X-Rite Demonstrates Advanced Colour Measurement Instruments and Software for Retail Paint and Industrial Applications at Eurocoat 2010 Show

For colour picking, matching and custom mixing architectural paints, X-Rite will demonstrate its recently introduced iVue spectrophotometer and Personal Designer software that give retailers an edge over their competitors when it comes to customer service and in-store efficiency.

For industrial applications, X-Rite Europe representatives will show how its new family of multi-angle and non-contact spectrophotometers and X-ColorQC software can help automotive suppliers, packagers, appliance manufacturers and other companies to monitor and maintain precise control of colour in their processes.

Attendees of the Eurocoat 2010 Show can see demonstrations and obtain information on any of the instruments and software at X-Rite’s booth at B71 in the event's main hall. Pre-show information may be obtained by visiting www.xrite.com or contacting Jacques Brouwers at jbrouwers@xrite.com for retail paint applications and Andrea Vannacci at avannacci@xrite.com for industrial applications.

Brouwers, sales director for retail products of X-Rite Europe that also serves Middle East, Africa and Asia, said his division is particularly enthused about the introduction of the iVue instrument that solves the most common problems of retail paint departments as they help customers who want to match paints with colour samples or inspiration items.

The iVue instrument:

Measures colour at a distance from the sample, so sales associates can now measure objects with curved surfaces such as lamps, bowls and other inspiration items;
Provides an easy-to-view ring of light projected onto the item that shows sales associates and customers exactly where colours are being measured. The patented Line of Sight™ feature reduces mis-tints while enhancing the customer’s purchasing experience;
Measures in either the horizontal or vertical position on larger or odd-shaped items;
Measures with improved precision on the hardest to match colours, and;
Enhances productivity of paint departments by dramatically reducing non-value-added activities such as frequent calibrations and cleaning of optics.

On the industrial side, X-Rite will highlight its new family of MA94, 96 and 98 multi-angle spectrophotometers, as well as the VS450 and VeriColor non-contact spectrophotometers for industrial use.

The MA94 and MA96 spectrophotometers are the next generation and improved versions of X-Rite's MA68II spectrophotometer that has been the workhorse for many manufacturers in a wide range of industries worldwide for years, said Vannacci, the company's sales director for southern Europe. Data taken with the MA94, MA96 and MA98 spectrophotometers is fully compatible with existing data generated using the MA68II instrument.

The new spectrophotometers offer improvements such as better data repeatability and a more robust method for measuring flexible or curved surfaces, and customers will be able to utilize the advanced X-ColorQC® software that comes with the instruments to obtain more information from data. Due to its advanced configuration, the MA98 instrument satisfies the method outlined in ASTM International E 2539 – 08 as a standard measurement practice for companies that manufacture interference pigments or that purchase interference pigments for effect paints.

In addition, X-Rite also is providing information on its MA98 technology by posting materials with the European Federation of Coating Scientists and Technicians (FATIPEC) 2010 Congress that is being held in Genoa at the same time as the Eurocoat show.