VeriVide has introduced the UltraView60, a compact visual colour assessment system designed to extend access to tuneable LED technology across textile and apparel supply chains.
The new model provides the same colour assessment technology and functionality as VeriVide’s existing UltraView system, but with a smaller viewing area. It is intended for businesses that do not require a larger cabinet or have limited laboratory space.
Alongside the launch, the existing UltraView has been renamed UltraView90, establishing a two-model range based on different viewing areas while retaining the same core technology and capabilities.
The development comes as brands, textile manufacturers, suppliers and testing laboratories increasingly move from conventional fluorescent lighting towards LED technology for visual colour assessment.
Consistent Lighting for Colour Evaluation
Consistent lighting conditions are an important part of colour evaluation across textile supply chains, particularly when materials and finished products are assessed at multiple locations before reaching consumers.
As lighting technologies change, consistent implementation is required to minimise differences during colour approval between manufacturers and customers.
Based in Leicester, UK, VeriVide has specialised in controlled lighting and colour assessment for more than 60 years. The company developed the UltraView range to provide flexibility as lighting specifications and requirements evolve.
Both UltraView60 and UltraView90 use tuneable LED technology and come with 14 pre-programmed illuminants. These include VeriVide’s A-rated CIE D65 and CIE D50, CIE Illuminant A, as well as a selection 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.
Software Updates Allow Additional Light Sources
The systems can also accommodate additional light sources through software updates carried out 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 UltraView60 provides additional flexibility for organisations seeking to deploy the same colour assessment technology across multiple facilities.
Where a larger viewing area is required, the UltraView90 can be used, while the smaller UltraView60 can be installed in locations where space, cost or testing scale does not justify the larger cabinet.
Digital Touchscreen for Lighting Selection
Both models feature a digital touchscreen instead of the numbered buttons traditionally used on colour assessment cabinets.
The individual illuminants are displayed on the screen, allowing operators to switch between different lighting conditions when assessing colour appearance and metamerism.
The touchscreen can also be configured with customised button sets for individual customers. For example, a textile supplier working with multiple brands or retailers can create dedicated settings containing each customer’s specified illuminants. This can reduce the potential for operators to select an incorrect lighting condition.
Supporting the Transition to LED
The UltraView60 launch builds on VeriVide’s experience in textile colour assessment and addresses the industry’s transition towards LED illumination while allowing existing equipment to remain adaptable.
“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.”