Spectrophotometer to characterize complex materials and components

X-Rite Incorporated and its subsidiary Pantone announced the expansion of its popular MetaVue family of non-contact imaging spectrophotometers with a new version tailored to meet the needs of the plastics, coatings, cosmetics and food industries. MetaVue VS3200 is the first non-contact instrument for industrial applications that combines colour imaging with spectrophotometry to characterize today’s most complex materials. Ideal for the lab or quality control operations, it offers unmatched versatility and colour accuracy for the measurement of liquids, powders, gels, or other small and odd shaped samples.

 “Many quality control programs rely solely on visual color evaluation due to the shape and size of the sample,” said Dave Visnovsky, product manager, X-Rite. “MetaVue’s flexibility to measure a range of wet and dry samples - large and small - allows manufacturers to add instrument-based quality control to their process in order to ensure colour accuracy, eliminating waste and rework. Equally important, MetaVue VS3200 can be used in laboratory formulation to measure samples that could not be measured with traditional instruments, such as wet paints or coatings, cosmetics and even a variety of foods. This helps eliminate colour errors in formulation and recipe creation”.

The device features an adjustable aperture size, ranging from 2 to 12 mm, enabling measurement of a wide range of samples. Users can measure difficult samples such as small and non-planar items as well as liquids, pastes, powders and gels without contaminating the instrument or damaging the sample. Adaptable accessories for MetaVue VS3200 include an instrument stand to place the instrument three inches above a table with replaceable trays that slide in and out; an adjustable stand for accurate measurement of samples with varying thickness; and a benchtop stand that converts the instrument to a benchtop with a sample arm for measuring objects such as plastic parts.

The MetaVue VS3200 also includes an on-board camera allowing precise digital targeting of the sample. Operators can quickly and easily see the target area being measured and change the aperture size or location. The camera enables the Smart Spot advanced image feature that compensates for texture, gloss and other appearance effects for more accurate measurements of vinyl, carpet or fabrics. This helps improve color consistency across manufacturing.