How to Capture Color on Cylindrical-Shaped Items
Challenge
Controlling color on cylindrical-shaped items like cups, cans, sleeves, bottles, and tubes is a challenge. Since measuring on a curve can introduce errors, many manufacturers cut a piece from the finished product and lay it flat for an accurate reading. While this method works, it is expensive and time consuming. Each sample takes time to cut, and the process must be repeated multiple times per hour on each press. It also adds unwanted safety risks to employees who are cutting the samples, and unnecessary waste for the environment.
Solution
X-Rite’s Cup and Cylinder Solution is an integrated and easy-to-use fixture that combines the power of our eXact Advanced and Ci64 handheld spectrophotometers with a sample-positioning arm. Simply slide the sample on the arm to position a cylindrical-shaped sample at the correct height and angle for an accurate measurement.
- Saves the time-consuming task of cutting samples and associated waste
- Minimizes the risk of injury to employees
- Captures actionable data to control color throughout the manufacturing run
- When used with the eXact Advanced, can measure a wide array of opaque materials, including plastic, foam, film, and paper.
- When used with the Ci64, can measure textured, reflective, translucent, and transparent samples using ISO-compliant Munsell backing material.
Results
For one X-Rite customer who prints plastic cups, using X-Rite’s Cup and Cylinder Fixture with the eXact has saved them 12 employee hours a day. To determine this savings, they calculated the time it took to cut a square from each cup and lay it flat to measure it, multiplied by the number of color checks per hour, per press. This tremendous cost savings is on top of the thousands of cups they save each day, and the positive impact on the environment since they package and sell each sample instead of destroying it.
How it Works
X-Rite’s Cup and Cylinder Fixture holds the cylindrical sample horizontally and on the same plane as the device, in perfect measurement position. The arm can be customized with three offsets to accommodate samples -.025, -.045, or -.100 inches thick.
The device sits on the stand with the aperture aligned over the sample. The sample can be moved and turned to measure different locations. The top surface of the sample-positioning arm is flat, allowing flexible samples to flatten against the surface during measurement.
The arm of the fixture is covered with Munsell backing material for consistent measurements on transparent samples, and to keep background color from interfering when measuring samples that are not 100% opaque.
Featured Products
X-Rite's most precise and accurate portable sphere spectrophotometer with simultaneous SPIN/SPEX, correlated gloss, and a UV option to accurate measure a variety of surfaces for products and packaging.
X-Rite eXact Standard or Advanced Spectrophotometer
The benchmark for measuring color for print and packaging, this portable 45:0 spectrophotometer leverages job-based tools with industry color standards to increase process control.
This custom made bench that holds a Ci60 series or eXact spectrophotometer at the right height and orientation to capture accurate color readings on cups and cylindrical-shaped items.
A suite of quality control and assurance solutions to help brand owners, design agencies, premed, plating and ink companies, and printers manage color and ensure consistency.
Ensures design intent is carried through to the final product by delivering tight tolerances and monitoring color from specification through material suppliers, manufacturing, and assembly.
Achieve Color Success
With X-Rite’s Cup and Cylinder Fixture and the eXact or Ci60 spectrophotometer, packaging printers and industrial manufacturers can easily measure cylinder shapes for a range of applications, reducing overall measurement time and eliminating waste. This combined solution also integrates with other X-Rite solutions, including InkFormulation software, ColorCert, NetProfiler, and Color iQC quality assurance software, to further streamline manufacturing workflows.
