Color Measurement Of Plastic Pellets Using HunterLab Instruments

In the plastics industry, the color of plastic pellets is often measured before the pellets are extruded, or molded, into a final product. Plastic pellets are typically translucent and nonuniform in size. Therefore, special accessories and presentation techniques are required to provide repeatable results. This Applications Note is designed to describe the preferred methods of measuring plastic pellets using the various HunterLab instruments.

obtain an overall average of the color for the group. Several readings of the group should be averaged for the final result, preferably with replacement of the sample between measurements. Recommended procedures for each instrument type are described below. Section IV, "How to Determine the Number of Measurements to Average," applies to all the procedures discussed below except the on-line (SpectraProbe XE) procedure.