colorCONTROL ACS 7000 online colour measuring system

Bestech has introduced an online colour measuring system: the colorCONTROL ACS 7000 from Micro-Epsilon Eltrotec. It is suitable for: automotive paint inspections; interior colour measurements; forensics; plagiarism detection; processing of plastics, wood, veneers and textiles; and in printing and medical technology.

The measuring principle is based on an accurate method of colour measurement - spectral imaging - where the spectrum of reflecting light is compared to the white light reference that is illuminated on the measuring target. The system supports three operating modes and the colour value resolution exceeds ΔE 0.01 for a spectral resolution of 5 nm.

The first mode measures the colour difference ΔE to the reference value. A maximum of 15 learned reference colours can be stored. The second mode measures the sample's reflectivity spectrum. The third mode measures colours and displays them in the relevant colour space (XYZ, L*a*b*, L*u*v*). The results are used to calculate CIE-xy colour coordinates for wavelengths of 390-780 nm.

Observation characteristics such as illumination source (A, C, D65, D50, D75, E, F4, F7, F11 or customised) and 2°/10° standard observers can be adjusted. In addition, users can display and track a trend analysis of ΔE / ΔL*, Δa*, Δb* for the individual colours over any period of time. All modes support measurement speeds of up to 2 kHz. The system works contact-free for a distance of up to 55 mm with a measuring geometry of 30°/0°.

The system supports online and offline measuring and is operated via a web browser that also displays relevant measuring parameters, including a black/white balance feature. Process interfaces such as Ethernet/EtherCAT, RS422, USB and Digital I/O are included.