Blog Post
By Chris Winczewski, Corporate Strategy and Innovation Executive at X-Rite Pantone, a Danaher Company
X-Rite Pantone - Plastics Blog for K-Show 2016
“I want to say one word to you. Just one word… plastics …there’s a great future in plastics.”
This memorable quote from the 1967 film The Graduate was a harbinger of things to come. In today’s world, nearly 50 years later, plastics are everywhere and something we take for granted. But plastics professionals know that it’s not that easy making sure all of those plastics are just the right color.
In a plastics workflow, there are four steps in the process that are critical to achieving accurate color. It starts with design and specification. Unless design intent is clearly communicated and the color is actually achievable in the end product, there will be many challenges throughout the rest of the production process, especially in a globally distributed supply chain.
Once a design has been produced and approved, it is up to the lab to come up with the best formulations to realize design objectives and deliver achievable specifications for manufacturing. Functional color formulations lay the groundwork for good color. And inspection of incoming materials and in-process production using handheld, benchtop or inline color spectrophotometers will carry great color throughout the entire process.
Prior to starting a large manufacturing run, creating small-batch samples will validate the work done by design and the lab. Measuring and monitoring color throughout this process will ensure the most effective color recipes for the manufacturing process.
Once manufacturing begins, the risks associated with inadequate color control become much larger. Color drift during manufacturing and batch-to-batch variations can create havoc in the supply chain and affect the salability of the ultimate product. That’s why continuous monitoring of color performance is critical.
As we approach K 2016, the world’s largest exposition for plastics and rubber, we thought it would be helpful to share experiences of some plastics professionals who have overcome this color challengeacross the four workflow steps to deliver exceptional color in their products.
Data Makes a Difference
Jonesco Plastics is a good example. A leading manufacturer of plastic products made largely though the process of rotational molding, the company had difficulty ensuring that the color of the plastic parts it manufactured was accurate. This often meant that items such as tool boxes might have had a slightly different shade between the box and its lid, which would have required remanufacture of the item. The company was seeking a better way to ensure color quality. “It was clear that we needed to invest in the right technology to raise the bar on our color quality, rather than rely on the old method of squinting our eyes at samples under different lighting and hoping for the best,” said Rob Mayor, quality manager. The company chose the X-Rite RM200QC colorimeter to ensure matching among its more than 40 standard colors. “Now we use CIELAB values to demonstrate exactly how ‘more red or less red’ a product is compared to our standard sample,” Mayor added.
Even after using the RM200QC for a few short months, Jonesco staff believe that it is helping to save time and reduce waste in plastic and fuel associated with parts that are manufactured out of specification. The instrument also assists in bringing new products to market, ensuring they are as close as possible to the company’s branded color palette.
Coordinating Fresh, Bright Hues Perfectly
Another RM200QC user is 9 Kings, a sourcing agent in China for office accessory manufacturer Poppin. “We set ourselves apart from the big-box competition partly through the use of vibrant, eye-catching colors defined by Pantone and measured with X-Rite technology,” said Roger Cole, vice president of 9 Kings. “We’ve built a loyal customer base because we present stylish colors in an office setting at the right price point. So having colors match properly is critical for our business.”
When Tech Manager Tony Yan travels from the 9 Kings Shanghai office to manufacturing plants all over China, he makes sure to slip a RM200QC in his pocket to check how closely the products match the color requirements from Poppin’s headquarters in New York City. Yan uses his RM200QC to ensure that items sold as a desk set such as lime green scissors and its associated file tray match each other exactly in color for customers who want bright, fresh hues that coordinate perfectly in their offices.
“This device is a marvelous tool to assist in our worldwide control of color,” Yan said. “It gives accurate color measurements that are accepted by both the U.S. and Chinese teams as an unbiased standard, so we can make decisions quickly to maintain customer satisfaction and introduce more colors to our product line with confidence.”
Meeting the Needs of the Entire Color Workflow
We also spoke to Teknor, one of the largest privately-owned U.S. plastics companies. Teknor recently established a new Corporate Lab as a shared service to support the company’s color requirements for the creation of color-accurate masterbatches and other products. The company needed to acquire new equipment and software to support formulation and quality control efforts as a result of the new facility. But it also needed a solution that provided good inter-instrument agreement with its existing installed base of older spectrophotometers. Teknor chose an X-Rite Ci7800 benchtop spectrophotometer with Color iMatch formulation software for use in its new laboratory facility, as well as a SpectraLight QC light booth for use by its quality control professionals. In the masterbatching process, every compound reacts differently and each batch requires formulation adjustments. The Ci7800 with Color iMatch formulation software provides Teknor’s lab with the necessary data for process control.
The new lab retained use of the company’s SpectraLight-powered dedicated light room painted in Munsell gray. Teknor’s light room impresses customers from the automotive and other industries with its ability to simplify evaluation of color under various controlled lighting conditions. Teknor also uses the Munsell FM100 Hue test to check employee color vision, because not everyone sees color the same way.
What was especially attractive to Teknor, according to Lab Manager Joe Andrade, was the company’s market approach. He said, “X-Rite’s focus on providing complete, end-to-end color measurement and management solutions makes it the best choice as a partner for Teknor and sets it apart from other companies in the color measurement and management space.”
A Special Need for Small Batches
The Plastic Resins story is especially heartwarming. The company was founded in the 1970sPaul Warnell and subsequently acquired by Clariant in 1996. When the facility was closed by Clariant in 2010, the family re-acquired the buildings, hired some of the employees and re-started the business, which is focused on the development of small lot custom color concentrates for plastics. Plastic Resins needed to start the operation from scratch and was looking for the best solution in the market.
“Few providers of colorants for the plastics industry are willing to produce small batches of 5, 10 or 15 pounds of custom colors, yet there is a big need for this service in the market. Our ability to do so differentiates us and creates great customer loyalty,” said Paul Warnell, CEO. “Our intention is to make the molder look quick and responsive.”
To do this, Plastic Resins acquired an X-Rite Ci7800 and Color iMatch software for its start-up operation. “An unexpected benefit of our new Ci7800 and Color iMatch software from X-Rite was the ability to create formulations and to adjust color if a batch is slightly off rather than beginning again,” Warnell explained. “Also, if we are building a formulation for a custom color, Color iMatch gets us 99% of the way there with accurate recipes, and guides us to making proper color adjustments for each lot.”
Heading to Düsseldorf in October?
When we meet with customers, we regularly hear that color remains one of the top concerns in their quality control process. Whether in flexible packaging, plastic components or final assembled products, color errors are one of the biggest reasons for product rejects. Color errors make it harder to meet tight manufacturing deadlines and increase costs.
At this year’sK-Show 2016, scheduled for 19-26 October, X-Rite Pantone booth located in Hall 8b, Stand H65, will feature Inspiration Zones that highlight solutions to help designers, compounders, manufacturers and other suppliers specify, communicate, formulate and control color quality. Attendees will be able to speak with color management experts on how to improve overall quality and batch-to-batch consistency, reduce waste and rework, speed time to market and improve customer satisfaction. There will be demonstrations of all of the latest hardware and software for bringing color accuracy and consistency to the plastics industry, including some brand-new offerings we will be launching at the show.
In order to make the best use of your time, schedule a one-on-one meeting at our booth with a Color Expert by contacting . To schedule a press interview please get in touch with .
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