PET Plastic Bottle Color Measurement

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles are a popular choice for packaging various consumer products such as beverages, cosmetics, etc. Despite often being overlooked, the color of these PET plastic bottles plays a significant role in the success of the product as it holds immense value in terms of quality perception, customer perceived value, and brand identity. The color of a PET bottle can greatly impact how consumers perceive the quality of a product. Different colors evoke different associations and qualities that consumers may attribute to the product. For example, transparent or lightly tinted bottles can convey a sense of purity, freshness, and transparency, which is often desirable for products like mineral water and other clear liquids. On the other hand, opaque colors like white or solid colors can instill a sense of reliability, durability, and professionalism and are used for products that are light-sensitive or that aim to create a visually clean appearance.

PET bottle color also has an impact on the perceived value of a product. Bright and vibrant colors tend to capture attention and evoke positive emotions. This can create a perception of higher value, as consumers associate visually appealing packaging with premium quality. Subdued colors may communicate simplicity, affordability, and environmental consciousness. In addition, the color of a plastic bottle for pets is an important element of a brand’s visual identification that helps with brand recognition and recall. Some examples of successful brand identification based on color are Coca-Cola’s use of red, Pepsi’s use of blue, and Evian’s use of transparent bottles.

Color Management and Quality Control of PET Bottles

In the manufacturing process of PET bottles, accurate color measurement plays a crucial role in ensuring the exact reproduction of desired colors and helps maintain consistency across different production batches. Color measurement instruments like spectrophotometers can express color attributes, such as hue, saturation, and brightness, in numerical form using systems like the CIE L*a*b* color space. With the numerical color data, manufacturers can establish color tolerances and target values to ensure consistency throughout the PET bottle production process.

Spectrophotometers play an essential role in various stages of PET bottle production. They can be used to check the color and other optical properties of the raw material (e.g., PET resin, etc.) used in PET bottle production to ensure that they meet the desired color specifications. Furthermore, spectrophotometers can verify the color of PET preforms during production, including preform injection, to ensure consistent color quality and allow for adjustments if needed. Spectrophotometers can also be employed as part of quality assurance protocols to verify that the produced PET bottles meet the required color standards and customer color specifications.

Spectrophotometers typically have different measurement modes, such as transmittance or reflectance, and it is crucial to select the appropriate mode based on the measurement requirements and the attributes of the PET plastic bottle. Reflectance color measurement mode measures the amount of light reflected off the surface of a sample and is appropriate to use on opaque PET plastic bottles. Transmittance color measurement mode measures the amount of light that passes through a sample. It is suitable when the PET plastic bottles are transparent or translucent, and light is able to transmit through them.

Konica Minolta Color Measurement Solutions for PET Plastic Bottle

Konica Minolta Sensing, a leading provider of measurement solutions, offers a wide selection of color measurement instruments widely used within the plastic industry. The Konica Minolta Spectrophotometer CM-5 is one such instrument that can perform multiple measurement modes, including reflectance and transmittance color measurement, making it easy to measure the color of PET plastic bottles, from translucent and transparent to opaque. In addition to CIE L*a*b* color spaces, the spectrophotometer CM-5 can also measure CM-5 can also measure in various of metrics and indexes like yellowness index (YI), whiteness index (WI), etc.

The Spectrophotometer CM-5 is supported by a wide variety of accessories that enable accurate and consistent color measurement of PET plastic bottles, including PET resin, PET preform, etc. Check out this video to learn more about the many features and measurement versatility of Spectrophotometer CM-5.

Have trouble measuring the color of your PET plastic bottles or need guidance on implementing a color management and quality control program for your PET plastic bottle production? Get in touch with our color specialists for a free consultation now.