Industries & Applications

Glass
Packaging

Rhopoint ID In-line Transparent Appearance Analysis

Camera-based system
Quantify product transparency with parameters that are highly correlated to human perception
Short or long focal distance versions available to suit customer production line

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Extended warranty

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Why measure the appearance of transparent materials with an inline solution?

The functionality of a manufactured product or its perceived quality is often linked to its transparency. Matt shipping labels require good contact clarity which allows QR codes to be read on high-speed conveyor lines, while recycled salad trays are preferred with low haze so the consumer can appreciate the vibrant colours of packed vegetables.

To optimise and improve transparency, a constant inline measurement of key parameters is more efficient than occasional offline measurements. Instant feedback from an sensors allows fine tuning of a process, ultimately achieving a better-quality product, with measured consistency throughout every production run.

Materials with high optical quality have low visual impact on objects viewed through them. The material itself is visually unobtrusive and almost invisible to the observer.

A hazy material causes colour seen through the material to appear washed out or faded. The severity of this loss of contrast is often related to the size of the gap between the object and the material.

A material which blurs the view of objects has low sharpness- this effect can be directional causing a visible pattern to be seen in the material.

Materials with poor optical qualities are visually intrusive and can be described as milky or opalescent. Patterns and texture which may be visible in the material drastically blur viewed objects.

The Rhopoint ID measurement technology (patent pending) was jointly developed with Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich.

What is the Rhopoint ID-Inline?

The Rhopoint ID-Inline is a camera-based system which fully quantifies product transparency with parameters that are highly correlated to human perception.

Step 01

A backlit, high accuracy, reference target graticule functions as the viewed object, creating a highly defined pattern of light intensities with optimally sharp transitions between the backlit and masked areas.

Step 02

The camera works like the human eye quantifying changes in the transmission of the light caused by a test material.

Step 03

Image analysis techniques are used to characterise these effects into parameters which correlate closely with human perceptions.

Versions of the Rhopoint ID-Inline

There are two versions of the Rhopoint ID-Inline. A short focal length version which has a separation distance of 45mm between the camera and graticule, or the long focal distance version which has a separation distance of 170mm.

What software integrations are available for the Rhopoint ID-Inline?

Flexible software allows single or multiple ID sensors to be combined with compatible measurement devices and tabulated in the Rhopoint ID laboratory software.

Using Rhopoint ID Software

Up to 5 ID units or compatible sensors can be connected to and controlled by the ID-L software. The instrument calculates batch statistics, detailed measurement images and displays trend graphs of all measurement parameters.

Using Rhopoint TCP/IP Client

Up to 10 Rhopoint ID-Inline units can be connected simultaneously to a SAP/process control package using the Rhopoint ID TCP/IP connection client. This solution allows independent remote control of each instrument, measurement data is exchanged using Rhopoint TCP/IP protocol.

The TCP/IP client is designed to facilitate fast efficient operation of multiple devices by the SAP/process control package. Up to 10 measurements per second are possible from each sensor. The client can be hosted on a local PC or server.

Measurement Parameters of the Rhopoint ID-Inline

Haze

Haze = 0%

Haze = 30%

Haze

Haze: quantifies the loss of contrast for objects viewed through a material.

When a material has haze, it changes the appearance of both the material and any objects viewed through it. This can lead to a reduction in perceived quality.

The product viewed through the material appears lifeless and dull – but details remain sharp
The colour of a viewed object appears washed-out and faded
The material itself appears cloudy or milky.

Measure Haze with the Rhopoint ID to ensure visibility of products are at their best and can be seen properly by the customer.

No Haze

Perception	Description
No Haze	High contrast Colours are vibrant
Perfect Sharpness	Crisp edges No blurriness

Medium Haze

Perception	Description
Medium Haze	Reduced contrast Colours less vibrant
High Sharpness	Crisp edges No blurriness

High Haze

Perception	Description
High Haze	Poor contrast Colours flat
Low Sharpness	Indistinct edges

What affects Haze?

Haze can be affected by factors such as the choice of resin, the moulding process and any surface textures. Haze can be caused by:

Raw material choice

For example, a plastic with an incorrect melt viscosity for a particular process.

Process parameters

Cooling a plastic material too quickly can introduce micro textures onto the surface of the film or structures in the bulk which reduce optical quality.

Machine wear

Wear and tear in moulds, chill rollers and slip dies can induce visible surface defects in the material.

Measuring Haze with the Rhopoint ID

Haze is measured directly by evaluating contrast of black and white areas on graticule
Measurements made with the Rhopoint ID are fully comparable with those made on an ASTM D1003 haze meter
Automatically operates when ASTM Haze platen (8 mm thickness) is placed in position on instrument between the graticule and a sample
Factory calibrated to ASTM standards for a quantitative match.

Sharpness

Sharpness quantifies the loss of perceived detail for objects viewed through a material.

What are the effects of reduced Sharpness?

When viewed through a material with high sharpness, an object appears sharp and distinct. As material sharpness decreases, the object appears blurry and obscured.

High Sharpness (S = 98.71%)

Medium-High Sharpness (S = 76.34%)

Medium-Low Sharpness (S = 49.62%)

Low Sharpness (S = 18.02%)

Anisotropic Sharpness

Anisotropic Sharpness. Only available with Rhopoint ID-L version.

A material can often exhibit optical effects which are directional. These phenomena are often induced in plastic parts by specific processing faults.

Visible texture is a common feature of plastic films and causes a significant reduction in their see- through quality.

Directional Effects

The Rhopoint ID is the only instrument that can measure directional effects in materials using the ID laboratory analysis software.

The images to the right show the visual impact of different ID Sharpness (S) values in vertical and horizontal directions.

Measuring directional effects can be used in advanced optical quality control and for adjusting processing parameters to obtain optimal transparency.

Horizontal

SV = 95%

SH = 70%

Vertical

SV = 80%

SH = 95%

Clarity

ID sharpness gives improved measurement resolution compared with clarity
ID Clarity is fully compatible with existing instruments

Note: Clarity and Sharpness do NOT capture poor optical characteristics associated with wavy/orange peel surfaces.

Clarity

Quantifies the blurriness of an object when viewed through a material, results are proportionate with Sharpness, but the measurement scale is compressed and the measurement resolution is reduced.

Clarity is a scale used by traditional haze and clarity meters. When measured using the 8mm adaptor plate, Rhopoint ID Clarity data conforms to specifications written for these meters.

Inter-instrument Clarity agreement between Rhopoint ID and traditional sphere instruments for commercial plastic films (<1000μm) is typically <0.4% C (SD).

Inter-instrument Clarity agreement between traditional sphere instruments and Rhopoint ID for thick transparent plastic materials (<6mm) is typically <0.5% C (SD).

High clarity

Medium clarity

Low clarity

ID Sharpness measurement

Better measurement resolution than clarity.

ID Clarity

Compatible measurement with existing measurements.

Visible Transmittance

When considering how material is perceived by a consumer it is important to consider how bright an object viewed through it will appear.*

Visible Transmission to human observer

Rhopoint Transmittance (TID) quantifies the amount of light passing through the material and reaching the camera/eye of the observer
This measurement describes the brightness/ luminosity of the viewed object and is correlated to how one perceives the quality of the material.

*Traditional hazemeters measure total transmission which is related to light absorption not visual perception

Applications

Blown films

The Rhopoint ID-Inline can be used for contactless measurement of transparency at multiple points around the film bubble

Cast or extruded films

A single Rhopoint ID-Inline sensor can be translated across a film web or multiple sensors placed at intervals

Glass sheets

Rhopoint ID-Inline sensor and light source are independent and can be placed over a large measurement area

Tubes or pipes

Glass, plastic or silicone tubes can be measured with an inline Rhopoint ID-Inline

Windscreens

The large separation distance of the Rhopoint ID-Inline extended clearance sensor allows large 3D objects to be manoeuvred into position for measurement

Large sheets of material

The IDTX sensor can be built into a large bespoke measurement station allowing large sheets of plastic or glass to be measured easily

3D objects

3D objects such as visors or transparent trays that are too large to be easily measured on the bench-top ID can be measured using a bespoke inspection station

Sensor features

The Rhopoint ID has been designed to measure samples for haze, transmittance and sharpness quickly and safely.

No moving parts

Eliminates risk of mechanical failure

High sampling rate 10/s

Highly representative measurement throughout production run

Fully sealed light source

No chance of dust/dirt contamination

Single or multiple sensors

Flexible installation options allow multiple sensor installation

Easy Installation

Can be fitted by an in-house engineering team

Run as a laboratory system

Single or multiple Rhopoint ID-Inline sensors can be used with IDTX-L software with image analysis and project saving capabilities.

Connect to SAP/PLC

Connect to internal systems for full product control – ready for industry 4.0.

Networkable

Connect to Rhopoint ID-Inline sensors from any PC on the same network – access live images using Rhopoint ID software.

Focal distance

Short focal distance – 45mm
Long focal distance – 170mm

Detailed analysis software

The Rhopoint ID-L analysis software enables detailed visual analysis of the sample using LIVE VIEW. Statistical analysis of multiple test results is shown for each measured parameter. • Saves all the results as a CSV file

Imports previous CSV results
Saves CSV results and all images as tiff
Imports CSV results and image tiff files

Specifications

	Sharpness	Haze			Clarity	Transmission
Range	0-100%	0-10%	10-100%	0-100%
Resolution	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.01
Repeatability SD	0.1	0.05	0.05	0.03	0.05
Reproducibility SD	1	0.2	0.5	0.3
Inter-instrument Agreement Rhopoint ID vs Traditional Haze & Clarity Instrument SD*	N/A	0.2	0.5	0.4	N/A
Effective Operating Range	Materials T > 50%	Materials T > 50%	Materials T > 50%

*Typical values- packaging film <1000µm

Instrument Information
Material Thickness	< 30mm
Software	ID Analysis or TCP/IP Client
Connection	POE LAN
Spatial Resolution	9µm/pixel
Measurement Image	12.5mm x 12.5mm
Minimum Measurement Area (Haze, Sharpness)	12mm x 8mm
Minimum Measurement Area (Transmittance)	12mm x 8mm
Image Format	16-bit .TIFF
Image Size	1400 x 1400 pixels
Operating Temperature	10ºC - 40ºC
Dimensions	Short focal distance - 270mm (H) x100mm (W) x100mm (D) Long focal distance - 440mm (H) x 100mm (w) x 100mm (D)
Weight	1.1kg
Packed Weight	5.0kg
Light Source Unit Power	12V DC/2A
Camera Unit Power	Power Over Ethernet (POE)

Product	Included Accessories	Order Code
Rhopoint ID In-line Short Focal Distance (45mm)	Haze check standard, USB stick with software and licence, power connector, value = 10%	A3100-101
Rhopoint ID In-line Long Focal Distance (170mm)	Haze check standard, USB stick with software and licence, power connector, value = 10%	A3100-100
Individual Check Standards	10% or 20%	10% - B3100-005 20% - B3100-006
Calibration Standards Set	1, 5, 10, 20, 35	B3100-007
Transmission Check Standard	70%	B3100-008

Free extended warranty

Free extended 2 year warranty: Requires registration at www.rhopointinstruments.com/help-services/forms-feedback/instrument-registration/ within 28 days of purchase. Without registration, 1 year standard warranty applies.

Calibration and service

Fast and economic service via our global network of accredited calibration and service centres. Please visit www.rhopointinstruments.com/help-services/calibration-servicing/ for detailed information.

Industries & Applications

Rhopoint ID In-line Transparent Appearance Analysis

Why measure the appearance of transparent materials with an inline solution?

What is the Rhopoint ID-Inline?

Step 01

Step 02

Step 03

Versions of the Rhopoint ID-Inline

Short focal distance

Long focal distance

Measurement Station

What software integrations are available for the Rhopoint ID-Inline?

Using Rhopoint ID Software

Using Rhopoint TCP/IP Client

Measurement Parameters of the Rhopoint ID-Inline

Haze

No Haze

Tare Image

Medium Haze

H10 Image

High Haze

H30 Image

What affects Haze?

Raw material choice

Process parameters

Machine wear

Measuring Haze with the Rhopoint ID

Sharpness

What are the effects of reduced Sharpness?

Anisotropic Sharpness. Only available with Rhopoint ID-L version.

Directional Effects

Clarity

ID Sharpness measurement

ID Clarity

Visible Transmittance

Visible Transmission to human observer

Applications

Rhopoint ID-Inline Sensor

Blown films

Cast or extruded films

Glass sheets

Tubes or pipes

Rhopoint ID-Inline Inspection Station

Windscreens

Large sheets of material

3D objects

Sensor features

No moving parts

High sampling rate 10/s

Fully sealed light source

Single or multiple sensors

Easy Installation

Run as a laboratory system

Connect to SAP/PLC

Networkable

Focal distance

Detailed analysis software

Specifications

Free extended warranty

Calibration and service

Downloads

Datasheets

Manuals

Application Notes & White Papers

Answers to common questions about our instruments and measurements

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Rhopoint ID In-line Transparent Appearance Analysis