May 2, 2010 Guide lines on use of Spectrophotometer for shade formula predictions:

Reasons for mismatch of shade recipe derived through colour matching software against the specimen:
( The variations arising out of quality problems in colourants, bases and colourant dispenser are ignored )

Difference in gloss of the specimen to be matched and the product.

The shade predictions given by the software are accurate when the gloss of the specimen is close to the gloss of the product. The practical variation arising out of this difference in gloss is more for dark shades compared to pastel shades. What is the expected difference? Specimen glossy - Product matt == > Recipe shade will be on lighter side Specimen matt Product glossy == > Recipe shade will be on darker side More the gloss difference and more the darkness of shade larger will be the deviation.

Surface Texture : Surface texture affects gloss and causes variation in appearance of shade depending on viewing angle. The colour measurement using the spectro CE XTS is using diffused light hence it is an average measurement at all angles. The variation in appearance of shade arising out of different viewing angles can not be detected by the spectro. Smooth texture gives less deviations compared to rough. Rough and non uniform texture can also lead to difference in shade at various locations of specimen. 2) Limitations of the software : Colour matching softwares have limitations of their own in predicting exact recipe. The accuracy is in general, better for lighter shades and lower for dark shades. So slight deviation in dark shades is unavoidable. 3) Inter instrument agreement : The basic colourant data base files for all bases are prepared using high precision spectrophotometer 7000A at R&D. The same data is transferred to all locations for recipe predictions using spectro photometers like CE XTS / CE XTH. Though all such instruments of different design are suppose to match with each other in colour measurement, small differences do exist, which are unavoidable. Average colour difference DE to the max extent of 1 unit can be there between 7000A and XTS ( BCRA colour tile test using 13 tiles ). 4) Problems in colour measurement of speciality finishes : Pearlescent finishes, Metallic finishes, fluorescent finishes, Phosphorescent finishes, Hammer tones, wrinkle finishes give problems in colour measurement hence such specimens will not give correct recipe. The reasons for mismatch are as follows : Pearlescent & Metallic finishes: Shade varies with angle Fluorescent finishes: Shade varies with UV content of incident light. Phosphorescent finishes: Phosphorescence is delayed fluorescence, hence shade glows depending on the time for which light is incident on it & UV content Hammer tone finishes: Shade varies with direction and also coating is not plain. Wrinkle finishes : Coating is not plain
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Guide lines for accepting specimens for shade formulae predictions : 1) Specimen should be plain and of uniform colour across various places. 2) The minimum size of the specimen At least 10 mm diameter plane, circular area should be available on specimen for shade measurement. If specimen is curved, ensure that atleast 10 mm area of measurement is plain. 3) Do not accept specimens which are powdery, fragile. e.g. Old plaster flake. The dust on specimen if enters the spectro, can damage the instrument. 4) Colour print outs, offset printings do not give accurate results, hence this fact should be made known to the customer. ( reason being transparancy of paper, non uniformity of colour in printing ) 5) Around 10% variation in pastel & mid tone shades and 20% in dark shades should be made known to the customer. 6) Speciality finishes like Pearlescent finishes, fluorescent finishes, Phosphorescent finishes, Hammer tones, wrinkle finishes give problems in colour measurement hence such specimens will not give correct recipe. *****

Guide lines on use of Apcolite Machine Colourants

Recommendations for use of AMC in various products depends upon their light fastness in tint tone and mass tone, solvent resistance and cost. Based on these variables the recommendations for use of AMC in various products is as follows. Sr. No. 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 AMC HT Violet F Blue HT Blue F Green HT Green F Yellow HT Yellow F Yellow Oxide HT Red Oxide F Red Oxide Orange Interior Red Exterior Red Magenta F Black HT White Water based Paints Interior Exterior X X X Solvent Based Paints Interior X Exterior X

- Can be used X - Not to be used Note : Though HT Yellow & Exterior Red can be used in Interior emulsion paints these colourants are not recommended for Interior emulsion paints due to their high cost. 2) Though Red oxide colourants ( F Red Oxide / HT Red oxide ) and F Blue can be used in Exterior emulsion paints, combination of Red Oxide ( F Red Oxide / HT Red Oxide ) & F Blue / HT Blue colourant is to be strictly avoided in the Exterior Emulsion Paints. [ACE /APEX /APEX ULTIMA/ELASTOMERIC / APEX TEXTURED]
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Colourant selection on basis of Opacity Current range of AMC s can be broadly classified on basis of opacity as follows when used alone : Sr. No. 1 AMC F Yellow Oxide F Red Oxide HT Red Oxide F Black HT White F Blue F Green HT Green HT Blue HT Violet Magenta Interior Red Exterior Red F Yellow Orange HT Yellow Opacity Remark Best

Good

Fair

Final opacity of a shade will depend on total amount of colourant and the combination of colourants used. Note : 1) Opacity issue is of prime improtance in case of dark shades formulated using clear bases ( 20 series bases ), and will not be an issue if proper white base or coloured bases are used where ever possible. 2) Exterior water based dark shades are formulated using a maximum colourant quantity of 65 ml / Lit. Hence even use of combination of Best and Good opacity colourants in certain cases, can pose a opacity problem so it should be exercised with caution. 3) Currently there is no facility provided in point of sale system for display of Contrast ratio of the recipe which is indicative of opacity.

Selection of Base : For all super pastel and pastel shades one series bases should be used while for mid tone and dark shades either six series or ten series bases should be used. Opacity of shade decreases form one series to 10 series. In case a shade is possible to be formulated in two bases, the base having higher opacity should be preferred which will give better quality . In Point of sale system quality is a dominant factor in deciding a base, hence undue shifting of base with sacrifice in opcity should not be done. 2) For dark shades, Coloured bases or Clear base ( i.e. 20 series ) should be used. If a given shade is possible to be formulated using either coloured base or clear base, coloured base should be always preffered, as it will give higher opacity for finished paint. Coloured bases are currently available in APEX, APEX Ultima, ACE, Royale, Premium Emulsion & PGE. The possible shade range which these coloured bases can cover are :
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Sr. No. Coloured Base 1 2 3 3 Yellow Oxide Base ( APEX AB13, ACE AC13, Ultima HQ13 ) Red Oxide base ( APEX AB15, ACE AC15, Ultima HQ15, PGE EB16 ) Blue base ( Apex AB14 ) Royale Red Tint Base ( RTB, RB15, BW15)

Possible shade range it covers Dirty Yellows, Browns, Dirty Greens Dirty deep reds, Browns Deep Blues, Deep Greens Reds, Oranges, Brown

Royale Yellow Tint Base ( YTB, RB13, BW13 Yellows, Light Oranges, ) Greens MRP Factor in deriving a recipe : Care should be taken while delivering a formulae that the DPL of the finished product does not exceed the MRP of the Base. DPL of the finished product is calculated by adding the Base DPL and the DPL contributed by the AMC present in the formulae. By adding the local sales taxes over and above that the total cost should not exceed MRP of base. Fill volume factor in deriving a recipe: The quantity of the base filled in a given can size varies from base to base. This is mainly to accommodate the extra quantity of the colourant to be added during tinting operation. The fill volumes for dark bases are less while pastel bases like 1 & 6 series it is to max. level. The DTS base cans are of such capacity that they can accommodate 4% extra volume over the indicated volume. e.g. 1 Lit pack size can accommodate maximum 1040 ml of base + colourant volume. While offering formulae through Asian Paints Colour World we always ensure that the minium volume of the finished paint delivered is not

less than the pack size. Hence one must ensure while delivering a formulae that the total base + colourant volume is between 1000 to 1040 ml for 1 Lit pack size. In case of distemper ( TAD ) the formulae are provided for 1 Kg pack size and the colourant quantity for 1 Kg pack size should not exceed 40 ml. Excessive colourant quantity can cause spill over. The fill volumes for all bases offered in different products as on date are given in annexure. Dispensing capability of tinting machines : The dispensing machines used in dealer tinting system have in general least count of 0.10 ml. Hence never offer a recipe which contains any of the colourant quantity less than 0.10 ml. Acceptable Colour difference for offering a formulae: The propalette software displays the colour difference in CIE LAB units for the predicted formulae in terms of total colour difference ( DE ), which takes into consideration both lightness/ darkness & tonal variations. There is no hard and fast rule for relation between DE value and our visual acceptability but general guidelines that can be followed to predict the visual acceptance on basis of DE are as follows: Type of Shade Light & Mid tone Shades Dark Shade DE < 1.0 Close Close 1.0 < DE < 2 Slight variation Close 2 < DE < 4 More variation Slight variation Above 4 More variation More variation

You can expect a slight higher DE value for the actual dispensed shade but will be within a acceptable tolerance of a common customer. Regards M R Athavale naveen_nirmal@yahoo.com