Ultimate Textile Adds X-Rite Ci7800 Spectrophotometer for Exceptional Quality Control
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., September 21, 2015 – X-Rite Incorporated, a global leader in color science and technology, and its subsidiary Pantone LLC, today reported that North Carolina-based Ultimate Textile added the X-Rite Ci7800 benchtop spectrophotometer and an X-Rite Ci64UV handheld sphere spectrophotometer to its portfolio of color measurement solutions. Together with existing X-Rite color management software and lighting solutions, these solutions have enabled Ultimate Textile to improve its quality control processes for dyed and finished fabrics, minimizing customer rejections and saving the company valuable resources.
A long-time X-Rite customer, Ultimate Textile processes fabrics for a wide variety of end uses, including upholstery, high-tech fire-resistant uniforms, ballistic vests, tote bags and much more. The company’s business is built on processing fabrics according to a customer’s end-use specifications, including color and finish. As a result, color management begins early in the production process with the measurement of incoming goods and dye formulation.
“Having the latest color management technology means we can continue to improve color consistency and streamline our quality control processes,” says Anthony Guarriello, owner of Ultimate Textile. “With the Ci7800 and Ci64UV, we have standardized on X-Rite instruments across the entire facility. We now have the best possible color management process in place.”
Preventing Expensive Mistakes
Once Ultimate Textile has the correct color formulation, selected fabrics and dyes are placed in infrared dying machines. The company can then replicate the fabric colors with little variation. “The last thing you want to do is guess when you are putting fabric into production, and the X-Rite Ci64UV handheld spectrophotometer takes most, if not all, of the guesswork out of the process,” says Guarriello. “Guessing is expensive.”
Ultimate Textile acquired the Ci64UV to accommodate the optical brightening agents used in polyesters and other man-made fibers. The Ci64UV has two light source options, Tungsten and UV LED, providing greater flexibly in a single instrument.
“I carry the Ci64UV with me throughout the plant,” says Guarriello. “I can measure samples and download the data into the X-Rite Color iMatch software to evaluate the results. This makes the customer approval process more fact-based and less emotional. The spectrophotometer is the most objective viewer in the whole process chain. It doesn’t have a bad day. It just reports what it sees.”
Guarriello traded in a competitive spectrophotometer for the new Ci7800 benchtop spectrophotometer. He says, “With the Ci64UV for on-the-spot measurements, and now the Ci7800 used in our lab for quality control, we have the best instruments on the market. We also use NetProfiler software to ensure that, regardless of which instrument we are using, we are getting the same measurement data. These capabilities, along with ease of use and reliability, were key drivers for standardizing on X-Rite color measurement instruments.”
Guarriello explains that all of his color targets are stored in the X-Rite instruments as spectral values. “This is important,” he says, “since physical reference targets can deteriorate over time and with handling. By relying on the spectral values, we can assure our clients that their colors are consistent over time and across a variety of different fabrics.”
Lighting is Critical
Ultimate Textile understands that the lighting under which color is examined and measured is critical to color accuracy. The company uses X-Rite Macbeth lighting solutions over the dyers’ desks and in the lab. Each room is painted in Munsell Neutral Gray to ensure accurate visual color evaluations under natural daylight conditions.
To read a full case study about Ultimate Textile’s solution, visit http://www.xrite.com/resources/ultimate-textile-case-study.
For more information about X-Rite’s complete color control solutions for textiles, please visit www.xrite.com/textiles.
About X-Rite
Founded in 1958, X-Rite, Incorporated is a global leader in color science and technology. With its wholly owned subsidiary Pantone, X-Rite employs more than 800 people in 11 countries. The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Grand Rapids, Mich., with regional headquarters in Europe and Asia and service centers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. X-Rite Pantone offers a full range of color management solutions used by manufacturers, retailers, printers, photographers and graphic design houses to achieve precise management and communication of color throughout their processes. XRite Pantone products and services are recognized standards in the printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles and medical industries. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com. For the latest news, information and conversations, connect with X-Rite on LinkedIn, Vimeo, Twitter, and Facebook.
