DigiPix > CASE STUDY: BATH MATS AND TOWELS
THE APPLICATION: - Imaging & Colour Measurement of towelling.
A leading towelling & bath mat manufacturer approached VeriVide with their specific requirement for a DigiEye System. They already had the latest equipment for measuring colour but they could not successfully measure pile fabrics. The Company had to employ visual matching techniques for quality control of their product. As they work round the clock and globally this was both a lengthy and costly exercise.
The DigiEye system is used for the imaging and colour measurement of samples, which would be impossible to assess using a standard spectrophotometer. DigiEye provides a non-contact measurement for all types of materials with different appearance characteristics.
As the sample is imaged without contact any raised pile including towelling with any length of loop is captured without being flattened against a measuring head.
ISSUE 1: - Colour Measurement of towelling is inaccurate.
Colour Measurement has traditionally relied on spectrophotometers, however they were designed to measure very flat areas of 2D solid colour. Any sample of a textured or pile fabric is flattened against the measuring head of a spectrophotometer, thus the measurement reading is a false one, as it does not take into account the visual appearance of the fabric in its natural state.
The depth of the shadows between the pile of the fabric also determines the colour of textured fabric and if the weave design of the fabric contains lots of holes as in the images below a spectrophotometer cannot be presented with a large enough coloured area for measurement.
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ISSUE 2: - Real sampling of towelling fabrics is required to assess new colourways.
Designers and buyers cannot select new colourways from flat coloured fabrics, as it is impossible to extrapolate the final result on a pile fabric such as towelling. Thus real sampling has traditionally taken place and with a lengthy time scale between colour selections and going to market, this is costly.
THE TECHNICAL BIT
The calibrated camera captures data in RAW format for very high-resolution images; since the image is captured in controlled and consistent lighting the software can transform the RGB data from the camera into CIE colour space thereby enabling accurate non-contact Colour Measurement of the pile fabric.
Consistency is the key, as the environment is controlled, measurements are repeatable. The image can be retained with its associated data for visual assessment and correlation.
The software also contains a choice of Colour difference equations so that components can be imaged with and compared to an agreed standard component.
The DigiPix Colour Replacement software also enables an object to be recoloured using colour information from a variety of sources including Pantone colours, or company colour library information in several data formats. The appearance of the pile fabric is retained during the recolouration enabling an accurate visualisation of the final colour.
THE BENEFITS
The leading towelling & bath mat manufacturer mentioned above were able, using the DigiEye DigiPix Software, to capture the total appearance of the towels and bath mats and extract accurate colour measurements. This revolutionised their quality control by speeding up the process and enabling tighter colour tolerances to be applied.
The images captured and the colorimetric data can be electronically communicated around the globe, leading to savings in time and shipping costs.
The Company reported lead-time reduction of at least 50% and the product produced is the correct colour “right first time”.
A further benefit with the use of DigiEye on this type of fabric is the enhanced visualisation possible during the product development of new colourways. Using the DigiPix Colour Replacement feature, the surface appearance of the pile fabric is taken into consideration during recolouration. This is very useful for designers and buyers who can use the software to decide on the most appropriate colours before ordering real sampling.
WISH TO KNOW MORE?
Further details of the DigiEye System - including the Large Area Imaging (LAI), are available via the Datasheet below (click on the relevant links to download or open).
Alternatively please contact Pete Laban - Sales Manager to arrange a demonstration.
| DIGIEYE DATASHEET | LAI - DATASHEET | CONTACT PETE LABAN |
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| DOWNLOAD PDF | DOWNLOAD PDF | p.laban@verivide.com |