ORLANDO, FLA. (April 16, 1:15 p.m. ET) — Pantone LLC rolled out two new collections of plastic color standard chips at NPE2012, while its parent, X-Rite Inc., introduced a new light booth and a closed-loop color-control system.
Pantone’s inspiration for the standard chips in its “Interiors 2013” forecast included the color of the year, called tangerine tango, according to Kimberly Palmeter, Pantone marketing manager.
The set of polypropylene chips measure 3 inches by 1 7/8 inches and are divided into nine key trend palettes. Each chip contains the appropriate Pantene color name and number, as well as the corresponding pigment formulation.
Pantone, located in Carlstadt, N.J., also showed off its volume No. 1 color collection for precise color specification, matching and control in the development of plastic parts. The set includes 154 chip colors including selections from all color families, key trending neutrals, metallics and neons. They were selected from the Pantone Plus series and the Pantone Fashion and Home systems.
“Color consistency is essential to the product-development process,” said Giovanni Marra, director of corporate marketing at Pantone.
X-Rite, which is based in Grand Rapids, Mich., offers its products for use in such industries as automotive, durables, small appliances, office furniture and home improvement.
The new Spectralight QC booth simplifies illumination of test parts so that they can be assessed against various quality standards. They can be tested under daylight, incandescent, fluorescent and other illumination conditions.
The new closed-loop color-control system automatically adjusts variables to maintain tight tolerances on plastic extrusion processes. It allows for the accurate color control of products such as vinyl siding, sheets and other shapes through the use of X-Rite’s VeriColor spectrophotometer and volumetric feeder of colorants using proprietary software.
