Quality control is an important aspect of any color workflow. While many of our customers use a handheld spectrophotometer for QC, there are times a benchtop spectrophotometer is a more appropriate choice. Today we’ll explore some of the reasons you might want to choose a benchtop for quality control and offer tips to ensure your QC workflow is the best it can be.
Top 5 Reasons to Choose a Benchtop Spectrophotometer for Quality Control
1 - Your Color Tolerances are Tight
While our handheld instruments are incredibly precise, our benchtops offer the highest accuracy and inter-instrument agreement available. If your tolerances are tight or any deviation could impact acceptance rates (and waste), you should consider a benchtop for quality control.
2 - Your Sample is Small Enough to Bring to the Device
One big benefit of handhelds is their size and weight. They’re small enough to carry around and spot check color anywhere, from incoming materials to the production line to the lab. But if your samples are small and can easily be presented to the device, a benchtop might work well for your QC program.
3 - You Measure a Wide Variety of Samples
Most of our benchtop spectrophotometers offer the ability to measure in both reflection and transmission modes to capture color on a wider variety of samples than a handheld. In fact, the Ci7600, Ci7800, and Ci7860 models can measure in five modes:
- Direct transmission measurements for transparent samples
- Total transmission measurements for translucent samples
- Reflective and transmission measurements to capture both reflectance/transmission data to evaluate color and opacity
- Haze measurements for translucent samples that scatter light. X-Rite Ci7000 benchtops adhere to ASTM D1003 Part B for haze.
- SPIN, SPEX, or simultaneous SPIN/SPEX reflectance measurement with different aperture sizes
4 - Your Samples are Liquid, Gel, Powder, or Some Other Irregular Consistency
It can be difficult to achieve color accuracy for irregularly shaped products like liquids, plastics, and powders. To QC odd-shaped products, we offer parts and accessories for our Ci7000 series to measure a variety of samples in odd shapes and sizes, including:
- A Port Up Accessory Feet Kit and a Port Down Stand to take vertical measurements on samples like powders
- A 25 mm Glass Aperture to present specimens behind glass
- Transmission Kits to hold translucent and transparent samples and liquids for repeatable measurements
- A Pneumatic Pressure Sample Holder to measure fibers
5 - You Require a Large Measurement Spot
While our handhelds can only measure a 14mm spot, our benchtop can measure up to a 25mm spot. This enables you to average a larger area, which is especially helpful for textured and patterned samples.
Tips to Optimize your Quality Control Workflow
When you first receive your spectrophotometer, it is calibrated and certified to measure color within a certain Delta E. However, you must maintain your spectrophotometer to continue capturing accurate and consistent color. Check out our Color Drift blog to learn the risks of not cleaning, calibrating, and certifying your device.
Here are two ways to ensure your benchtop spectrophotometer continues to measure within tolerance for an optimized QC workflow.
1 - Install and Use NetProfiler
NetProfiler is a blend of software and color standards that makes it easy to adjust and validate instrument performance, identify instruments in need of service, and reduce variation between devices from the comfort of your office.
NetProfiler:
- Notifies you when an instrument needs profiling
- Automatically verifies and optimizes device performance to correct issues caused by age, wear, or environmental conditions
- Profiles a wide range of instruments with or without an internet connection
- Reduces production costs by identifying instruments in need of service before they result in off-color products
- Ensures color consistency across complex supply chains that encompass multiple departments and geographies
Learn more about NetProfiler.
2. Protect Your Investment with a Service Care Plan
An X-Rite Service Care Plan makes it easy to maintain your spectrophotometer to continually operate at peak performance. With a variety of options to choose from, we make it easy to get the most from your investment and maintain your certifications.
Service Care Plans:
- Improve reliability and increase the lifespan of your device for accurate color data and a dependable workflow.
- Maintain certifications and meet stringent quality and regulatory requirements with our ISO certification options.
- Reduce downtime and get world-class support, consistent and repeatable service, and loaner units for most plans.
- Avoid costly surprise breakdowns and help you plan for the future with predictable maintenance budgets.
Watch our video and explore Service Care Plans options here.
Choosing the Right Benchtop for your QC Workflow
Once you decide a benchtop spectrophotometer is the right device for your quality control process, the next step is to choose the right one. Our Ci7000 series includes five models to fit a wide range of industrial color measurement needs, and we’re currently offering an exceptional trade-in deal.
Get in touch and one of our Color Experts can talk through your options and help you decide.
