{"id":30361,"date":"2019-02-22T14:39:04","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T11:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.textilegence.com\/?p=30361"},"modified":"2019-04-30T15:56:08","modified_gmt":"2019-04-30T12:56:08","slug":"textile-sample-measurement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.textilegence.com\/en\/textile-sample-measurement\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Practices for Textile Sample Measurement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Best Practices for Textile Sample Measurement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Consistent color is a key quality indicator\u00a0for\u00a0the textile industry, and the only reliable way to evaluate color is with color measurement.\u00a0In this blog, I\u2019ll review some best practices for textile sample measurement.<\/p>\n

Textile sample measurement technique<\/strong><\/h2>\n

A \u201cmeasurement technique\u201d describes how a sample will be measured on a spectrophotometer to ensure that the results are accurate and repeatable.\u00a0\u00a0Ideally, a repeatable measurement technique<\/a> has been defined when a sample can be measured, removed from the instrument, and then remeasured with a variation of less than 0.15 DE(CMC) units. Anything larger will lead to unreliable decisions regarding sample quality.<\/p>\n

Here are some factors\u00a0that can affect the repeatability of textile sample measurement:<\/p>\n

Sample Size<\/em><\/h3>\n

For most measurements\u00a0the sample will be folded to multiple layers.\u00a0 This means the\u00a0sample should be large enough that when folded it will still cover the measurement aperture of the spectrophotometer.\u00a0 Samples that are smaller than 3\u201d\u00a0x\u00a03\u201d (7.5cm x 7.5cm) can be difficult to fold and measure repeatably.<\/p>\n

Thickness<\/em><\/h3>\n

If a sample is not\u00a0opaque, light will pass through the sample\u00a0during measurement\u00a0and reflect off the backing material or sample holder, producing misleading reflectance data. For most knitted and woven fabrics, two to four layers of material\u00a0are\u00a0sufficient\u00a0to ensure opacity.<\/p>\n

Lightweight and translucent materials\u00a0may not be opaque even at four\u00a0layers,\u00a0but\u00a0using more layers\u00a0would force\u00a0the material\u00a0into the interior of the instrument. Instead, measure only a few layers of material backed with a white ceramic tile\u00a0like\u00a0the instrument\u2019s calibration tile.\u00a0Samples\u00a0measured with\u00a0identical\u00a0white tile\u00a0backings can\u00a0still\u00a0be compared\u00a0numerically\u00a0since the contribution of the backing is the same.<\/p>\n

Positioning<\/em><\/h3>\n

Measurements can vary\u00a0depending on the\u00a0fabric construction\u00a0or due to unlevel dyeing. To help\u00a0account for\u00a0this, remove the sample from the instrument and refold or reposition it before additional readings.\u00a0 Simply rotating the sample between measurements without\u00a0repositioning will not produce repeatable results.<\/p>\n

It is also critical when\u00a0measuring to avoid any areas of the sample that are contaminated by dirt, fingerprints, creases, dye blotches, or other substances.<\/p>\n

Number of measurements<\/em><\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s a technique to determine the number of\u00a0measurements\u00a0required\u00a0to ensure\u00a0accurate data:<\/p>\n

Measure a sample eight times\u2014rotating and repositioning\u2014and save the average.<\/p>\n