VeriVide – a member of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) – is expanding its UltraView range of visual colour assessment equipment with the launch of a new compact model designed to make tuneable LED technology accessible to more organisations across textile and apparel supply chains.
The new UltraView60 provides the same colour assessment technology and functionality as VeriVide’s existing UltraView system, but in a smaller and more cost-effective format for businesses that do not require a large viewing area or where laboratory space is limited.
At the same time, the existing UltraView has been renamed UltraView90, creating a two-model range based around different viewing areas while retaining identical core technology and capabilities.
The development comes as brands, textile manufacturers, suppliers and testing laboratories increasingly transition from conventional fluorescent lighting to LED technology for the visual assessment of colour.
Fundamental consistency
Consistent lighting conditions are fundamental to colour evaluation throughout textile supply chains, particularly where materials and finished products may be assessed at several different locations before reaching the consumer. Changes in lighting technology therefore need to be introduced consistently if manufacturers and their customers are to avoid discrepancies in colour approval.
VeriVide, based in Leicester, UK, has specialised in controlled lighting and colour assessment for more than 60 years and developed the UltraView range to provide greater flexibility as specifications continue to evolve.
Both UltraView60 and UltraView90 employ tuneable LED technology and are supplied with 14 pre-programmed illuminants, including VeriVide’s A-rated CIE D65 and CIE D50, CIE Illuminant A and a range of LED and other specified light sources.
The systems are designed to meet or exceed international colour assessment standards including ISO 3664, ISO 3668, ISO 13076, ISO 23603, ASTM D1729, AATCC EP9 and BS 950-1.
Additional sources
A significant feature of the technology is the ability to introduce additional light sources through software updates during servicing and calibration.
“This is becoming increasingly important as brands and retailers adopt new LED specifications,” says VeriVide Director Adam Dakin. “Rather than being restricted to the illuminants selected when a cabinet is originally purchased, UltraView installations can consequently be adapted as requirements change. This both extends equipment life and helps to maintain common assessment conditions at different points in global supply chains. UltraView systems are designed for more than ten years of typical use.”
The introduction of UltraView60 also gives organisations greater flexibility in deploying common technology across different facilities. Larger viewing areas can be provided by UltraView90 where required, while the smaller UltraView60 can be installed at locations where space, cost or the scale of testing makes the larger cabinet unnecessary.
Both systems use a digital touchscreen rather than the numbered buttons traditionally employed on colour assessment cabinets. Individual illuminants are clearly identified on screen, allowing operators to switch quickly between different lighting conditions when checking colour appearance and metamerism.
The touchscreen can also be configured with customised button sets for individual customers. A textile supplier working for several brands or retailers, for example, can create dedicated settings containing the specified illuminants for each customer, reducing the potential for operators to select incorrect lighting conditions.
Specialist expertise
The UltraView60 launch builds on VeriVide’s longstanding involvement in textile colour assessment and reflects the increasing importance of managing the industry’s move to LED illumination without rendering existing equipment obsolete.
“Colour consistency remains a critical issue throughout textile and apparel manufacturing, and it becomes increasingly challenging when supply chains stretch across many different companies and countries,” says BTMA CEO Jason Kent. “VeriVide is a good example of the specialist expertise that exists within the UK textile machinery and technology sector. The ability to combine accurate, standardised colour assessment with equipment that can evolve as lighting specifications change is particularly valuable as the industry makes the transition to LED. Making that capability available in a more compact format should also help extend its use across a wider range of textile businesses.”
