The challenge in designing the next-generation series was to maintain the tried-and-tested qualities of the previous series while introducing value added features
The launch of the CR-400 Chroma-Meter series colour measuring system brings the next generation of Minolta's award-winning portable colorimeters onto the market.
Besides featuring numerous improvements and full data compatibility with previous series, the CR-400 series offers many added values, mainly for applications such as food and ingredients, life sciences, agricultural or mineral products.
The launch will undoubtedly strengthen Minolta's market position in the industrial measurement field.
The new models' predecessors are all highly recommended in the relevant industries and have reached 'reference device' status.
The concept behind Minolta's Chroma-Meters is almost 20 years old but the new series had to confront and comply with new technology and increased customer requirements.
The challenge in designing the next-generation CR-400 Chroma-Meter series was to maintain the tried-and-tested qualities of the previous series while introducing value added features.
Evolution not revolution was Minolta's motto.
As a result, the new CR-400 and CR-410 models represent a consistent evolutionary development from the past series.
The well-proven concept that includes a compact, ergonomic hand-held measuring unit and a separate data processor has been maintained.
With a view to the interests of the many thousands of existing users, the entire optics - geometry, measuring surfaces, standard observer and light source - of the new series has been adopted from the CR-300 series.
This has the key advantage of ensuring full data compatibility with the CR-200 and CR-300 series - for many users an indispensable requirement when considering replacing a CR-300 by a CR-400.
All dedicated accessories such as the granulates container and liquid tester attachment continue to be usable, guaranteeing the incomparably flexible usability of these models with their innumerable applications.
All the innovations introduced in the CF-400 series are aimed at maintaining the new models' spectrum of use, flexibility and efficient employment in modern colour quality management.
The measuring head, which now features a display, all the function keys and the data memory offer genuine stand-alone functionality with the data processor or can be directly connected to a PC via the optional software ChromaMagic.
Colour data measured on site (up to 1000 values) can later be downloaded to the data processor or the software for further evaluation.
The most remarkable characteristic of the data processor is the large back-lit display.
The data memory can store up to 2000 sample and 100 target data.
The data processor can calculate the following colour systems: XYZ, Yxy, L*a*b *, LCH, HunterLab, Munsell as well as the new Pass/Fail formulas LCh99 and CIE2000.
In addition, the indices for CIE Whiteness +Tw and ASTM E313 as well as yellowness after ASTM D1925 and ASTM E313 are also available. Up to six industry-specific equations can be input under 'user index'.
Tolerances can be set for symmetrical or asymmetrical shape as well as appropriate 'pass/fail' tolerance limit values.
The built-in thermal printer can print numerical and colour graphs.
In order to make the new models as easy as possible to operate, the configuration for the number of permissible operations can be limited to an individually selected minimum.
The stand-alone configuration of the measuring head offers interesting perspectives for POS applications.
Users can choose English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Japanese as dialogue languages.
All these improvements and modifications have produced two fundamentally modernised fourth-generation colorimeters that guarantee optimum continuity and compatibility: the CR-400 and CR-410.
They combine the security and reliability of their predecessor with substantial improvements for the user in the fields of flexibility, equipment and operational convenience.
