Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing - Sept/Oct '23 - 26

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: TESTING EQUIPMENT
QC FOR COLOUR CONTINUITY
Industry experts weigh in on testing and analysis for consistency, efficiency, optimising
TiO2 usage and the importance of Jetness measurement during production
BY NOELLE STAPINSKY
QA+
James Fusco
L
Michael Peters
Rae Robby
ike people in many industries, coatings
manufacturers are faced with numerous
challenges-supply chain management, shifting to
sustainable products, and speed to market. To add
to that, those manufacturing coatings must ensure consistent
quality control processes, which are crucial for monitoring
raw materials, production processes and the finished product,
and maintain batch-to-batch consistency with complex
formulations to meet customer specifications.
To navigate solutions to these issues through testing
instrumentation, analysis, and data tracking, CFCM engaged
James Fusco, product manager for Paul N. Gardner Company;
Greg Shrider, key account manager, Andreas Stummer,
dispersion business line manager, and Rae Roby, automotive
business line manager from BYK-Gardner USA; and Michael
Peters, regional sales manager for BYK-Gardner Canada.
CFCM: What are coatings manufacturers faced with today
and what do they need to remain competitive?
Greg Shrider (GS): Supply chain challenges remain a key
focus for all coatings manufacturers. This includes pigments,
additives and material substitutions while continuing to
control and reduce costs. And take note, with any material
substitutions additional testing is required to ensure
that the original quality specification is maintained. New
pigmentations and customer expectations related to standard
and custom colours with a significantly accelerated time to
market is a key advantage for manufacturers, but that also
comes with increased challenges.
26
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Greg Shrider
Andreas Stummer
Michael Peters (MP): And the shift towards sustainable
products also presents challenges in maintaining product
performance and consistent quality specifications. As
a result, additional quality checks are necessary due to
potential inconsistencies in performance characteristics
of individual material components. To meet all of these
challenges, customers require more repeatable/reproducible
instrumentation to measure the properties of coatings.
Instrumentation must be maintained per manufacturer
certification specifications with an accredited ISO 17025
laboratory. This allows data sharing between plants, suppliers,
and customers to maintain consistent colour management
throughout the supply chain.
CFCM: How can measurement and testing equipment
aid manufacturers in controlling colour consistency,
thickness, gloss levels, etc.?
MP: Coating processors are constantly trying to meet
customer specification while controlling costs and minimising
scrap or rework. The process challenge is to maintain colour,
gloss, film build and other specifications while maintaining
the integrity and performance of the coating. For colour
measurement there needs to be consistent conditions. Colour
equations, illuminants, observer, and instrumentation
geometry must be consistent for all measurements.
GS: Achieving a perfect colour match and control requires
careful assessment of colours in a controlled setting. Whether
you're matching clothing or painting a car, there are various
options available, from light booths of all sizes and accuracy
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Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing - Sept/Oct '23

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