Presented at the PCD Congress in Paris earlier this month, the DosiXpress system is designed to speed up the color development process. By improving dosing accuracy and putting no limits on order size, ColorMatrix says it also minimises waste.
Company spokesperson Morag Girdwood said with production runs shortening, colour changes becoming more frequent and access to markets speeding up, the need for an efficient colour development process for cosmetics plastic packaging is all the more important.
Currently the system follows a five step process:
1. Select Match Parameters: Having logged on to the DosiXpress web site, the customer selects their relevant match criteria according to the application they are matching for.
2. Perform the Match: Using a handheld Spectrophotometer the customer then measures the colour of the standard against a white and then a black background to achieve an accurate opacity measurement.
3. Evaluate Match Options: Details of up to 50 different colour match options are then shown on screen, from which the customer can make their optimum match selection based on their best colour versus best cost requirement. Girdwood said the cost versus quality dilemma is usually resolved by considering the nature of the application, so, for example, customers generally opt for a better colour match for a cosmetic than they would for a dustbin.
4. Place Colour Order: Having selected their optimum match, the customer then places their sample or production order online. There are no limits on order quantities which ColorMatrix says means that any potential inventory or waste is minimized.
5. Product Delivery: Once the order is placed, the production process is initiated and the colour is produced, packaged and despatched for delivery, in most cases within a 24 hour timeframe.
Girdwood said ColorMatrix is currently working on improvements to the DosiXpress system, which was launched in March last year, including 3-D modeling for viewing colour matches that can then be linked to consumers’ CAD software.
The company is also expanding the capabilities of the system to cover a wider range of polymer types and increase the number of special effect colourants.