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Brightly-colored pieces of luggage are often easier to identify in busy airports, making these desirable products for frequent travelers. Image Source: Shutterstock user Nick Starichenko

A traveler has finally reached his destination after a long international flight. He’s eager to get to his hotel and relax, but first, he has to wait for his luggage to arrive at baggage claim. The traveler watches hundreds of plain black suitcases circle the baggage claim turnstyle—each one looks almost identical, and his fellow travelers have a difficult time identifying their own luggage in the sea of black and grey. That’s when the traveler spots his suitcase; it’s a vibrant shade of hot pink that’s nearly impossible to miss. He’s able to quickly claim it and continue with his day.

An estimated 21.6 million bags were lost at airports worldwide in 2016—that’s nearly six bags per every 1,000 airline passengers. And in about 4 percent of these cases, passengers never picked up their luggage from baggage claim.1 In many cases, this is due to misidentification; either a passenger picks up someone else’s luggage by mistake, or a passenger isn’t able to locate the luggage on the carousel.

In both cases, having a distinctively colored suitcase may have prevented the mix-ups from happening. This is part of the reason luggage manufacturers are increasingly choosing to create bags that feature unusual colors, making it easier for their customers to identify their suitcases in a crowd. But having more colorful design options also necessitates better color quality control protocols. Color measurement instruments like spectrophotometers can help you create colorful luggage that stands out from other bags on the market.

Reframing of luggage as fashion accessories have led to a proliferation of vibrant colors. Image Source: Shutterstock user Thitirat J13

Brightly-colored pieces of luggage are often easier to identify in busy airports, making these desirable products for frequent travelers. Image Source: Shutterstock user Nick Starichenko

A traveler has finally reached his destination after a long international flight. He’s eager to get to his hotel and relax, but first, he has to wait for his luggage to arrive at baggage claim. The traveler watches hundreds of plain black suitcases circle the baggage claim turnstyle—each one looks almost identical, and his fellow travelers have a difficult time identifying their own luggage in the sea of black and grey. That’s when the traveler spots his suitcase; it’s a vibrant shade of hot pink that’s nearly impossible to miss. He’s able to quickly claim it and continue with his day.

An estimated 21.6 million bags were lost at airports worldwide in 2016—that’s nearly six bags per every 1,000 airline passengers. And in about 4 percent of these cases, passengers never picked up their luggage from baggage claim.1 In many cases, this is due to misidentification; either a passenger picks up someone else’s luggage by mistake, or a passenger isn’t able to locate the luggage on the carousel.

In both cases, having a distinctively colored suitcase may have prevented the mix-ups from happening. This is part of the reason luggage manufacturers are increasingly choosing to create bags that feature unusual colors, making it easier for their customers to identify their suitcases in a crowd. But having more colorful design options also necessitates better color quality control protocols. Color measurement instruments like spectrophotometers can help you create colorful luggage that stands out from other bags on the market.

Reframing of luggage as fashion accessories have led to a proliferation of vibrant colors. Image Source: Shutterstock user Thitirat J13

Carbon black is one of the most commonly used additives to both commercial and industrial grade plastics. Used as both a base of color comparison as well as a UV absorption material to increase durability, the color measurement of carbon black filled plastics is an important part of polymer production. Image Source: Flickr user Jori Samonen

Plastic is one of the most versatile materials available. With the ability to be molded and formed into nearly any shape, size, or color the possibilities are nearly endless. Yet manufacturers continually struggle with achieving color consistency and maintaining durability and UV resistance. Carbon black plastic technology is a preferred method for increasing the strength and stability of these products and can be used for a variety of applications. The color measurement of carbon black filled plastics provide the data needed to monitor various color changes as well as the UV resistance qualities in plastic materials. This process begins with the dry blending of carbon black and the primary resin, where color analysis starts prior to molding in order to achieve the right balance in color and stability.

Today’s sunglasses are much more than just a fashion accessory. New research in lens technology has revealed that visual perception is greatly influenced by both color and quality. Image Source: Pexels user Pixabay

Whether skiing on a mountain or boating on the lake, protective eyewear is more than just a fashion statement. For many years I had relied on dime-store glasses to dull the glaring effects of the sun. While they seemed to do the job at a fraction of the price, I really hadn’t experienced the difference in quality protective eyewear. My husband, on the other hand, is somewhat of a sunglass snob. Always wearing the designer brand and latest fashion, I assumed he was more interest in appearance than performance…that is until I tried his on. Only one word can describe it, WOW! The quality lenses and polarized coating changed my view of the word, literally. No more cheap glasses for me. When it comes to protective eyewear, quality is worth every penny.

Not only does my husband enjoy top brand sunglasses, he also seems to have a pair for every type of activity we enjoy outside. The golden yellow lenses for the water, the reflective lenses for the mountain, and standard gray for the golf course. I thought this was merely another of fashion statement he was going for, but after some research, I found that color really does play a significant role in the performance of sunglasses.

The lens color, tint, and/or reflective coating can all change visual perception based on environmental lighting conditions. Image Source: Unsplash user Tiko Giorgadze

Plastic films and coatings are widely used in today’s manufacturing industries. Spectral analysis addresses measurements of thickness and quality in these products. Image Source: Flickr user Dom Pates

The applications of plastic and polymer use in manufacturing are limitless, and industries are finding new ways to utilize this flexible and durable material all the time. With polymer prices on the rise, many major corporations are relying on spectral analysis to ensure effective product performance and to help reduce wasted materials.

Plastic films and coating make up a large portion of the plastic manufacturing industries and have been used to add strength and protection to a variety of products we use today. From wires and cords to windows and metal products, polymer coatings extend the durability and performance of these materials and provide a more economical and functional product. Spectrophotometers are able to measure plastic film and coating thickness using spectral analysis, providing a valuable method for improving both quality and cost efficiency.

Using Spectral Data to Measure Polymer Properties

Plastic is a highly durable, lightweight material, which makes it ideal for a number of manufacturing applications. These applications require instrumental analysis to measure the specific properties of polymers. These materials are typically transparent in quality and are measured using transmittance, reflectance, transparency, and color measurement methods of evaluation. By measuring these optical properties, calculations can be made to determine the thickness and reflection value of plastic coatings for precise visibility, functionality, and quality control.

Clear plastic packaging is found on many products where visibility is important for marketing purposes and accentuating product appeal.
Image Source: Flickr user jenny downing

Plastic…it’s everywhere. That clear color wrapping can be found on nearly any manufactured product you can think of: food, toys, sporting goods, electronics. All of these common items can be found coated in clear material, but is there really a true measurement of clear color?

Clarity is, in fact, an important feature of plastic and it can be measured by the analysis of haze in the sample material. The appearance of clear plastic is gauged by the cloudiness or haziness of the material to determine visibility. Haze is the only true measurement of clear color and can be quantified and monitored through the use of spherical spectrophotometric technology.

Some high-end dolls are so realistic, they’re virtually undisguisable from the real thing. Image source: Picsea on Unsplash

Reborn Babies and other hyper-realistic silicone dolls have made a splash in the world of high-end doll collecting as of late, with many people paying top dollar to obtain these hard-to-find toys.1 Manufacturers of these dolls are few and far between due to the incredible skill needed, but for the few that can manage, this can be a lucrative industry. For top-of-the-line dolls, some collectors have spent as much as $6000, making many toy manufacturers wonder if this is an area worth considering. However, the process for creating such dolls can be incredibly complex, making mass production difficult—but not impossible.

One of the most important features of these dolls is their skin’s color and texture. The ability to obtain a lifelike pigment from silicone pellets is no easy feat. There’s also little room for error, as many of these pellets cannot be melted down a second time to remix the color. When an artist is adding painted details later, if the skin tone is off, significant color correction will be needed. Using spectrophotometers as a part of the pigmentation creation process can help eliminate waste, enabling manufacturers to enter this high-demand market with lower overhead.

Some high-end dolls are so realistic, they’re virtually undisguisable from the real thing. Image source: Picsea on Unsplash