datacolor Plastic Industry User Guide

: September 26, 2024
: datacolor

Table of Contents

datacolor Plastic Industry
Specifications
FAQ
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datacolor Plastic Industry

Specifications

Product Name : Color Control System for Plastics
Manufacturer: Datacolor
Function: Ensuring consistent color quality in plastic products
Features: Cloud-based color data communication, precise color formulation, quality control

Why Color Control Matters For Plastics

For manufacturers and consumers alike, consistent color is a measure of quality. While getting color right is a challenge for any industry, the diverse physical properties of plastics mean that they require special attention.
Plastics can be opaque or transparent, smooth or textured, glossy or flat, pearlescent or metallic. They may need to coordinate or match perfectly with other materials like metals or textiles. The dyes and colorants themselves vary and may need to survive stressful fabrication processes.
For companies developing these plastics, getting the right formulation often means balancing these competing demands for material properties without compromising on the color quality in the finished product. But with mistakes being costly and time-consuming to rectify…

How do you get color right the first time?

How Does It Work?

The first step towards a colorful plastic product is often pellets from a masterbatcher or compounder. Masterbatchers take resin and colorants and combine them through various processes to produce monochromatic pellets.
Depending on customer specifications, masterbatches may include additives and stabilizers in the formulation to give the polymer its desired properties such as heat resistance, moisture resistance, UV protection, or any number of other characteristics. The colorants themselves not only serve anaesthetic purpose but can serve a functional purpose as well.
For example, carbon black may be added to increase the weather resistance of exterior plastic car parts, and titanium white may be used to increase the reflectivity of sunlight on the back of solar cells for greater efficiency.

Masterbatcher | Compounder

Converters take either masterbatch or powder compounds, mix them with melted resins, and blend in any additives that were not already imparted by a masterbatcher or compounder. The converter then applies any number of shaping techniques to the polymer such as blow molding, extrusion, thermoforming, or injection molding until the polymer reaches its desired form. After the product has been formed, the plastic is cooled, cleaned up, and then undergoes rigorous quality control checks for deformities, imperfections, and of course, color quality.
Converters create a wide range of products like plastic cutlery and shampoo bottles, children’s toys and shirt buttons, furniture pieces and car parts, and so much more.

Converter

Who told the converter to tell the masterbatches what color andqualities the final product should have? Sometimes it’s a toy company, car manufacturer, or home goods brand. Regardless of how the plastic product will be used, precise formulation and thorough quality control from the very beginning are paramount to the overall success of the product.

Final Customer

Building An Effective Color-Management System Will Help You…

Where Do We Fit In?
From formulation to the quality control of finished products, there’s a Datacolor solution for each spoke in the production wheel.

Recipe Formulation

Getting color right the first time is crucial to delivering products on time, at the right price, and in the specified color. Datacolor formulation software like Colibri provides superior first-shot color matches and can optimize yourrecipes in order to achieve the desired result. Formulation software also helps you pivot with agility when supply chain disruptions or government regulations limit the ingredients available to you.

System Integrations

Part of a streamlined production process is integrations that allow various systems to communicate for better efficiency. For example, through custom integrationsColibri can leverage data within ERP or PLM systems and suggest formulas that are optimized basedon on-hand ingredients or specified price- points.

Data Communication

Fast, effective communication between manufacturing locations and throughout the supply chain is critical for maximizing time and cost savings. The ability to communicate and access data seamlessly between facilities using Colibri Hub prevents over development of custom color formulations, removes the need for physical samples, and allows swift decision-making no matter where you are in the world.

Color Measurement & QC

Certain physical properties of plastic can make it challenging to accurately measure color.
Datacolor has a range of tools capable of measuring a sample while accounting for the impact of gloss, opacity, and texture on color appearance.
Our spectrophotometers can also measure sample temperature, ensuring a sample has cooled to spec prior to measurement so the effect of thermochromism can be avoided.

Datacolor In Action
Companies around the world trust Datacolor’s equipment and software because it meets the unique needs of plastics industry

To meet Sekisui Polymer Innovations’ customer demand for highly accurate color with short lead times, improving their quality control was imperative. By partnering with Datacolor they achieved repeatable measurements using high- quality spectrophotometers and proper conditioning of samples before measuring.

Before partnering with Datacolor, Pioneer (a leading Thai-based plastics manufacturer) relied on visual assessments for their colormatching, which was both time consuming and wasteful. Today, Datacolor formulation software, combined with Datacolorspectrophotometers, allows them to capture reference data oncea color formula has been selected, and use this throughout their supply chain to quickly and objectively assess their colors.

How Can Digital Color Management Help Meet Broader Sustainability Goals?

Production errors have both economic and environmental repercussions, and the plastic industry is keen on finding ways to reduce waste.
The number one way digital color management can help the plastics industry align with broader sustainability goals is to achieve first-shot colors.
Once a masterbatch is produced, it often can’t be salvaged if the color is incorrect and therefore must be disposed of.
Achieving first-shot colors can reduce waste in terms of resources consumed, energy used, and time spent, thereby limiting the impact production errors can have on overall sustainability initiatives to reduce waste.

Why Color Control Matters

Having a streamlined, trustworthy system to match and formulate color means greater control over the finished product, optimized use of ingredients, and easy communication across your supply chain.
Datacolor has color-matching solutions for businesses throughout the plastics industry. We work with you to optimize the use of colorants, accurately measure the color of various materials, and ensure accurate colors in finished products.
Visit our website to learn more about how Datacolor helps companies in the plastics industry to get the color right.

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FAQ

Q: How important is color control in plastic manufacturing?
- A: Color control is crucial for maintaining quality standards and ensuring consistency in plastic products across various industries.
Q: What benefits does a color-management system offer?
- A: A color-management system enables effective communication, consistency in color matching, and faster time to market for plastic products.