What is a Color Spectrophotometer ?

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A color spectrometer is a color measurement device used to capture and evaluate color. As part of a color control program, brand owners and designers use spectrophotometers to specify and communicate color, and manufacturers use them to monitor color accuracy throughout production.

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A spectrophotometer is a device that precisely measures electromagnetic energy at specific wavelengths of lights. It uses the characteristics of light and energy to identify colors and determine how much of each color is present in a ray of light.The two main components of a spectrophotometer are a spectrometer and a photometer.

 

• Spectrometer: The spectrometer uses a lens to send a straight beam of light to a prism, which splits it up into its individual wavelengths. Then, a wavelength selector filters out just the specified wavelengths and sends it toward the photometer.

• Photometer: The photometer is the part of the device that detects the number of photons that are absorbed, sending that measurement to a digital display.

A spectrophotometer essentially quantifies how much a given substance reflects or absorbs light — something that we tend to think of as more qualitative. You may think to describe an opaque product as red or blue, with a matte or glossy sheen. Spectrophotometers take this evaluation a step further and quantify those characteristics into something that can be measured and used in precise applications, including clinical diagnosis, quality control, product design and biochemical research.

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How Does a Color Spectrophotometer  Work?

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The basic way a spectrophotometer functions is based on the absorption of photons. Higher amounts of photons correspond to higher intensities of light.

You may remember from chemistry class that light is a form or electromagnetic radiation, like microwaves and gamma rays. When we talk about the spectrum of light, we’re talking about a spectrum of energy, where different energy levels create what we perceive as different colors. The colors of the rainbow follow the progression of energy, with red being the lowest and violet being the highest.

In terms of substances, a sample that absorbs all visible light and doesn’t reflect anything appears black, while a substance that does the opposite looks white. In between those two are substances that reflect certain energies of light and absorb others, displaying specific colors.

Returning to our spectrophotometer, this tool is basically a calibrated light counter.

• “Spectro” refers to the fact that light is dispersed into individual or groups of wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum of energy. Some of that energy is in the ultraviolet and visible light range, which certain spectrophotometers can read, while others can measure infrared radiation. A typical spectrophotometer can measure 31 wavelength bands of light across a 300nm-wide range. More expensive instruments can measure more than 150 bands of light across an 800nm-wide range.

• “Photometer” in the name refers to the ability to measure the intensity of light at each group of wavelengths and scale it to a range of human perception from 0-100. Zero equals total darkness and 100 is perfect white. Some properties, like fluorescence, make it possible for this scale to go over 100, so most spectrophotometers can reach 150 or 200.

By combining these two tools, we can generate specific data about the released colors and associated wavelengths to inform various applications.

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Applications

Food and Beverage - Color is one of the most important aspects of foods and beverages. Although color does not generally indicate whether a food is safe, a food or beverage whose color is unappealing will likely not be purchased or consumed. Accordingly, food and beverage manufacturers they try to control the color of their products and use various instruments to measure product color, both in the laboratory and online.

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Paints - The paint is a material that is commonly used in almost every industry and even in the domestic products. The color of a paint material is one of the most important aspects of the quality of the paint which defines its vibrancy and appearance. The Paint manufacturers must keep I mind that they should not deliver the materials to the clients and customers without checking the quality of color of the paints.

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Plastics - Color analysis for plastic and polymer additives can be used to assess the specific changes needed to improve the performance of your products. Color measurement provides information not only on color-changing additives, but can also measure molecular changes in stabilizers, fillers, processing aids, and antibacterial additives. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this technology has revolutionized the polymer manufacturing industry.

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Textile- Color spaces are widely used in the textile industry for the purpose of accurate color matching and ensuring the best color quality of products. The textile products greatly depend on their appearance for their popularity. If a product is not incorporated with the best color quality, then it can have a negative impact on the popularity of the products.

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Automobiles- Almost all products that make the automotive industry, from interior or from exterior, require consistency in their visual appearance. External body, tyre, bumpers, mirrors, doors, dashboards, roofs and many other things require uniformity and consistency in their color and gloss. Difference in shade of 2 cars with the same color will throw the brand image of the manufacturer into bad light. 

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Others  - Other than the above-mentioned industries, color meters are also widely used in medicine, printing, post harvest and many other applications.