Konica Minolta to Release New Portable Spectrophotometer Series Including the CM-26dG for Simultaneous Measuring of Color and Gloss

Ready for Digital Color Data Management enabling improved Productivity and Quality Assurance in Automotive and ICT Production Sites

Konica Minolta, Inc. today announced that the company will launch the new series of portable spectrophotometers for high-precision color measurement. The dual aperture model CM-26d and the single aperture CM-25d are to be introduced in March 2019, while the flagship model CM-26dG for simultaneous color and gloss measurements will be introduced later in 2019.

The CM-26dG, CM-26d, and CM-25d are being introduced as successors to the CM-2600d and CM-2500d spectrophotometers widely used in the automotive and IT industries. These products are used mainly at production sites manufacturing and assembling interior parts for automobiles and exterior parts of smartphones and tablets. The new instruments will increase efficiency and productivity by enabling Digital Color Data Management*1 across increasingly globalized supply chains.

Benefits of CM-26dG Series

1. Improving the speed of the inspection process by measuring color and gloss simultaneously

The CM-26dG is a “two-in-one” spectrophotometer that can simultaneously measure color and gloss, with a compact body weighing just 660 g. This will increase efficiency when measuring large quantities of samples, significantly improving the speed and accuracy of the inspection process.

2. Achieving outstanding quality control with the industry’s top level of measurement accuracy

The new instrument series provides unequaled high inter-instrument agreement levels, until now only achieved by reference grade laboratory instruments. This enables these instruments to be used for quality control across the supply chain, from component part manufacturers to finished products. The inter-instrument agreement (average for 12 BCRA color tiles) is within ΔE* 0.12 for the CM-26dG and CM-26d, an improvement of about 40% from previous models.

This superb measurement accuracy enables fully Digital Color Data Management (color management based solely on colorimetric data without having to use physical color standards throughout the production plants and supply chain). Cutting out circulation, storage and maintenance of physical standards will create a considerable saving in costs, reduce time to market and eliminate waste generated by misuse, damage and wear of physical standards.

3. Improve operator productivity and reduce process errors

The Job function*2 enables measurement instructions (including photographs) for routine tasks to be registered in the instrument. This function will improve process accuracy, productivity and consistency regardless of differences in operator skill.

The CM-26dG and CM-26d can switch between Ø8mm and Ø3mm measurement areas (the CM-25d has a fixed Ø8mm measurement area) for measuring parts of different sizes. All models are also equipped with an illuminated viewfinder for accurate positioning on patterned or small samples.

4. Faster measurements and improved durability for increased efficiency and reduced downtime

For products produced in bulk such as smartphones, thousands of quality inspections are conducted per day, requiring short measurement times and measurement intervals together with high instrument durability. The CM-26dG series fulfills both of these requirements. Even when measuring both color and gloss with the CM-26dG, measurement time is around 1 second with a measurement interval of two seconds. In addition, durability in terms of measurement cycles has been significantly improved compared to previous models. The improved inspection speed and durability increase work efficiency and reduce downtime.

*1: A color management technique based solely on numerical data without using color reference plates

*2: Setting enabled by separately available software

Contact details:

Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V.

Andreas Ullrich

E-Mail: andreas.ullrich@seu.konicaminolta.eu

About Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V.

Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V., part of the Industrial Business division of Konica Minolta, Inc. Japan, is a leading provider of measurement solutions for applications in the fields of Color & Appearance and Light Measurement. Throughout the EMEA region, Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V. serves the industry in more than 30 countries with Branch offices and qualified Distributors. Derived from our state-of-the-art optical and image processing technologies, measuring solutions from Konica Minolta Sensing help improve quality control and support R&D in a diverse range of industries.

Our color management solutions are essential for Quality Assurance in industries such as Automotive, Plastics, Coatings, Food & Ingredients, Chemicals, Pharmaceutics and Graphic Arts.

Together with the group companies Instrument Systems, Germany and Radiant Vision Systems, USA, Konica Minolta Sensing offers cutting edge technology in the field of Light and Display measurement to the ITC, Automotive and Lighting industry.