THE USE OF STABLE FLUORESCENT ARTIFACTS FOR CALIBRATION OF BRIGHTNESS LEVELS IN POLYOLEFIN FILMS AND PLASTIC SHEETS USING A PRECISE SET OF FLUORESCENT CALIBRATION STANDARDS

ABSTRACT

A specific set of materials and methods are used to create uniform fluorescent calibration standards over an extremely wide range of fluorescence intensities. These standards can be formulated for a specific optical brightness (OB) level and can be formulated using a variety of optical brighteners and fluorescent materials. These materials are used to create calibration standards suitable for multiple instrument types for standard brightness measurements of films or plastic sheets. Such standards can be custom made to any optical brightness suited to the unique measurement characteristics of the wide variety of fluorescent measuring instruments or meters. The fluorophore or brightening agent is prepared using a series of concentrations to bracket the desired film or plastic brightness level(s). Once bracketed, the appropriate fluorophore or brightener concentration is added to the base material in the correct concentrations resulting in a precise level of optical brightness for each calibration standard comprising a linear set of reference standards.

Keywords:

• Fluorescent calibration standards
• Optical brightener (OB)
• Polyolefin

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Appreciation is expressed to those individuals involved in defining the problem for calibration of optical brightener sensors to an accurate, reproducible, yet arbitrary scale. These individuals include: Kim Ellefson, Jim Smolinski, Mike Hellweg, Greg Blincoe, Patti Konkol, and Chris Kundert of Kimberly-Clark Corporation.