Paint & Coatings Industry - November 2008 - (Page 64)

Konica Minolta Sensing Success for Viracon o two individuals will view or describe color exactly the same way. Being able to discuss color based upon established color science principals and the use of color standards is paramount. “The only way to validate color to what the human eyes see is to review data from measurements taken during fabrication,” said Brian Stiles, a Quality Engineer for Viracon, Inc. The instruments Viracon uses to measure color are Konica Minolta CM-2600d spectrophotometers. “Our measurements with the Konica Minolta CM-2600d confirm that the color of the glass is well within the tolerances established for a particular product,” said Stiles. “Being able to mathematically measure the color takes all the subjectivity out of quantifying the glass color with a universal understanding.” “Viracon glass products have been used in seven of the 10 tallest buildings in the world and in such prestigious buildings as Seven World Trade Center, New York City; Mandalay Bay Hotel, Las Vegas; Federal Express Headquarters, Memphis; Taipei Financial Center, Taipei, Taiwan; Reebok Headquarters, Canton, MA; the Colorado Convention Center, Denver; and Mt. Sinai Hospital, Miami Beach,” said Christine Shaffer, Marketing Manager, Viracon, Inc. “We have over 4,000 lines of published performance data for various glass configurations, but for the most part the glass is a custom specification. All Viracon production is built-to-order for a specific application. Over N 55 million square feet of glass moves through our largest plant in Owatonna each year.” “We have been using colorimeters and spectrophotometers for years to measure color,” said Don Boutelle, Director of Quality Assurance. “In 2003 we decided to standardize on one manufacturer for both hand-held and bench-top spectrophotometers for our Minnesota and Georgia plants and eventually for our Utah plant. After extensive evaluation we selected Konica Minolta instruments and have purchased 25 spectrophotometers over the years, a mix of CM2600d portable and CM-3700d bench top units. SpectraMagic Software We also acquired Konica Minolta’s SpectraMagic™ NX quality control software for simple pass/fail evaluations and trend analyses. This software stores color tolerances for various glass products. “We make an ideal physical sample of the product, take a reading and store the data in the software as a color target with tolerances,” said Mike Schettler, Quality Engineer. “We can then take a reading of a production sample with a spectrophotometer and compare it to the standard. The SpectraMagic software will convert the spectral data to color space values, for example, CIE L*a*b* (CIELAB).” The program provides a pass/fail judgment and an assessment, such as too red or too blue. “We perform a visual and numerical assessment in conjunction to determine if the color is a proper match. The software By Lou Carulli, Advertising & Public Relations Specialist | Konica Minolta Sensing Americas, Inc., Ramsey, N.J. 62 NOV EMBER 2008 | W W W . P C I M A G . C O M http://www.pcimag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Paint & Coatings Industry - November 2008

Paint and Coatings Industry - November 2008 Contents Viewpoint Industry News Calendar of Events Company News Mergers and Acquisitions Names in the News HiTone Resins for Enhanced Pigment Affinity of Powder Coatings New Water-Based Interior Coatings Combine Innovation and Quality With Respect for the Environment Novel, UV-Curable Nanotechnology-Enabled Coatings Highly Weather-Resistant Radiation-Curable Monomers and Oligomers for Exterior Applications Konica Minolta — Sensing Success for Viracon Self-Crosslinkable Thermosetting Acrylics for Use in Water-Dilutable Coatings Paint and Criminal Forensic Science Supplier and Application/Curing Showcases Materials Watch Classifieds Advertiser Index

Paint & Coatings Industry - November 2008

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