The Use Of Spectrophotometers With Blue Tooth Capability For Color Quality Control

By Author: Julie R. Randall
Total Articles: 4
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Some of these devices use wireless Bluetooth technology to communicate with a computer or printer. The instrument is placed on the object to be measured, the data goes onto the computer screen, then the operator can store and recall the data whenever necessary.

Spectrophotometers are used all over the world in many industries to give manufacturers precise quality control ability. The instruments can be found in wide use in the food industry, giving operators the ability to set a target color for the way a food product should look and then quickly determine if there are color variances from batch to batch.

Examples of food products whose colors can be measured this way include condiments, sauces, baked goods, fried foods, coffee and other drinks, ice cream and more. With this technology, manufactures can ensure that every hamburger bun, every jar of salsa and every lemon cake have the exact color and shade required.

Along with color quality control of future batches, these handy instruments help with test-marketing a new food item. By creating and then selling, ...
... say, tomato juice in three slightly different shades, inevitably one shade will outsell the others. Consumers are looks-oriented when considering which products to buy.

Most spectrophotometers are designed to be easy to use and powerful. Many can store 1,000 target data sets and 4,000 sets of measurement data. By communicating this data with a PC, engineers can provide others on the network with important information about measuring results and requirements.

The automotive industry is another place where we see spectrophotometers in use. Here, they measure and control the finishes on vehicles so that every car of a certain color looks like all the others with that color. You can imagine a line of “blue” Ford Mustangs all with a slightly different shade of blue. These instruments keep that from happening.

The paint industry relies heavily on these devices. When a person is painting a house and using a number of gallons of paint, it’s critical that every gallon of a particular color look exactly the same. The result would be disastrous if the painter ended up with a house that had six or seven slightly different shades of light green.

When paint is being manufactured, the spectrophotometer compares each batch with target data that indicates what the color should look like. If the batch doesn’t pass, a red highlighted message appears on the instrument’s display. Workers then know how to adjust the color of the batch to meet its color requirement.

To sum up, spectrophotometers used with Bluetooth technology allow operators in a wide range of industries to communicate wirelessly with a computer or printer and store massive amounts of color measurement data. These instruments are the ideal tool of choice when exact colors need to be duplicated.

Julie R. Randall is a freelance interested in spectroscopy. Most of the information in this article came from Konica Minolta, makers of measuring equipment and technology including 3D Scanners. If you are interested in finding out more about digital imaging product or other measuring equipments? Visit their website today for more information.