New technologies and methods to control color difference of injection molded products

Case 1: When a medical device factory was producing plastic parts for disposable infusion sets, they initially used traditional color measurement methods and ordinary color masterbatches, which resulted in obvious color differences in the same batch of products. Later, they introduced a high-precision spectrophotometer for color measurement and used high-performance color masterbatches, and the problem of color difference was significantly improved, and the consistency of the product color was dramatically improved.

Case 2: A company specializing in the production of medical plastic products, in the manufacture of a new type of medical testing equipment shell, due to the instability of the injection molding process parameters, resulting in color difference between shells produced at different times. By adopting an intelligent injection molding control system to monitor and automatically adjust the process parameters in real time, the color difference problem was successfully solved, ensuring the consistency of the product's appearance and meeting the customer's strict requirements.

Advanced color measurement technology is the foundation. Equipment such as the ci7x00 series of benchtop spectrophotometers and ci64 handheld spectrophotometers can accurately capture color data at different stages of production, accurately measuring masterbatch color and product color to ensure that they are within strict tolerances. The Color Difference Meter is able to quantify color differences and reflect the degree of color difference through intuitive numerical values, helping to quickly determine whether the product color is qualified or not, and detecting small color changes.

Intelligent injection molding control system plays a key role. It can monitor the color parameters in the injection molding process in real time. Once the color difference is detected to be out of the set range, the system will automatically adjust the injection molding process parameters, such as injection speed, pressure, temperature, etc., in order to quickly correct the color difference problem. Meanwhile, its process parameter optimization module, based on a large amount of experimental data and algorithmic models, can intelligently optimize the parameters according to the product requirements and raw material characteristics to improve the consistency of product color.

New masterbatch technology brings new breakthroughs. High-performance masterbatches have higher stability and better dispersion, which can reduce the color difference caused by the quality of the masterbatches, disperse more evenly in the plastic matrix during the injection molding process, and reduce the color fluctuation. Intelligent color-changing masterbatches can change color according to environmental conditions or specific signals for the production of medical injection-molded products with special functions, providing innovative ideas for color difference control.

Online inspection and monitoring technology is indispensable. The visual inspection system takes real-time photos and color analysis of products by installing high-resolution cameras and image analysis software on the production line, and immediately alerts and stops production when it finds color difference problems. Sensor network arranges multiple sensors in key areas such as injection molds and barrels to collect parameters such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, etc., and analyze their impact on color difference to achieve comprehensive process monitoring.

Data management and analysis technology is also very important. The establishment of color database, record different products, batches of color data and related production parameters, raw material information, through big data analysis to find out the pattern of change of color and influencing factors, to provide reference for production. The quality traceability system tracks the color data of each production link, and can quickly trace the root cause of the color difference problem, take targeted measures to solve the problem, and optimize the quality control of the production process.