The PCE-CIC 11-LED light booth is a professional instrument designed for visual colour comparison and colour quality control under controlled lighting conditions. It is used when two samples, two products or two production batches must be checked to ensure that their colour appearance remains consistent under different light sources. This type of control is essential in all sectors where colour is not only an aesthetic feature, but also a technical, commercial and quality requirement.

The main function of the light booth is to simulate different standardised lighting conditions, allowing the operator to observe the colour behaviour of a sample in a repeatable way. Ambient light in an office, warehouse, production area or retail environment can alter colour perception and lead to inconsistent assessments. With a light booth, the comparison is carried out in a dedicated area, using selectable light sources and more stable viewing conditions.

The PCE-CIC 11-LED supports six light types: A/F, D65, TL84/F11, UV, CWF and TL83/U30. A/F simulates warm lighting conditions, D65 represents artificial daylight, TL84/F11 is used as a reference for department store lighting, UV allows the inspection of fluorescence and reactions to ultraviolet radiation, CWF simulates typical office, shop and warehouse lighting, while TL83/U30 reproduces lighting conditions used in shops and offices in the USA. This variety makes it possible to check whether a colour remains consistent or changes noticeably when the light source changes.

One of the main issues in colour control is metamerism, a condition in which two colours appear identical under one light source but look different under another. The PCE-CIC 11-LED light booth helps identify this effect before a product is approved, shipped or compared with a master sample. This is particularly important for paints, plastics, textiles, printed materials, packaging, coatings, automotive components, furniture elements and products intended for markets with different lighting environments.

The booth is equipped with a large viewing area, allowing samples, small components, flat materials or three-dimensional objects to be placed inside for visual inspection. The internal illumination is designed to provide uniform light distribution within the viewing area, reducing shadows and localised differences that could affect the assessment. The interior is easy to maintain, which is important for keeping the viewing area clean and avoiding visual contamination caused by dust, residues or dirty surfaces.

The front control panel allows the desired light type to be selected quickly. In addition to single light operation, mixed light can be activated by pressing the required buttons simultaneously on the control strip. This function allows more complex lighting conditions to be simulated and helps check sample behaviour in different viewing scenarios. The short warm-up time makes the booth practical for repeated checks throughout the working day, without long waiting times between inspections.

A counter for each light type allows the use of the individual light sources to be monitored. This is an important detail for quality control, because light sources can gradually change their characteristics over time. Monitoring operating hours helps the user follow recommended replacement intervals and maintain more consistent and reliable testing conditions.

The PCE-CIC 11-LED light booth complies with reference standards such as ASTM D1729, ISO 3664, DIN, ANSI and BSI, making it suitable for professional environments where colour evaluation must follow shared and documentable procedures. It does not replace instrumental spectrophotometric measurement when numerical colour quantification is required, but it is an essential tool for controlled visual assessment, sample approval and comparison between production and reference standards.

The instrument is powered by 230 V AC / 50 Hz, uses an IEC connector, has IP20 protection class and weighs approximately 20 kg. Its dimensions of 695 x 552 x 502 mm provide a good balance between useful viewing area and benchtop installation. It can be placed in laboratories, technical offices, quality departments, sample rooms, printing areas, painting departments or incoming material inspection areas.

For correct use, samples should be placed inside the booth without direct influence from external light. The internal surfaces should be kept clean, the sample should always be compared with an approved standard, and the material should be viewed under all light sources relevant to the final application. If differences are perceived between two samples, it is useful to rotate the objects, change the viewing angle and repeat the comparison under several light sources to identify colour variations or metamerism.

The PCE-CIC 11-LED is therefore a professional solution for companies that need to check colour quality in a practical, repeatable and consistent way. It is particularly suitable for colour laboratories, quality departments, industrial production, printing, packaging, textiles, painting, plastics, automotive, cosmetics, product design and all environments where colour matching between samples, batches and finished products is a key requirement.

Delivery scope:

1 x Color Matching Cabinet PCE-CIC 11-LED
1 x Instruction manual