Many manufacturers of products such as aircraft cabin interior equipment have to manage control of colour measurement and quality for a diverse range of materials while meeting tight tolerances and short approval cycles.
The difficulty can be compounded when production is spread across not just various sites around the world, but across international supplier networks. One issue is that many production measurements still require manual data transfers before review, limiting visibility and slowing the process of any required corrective action.
X-Rite Pantone, the specialist in colour standards and colour science, has developed a machine it believes can offer a solution. Spectura is a portable sphere spectrophotometer platform designed to connect colour measurement with quality workflows.
Spectura combines measurement performance, secure Cloud connectivity, and an expandable application framework, which the company says can help manufacturers reduce colour errors, accelerate decisions, and maintain consistency from the laboratory to the production floor. X-Rite Pantone says the system can also help companies prepare for evolving regulatory requirements, including CRA compliance.
“Colour quality can no longer be managed one instrument, facility, or supplier at a time,” stated Ben Spiegel, director of product management at X-Rite Pantone. “As manufacturing becomes more distributed, organisations need connected workflows that preserve the integrity of colour data across every location where decisions are made. Spectura creates that foundation, helping teams reduce variability, respond faster, and improve consistency throughout the colour programme.”
Connected colour quality assessment
The architecture of Spectura integrates advanced optics, high-definition camera targeting, temperature-aware measurement, purpose-built accessories, secure Cloud connectivity, NetProfiler integration, and future application capabilities within a single platform.
Spectura can work with X-Rite’s existing handheld and benchtop systems to help maintain alignment between established colour standards and production results to reduce measurement variation.
The secure Cloud connectivity, powered by the X-Rite Color iQC system, brings colour and instrument performance data directly into digital quality workflows, reducing manual transfers. Quality managers can review production results in real time, identify issues earlier, reduce rework, and collaborate across locations and suppliers using a shared source of trusted colour data.
Three models of Spectura have been launched to address specific quality needs: Spectura S60 for portable colour comparison, Spectura S62 for everyday quality control, and Spectura S64 for tighter tolerances and agreement with Ci7800 benchtop spectrophotometers.
