that detail which seven available light sources a brand owner specifies when evaluating products. When performing evaluations for specific brands, only the preferred settings are available, potentially eliminating compliance problems across a supply chain. Companies can seamlessly and digitally share performance data on their SpectraLight QC units with their customers to satisfy ISO or other international quality standards.
