The paint and coatings industry is not an exception to the rule that adopting digital color measurement and communication can have a positive impact across the supply chain, resulting in a significant reduction in time and costs associated with product development. It’s not surprising that more and more people in this field are gravitating toward color management because the processes and procedures involved have been shown to be effective and trustworthy.
Powder coatings are quickly becoming an industry standard, accounting for 15–20% of the coatings market at present. Durable powder is a better choice for those who care about the environment because it lasts longer than traditional coatings. When compared to liquid coatings, powder can be much more cost effective. The powder coating industry is expanding rapidly, making colour management an increasingly vital factor. What follows is a primer on powder coatings’ colour management.
How do you define color management?
Manufacturers are increasingly turning to powder coatings because of the wide range of colors and textures it offers, but getting the color just right can be difficult. Exactly like with other paints and coatings, the process of measuring and communicating color can take up a surprising amount of time and energy.
Regardless, color, or rather, getting color right, is essential to success in the powder coatings industry. To solve this problem, color management is implemented. Measurement, analysis, communication, and evaluation of color data are the core functions of color management systems. By implementing efficient Digital color management solutions, manufacturers can avoid the costly and labor-intensive mistakes that often result from a lack of attention to color.
Powder coatings manufacturers must ensure their products meet or exceed all applicable standards, so it is essential that their formulation software facilitates rapid, precise color matching while reducing the need for costly batch corrections and keeping costs to a minimum. This is where digital color management comes in.
For what reason do we need digital?
The first step in effective colour management is accurate colour measurement. Powder colour samples can be measured digitally using a spectrophotometer for reliable quality control, as well as for evaluating and communicating colour information in the form of numbers. Inaccurate colour can delay product release and cost businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars. Manufacturers of powder coatings can benefit greatly from digital colour measurement’s precision and numerous advantages.
You have to do everything by hand if you don’t use a digital database that provides formula predictions by computer. It could take days of trial and error when manually measuring colour to determine that two colours simply cannot be matched. This is a common occurrence in powder coatings and makes the colour matching process fruitless. If you don’t have the necessary pigments on hand, digital colour measurement will alert you immediately.
Powder coatings are made from scratch in factories all over the globe. Since these facilities are typically owned by large corporations, the ability to transfer work and formulations between locations is crucial. That’s why sharing in full color digitally is so important. Users who are online will have access to the most recent information and will be able to easily download updated color formulas.
Powder coatings take a long time to develop a color in. Color development takes more time in the lab than with other coatings technologies because each formulation trial takes about an hour to produce one sample. When there is a mistake with the color, production must be restarted. The more time you can cut down on color development, the more you can get done. You can’t be flexible in the coatings market and provide high-quality color without computerized color equipment.
