Transcript

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Colour Technology

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Why use Colours?

IdentificationIdentificationBrandingBranding

Convey a Mood or a Style Convey a Mood or a Style ChoiceChoice

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Introduction

• Assessment and Measurement of Colour.

• Factors Affecting Colour Matching.

• Methods of Colouring.

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Colour Assessment

• Eyesight

• Light Source

• Size

• Background Colour

• Surface Finish

• Metamerism

observer

object

light source

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Human Visual System

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The Retina• Retina uses special cells called “rods” and

“cones”.• Rods “sees” in black, white & shades of grey and

tell us the form or shape. (Super-sensitive allowing us to see when it's very dark.)

• Cones “senses” colour but need more light. Three types and each is sensitive to one of three different colours - red, green, or blue. Together these can sense combinations of light waves. (To see millions of colours.)

• Rods and cones together process the light to give you the total picture.

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The Rods and Cones

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The Rods and Cones

5 million per eye (more L and M cones than S cones)

100 million per eye

Responsible for daylight (photopic) vision

Responsible for low-level (scotopic) vision

Cone function

Rod function

scotopic mesopic photopic

luminance

Cones Rods

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Eyesight

• Individuals perceive colour differently.Is “Sky Blue” the same as “Pale

Blue”?

• How many People are Colour-Blind?

• Experts are “turned in” to Colours.

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Light source• A red object in red light, appear red - as all

the red light is reflected.

• A red object in blue light, appear black - as no red light to reflect back.

The difference between say daylight and the Tungsten Lights used in homes, could be

significant!!

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Size

• A small area of colour may look very different to a large area of the SAME

colour.

Hence, it is important when decorating to Hence, it is important when decorating to paint a sufficiently large area.paint a sufficiently large area.

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Background colour

• Colours viewed against a strong, vivid coloured backgrounds, appears very different against a neutral or pastel coloured background.

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Surface finish

• A high gloss finish always appears darker than a matt finish of the same colour.

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Metamerism• Change in appearance of a colour under

different light source.• Describe the relative changes in colour between

two samples, i.e. Good match in day light, different in fluorescent shop lighting.

• Occurs when different colourants are used in each sample.

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Colour Measurement

• Colour Space• Colour Measuring Devices

Colorimeters Spectrophotometers

• Metamerism• Light Sources and Illuminates

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Colour

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Colour Space

• To measure colour objectively, to communicate differences in quantifiable terms.

• Principle is that all colours can be inside a “Colour Space” i.e. this space being a sphere.

• Each colour can then be give a position in the colour space.

• Differences between colours can be quantified by comparing the values of the co-ordinates.

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Colour Space

+a*

+b*

-a*

-b*

L*=100

L*=0

L*

L*

-a*

+a*

-b*

+b*

+ L = Lightness + L = Lightness - L* = Darkness- L* = Darkness+ a* = + a* = RednessRedness - a* = - a* = GreenessGreeness+ b* = + b* = Yellowness Yellowness - b* = - b* = BluenessBlueness

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Colour Space - Delta E

a*

b* C*H*

SC

SH

222***

H

ab

C

ab

L S

H

cS

C

lS

LE

is the difference between two points in colour space, often use to determine a colour tolerance or specification.

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Colour Space

• A different system (Yxy) is used for transparent colours.

Y = percentage of light transmitted

x = balance between blue and red light

y = balance between blue and green light

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More on Metamerism

• Two colours with the same L*,a*,b* values which are arrived at by a different route will show metamerism.

• Their colour will be different if the light source is changed.

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Colour Measuring Devices

• Colorimeters

Filters the reflected lights into Red, Green an blue lights and measure the relative amounts of each, then calculates the numerical lab value.

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Colour Measuring Devices

• SpectrophotometersMeasure the reflected lights at regular intervals across the visible spectrum, then produces a graph of the spectrum of light reflected by the colour called the Spectral Curve.

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Colour Measuring Devices• Spectrophotometers more accurate

than colorimeters.

• Spectrophotometers better at identifying metamerism than colorimeters.

Differences between the human eye and colour measuring devices > Possible to have an accurate reading but does not

visually look right!!!!

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Light sources and illuminants

• The three most widely used are;

D65 Simulation of Daylight (Artificial Daylight).

A Normal domestic tungsten light.

TL84 Standard fluorescent tube used in most shops and showrooms.

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Colour Matching

• Standard Colour Systems

• The Material

• Colorants

• Legal Restrictions

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Standard Colour Systems

• Colours presented as printed paper patterns books. (RAL and PANTONE system.)

• Building industry has its own set of BS colours.

• NCS (Scandinavian) a measuring system rather than a fixed set of colours.

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The Material• Processing temperatures and chemical

characteristics, means a colourant can work in one polymer, but degrade or discolour in another.

• The more different the standard material is to the match material, the less likely an accurate match.

• A painted sheet match to Nylon 6.6, the colourants used in paint will not survive 290oC.

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The colourants-Pigments• Very fine powdered chemicals dispersed in the

polymers.• Poor dispersion results in a weaker colour and

often a grainy surface.• Inorganic pigments are mineral based, i.e.

Metal Oxides & Sulphides.• Organic pigments are chemical compounds,

less heat stable and more difficult to disperse. Usually give richer and more vivid colours. Less pigment is required.

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The colourants-Dyes

• Chemical substances that dissolves in the polymer.

• Chemically interact, as such allows light to pass through. When use in transparent materials remain transparent.

• A limit how much dye can be added to a polymer, the dye can bleed out!

• Insoluble in Polyolefins.

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Legal Restrictions• Food, Medical and Toy - mainly base on purity and

inability to extract the colourant from the finish item.

• Cadmium pigments - base on the premise when the Plastic part is incinerated, they can release Cadmium metals. Applies mainly in the packaging industry.

• If a colour is required for safety purposes, then Cadmium pigments can be use regardless of the Cadmium legislation.

• Many companies have a “Cadmium Free” policy regardless of the details of the legislation.

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Methods of colouring

• Dry Colour

• Masterbatch

• Liquid Colour

• Fully Compounded Colour

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Dry Colour or Dry Blend

The colourants are mixed with the polymer. Some dispersion aids may be added and often a “wetting agent” to help bind the powder onto the surface.

Advantages : Cheap because the conversion cost is low. Quick to prepare. Very small lot.

Disadvantages : Can be very Messy, can affect drying, colour can vary with different machine due to dispersion.

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MasterbatchCompounds contains very high levels of colourants (up to 80%),

then mixed at a fixed ratio to give a specific colour.

“Polymer Specific” - Carrier is the same material as the base material.

“Universal” - Carrier will readily mix with a wide variety of polymers.

Advantages : Better colour control, cleaner and less drying problems than Dry-colour. A stock range of colours and specific colours can be develop.

Disadvantages : May not always be compatible with the base polymer. Accuracy depends on the Moulder with mixing.

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Liquid colourSimilar to masterbatches, contains a high level of

colourants, but the carrier is a liquid.

Advantages : Better colour control than Dry blend. More even distribution than masterbatch. Stock range of colours.

Disadvantages : Special dosing equipment is required. Spillage is messy. Colour can depends on processing. Properties can be affected by the liquid carrier.

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Fully compounded colourThe colourants are added to the base

Polymers, then extruded to encapsulate the colour into the polymer and is fully dispersed.

Advantages : Specific, accurate and controlled colours. The performance of the compounds is more predictable. Ease of handling.

Disadvantages : Less flexible than the other methods.

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A Polymer for Every Application

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