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In the technical practice and commercial circulation of the coatings industry, scientific classification is not only the basis of product specifications, but also the prerequisite for achieving accurate color matching, optimizing construction performance and meeting the needs of application scenarios. As coating chemical systems continue to innovate and application fields continue to be subdivided, practitioners must build a systematic classification cognitive framework.
This article will analyze the coating classification system from multiple dimensions such as film-forming substances, dispersion media, and functional characteristics, and deeply discuss the technical adaptability of various coatings with modern color matching processes.
As the core component of the coating system, film-forming substances directly determine the mechanical properties, weather resistance and chemical stability of the paint film, and are also the primary basis for choosing a color scheme.
Acrylic coatings have become the leading product in the architectural coatings market due to their excellent light fastness, color retention and environmental protection characteristics. Its molecular structure can be designed in diversified ways, which can not only form a thermoplastic system, but also achieve cross-linking and curing through functional group modification. In color matching applications, this type of coating mainly uses a water-based color paste system, which has good compatibility with both inorganic pigments and organic pigments and has outstanding color stability.
Polyurethane coatings form a three-dimensional network structure through NCO/OH cross-linking reaction, demonstrating excellent wear resistance, high hardness and chemical resistance. It has an irreplaceable position in wood coating, industrial protection and other fields. Special attention should be paid to the fact that its solvent-based system must use special oil-based color paste, and the color mixing equipment must have comprehensive solvent corrosion resistance to prevent color pollution caused by equipment degradation.
Epoxy system is famous for its amazing adhesion and chemical corrosion resistance, and is widely used in industrial protection, floor engineering and other fields. Most of the systems are amine-cured or anhydride-cured, and the influence of curing agents on color needs to be considered when matching colors. Although it mostly appears in solid colors, its requirements for the consistency of color batches are extremely strict, and a high-precision measurement and distribution system is needed to ensure product quality.
The super weather resistance of fluororesins comes from the high bond energy characteristics of F-C bonds, allowing them to maintain stable color and performance in extreme environments. The color matching of such high-end products needs to be achieved through pre-dispersed pigment paste, which has extremely high requirements on the weather resistance level and dispersion stability of the pigment.
As a representative of traditional oily systems, alkyd resins form films through air oxidation and cross-linking. Although the drying speed is slower than that of modern systems, its excellent wettability and cost performance still occupy a place in the field of metal protection. The color matching system needs to use solvent-based color paste, and attention should be paid to prevent the influence of oxidative polymerization on color stability.
The characteristic of water as the continuous phase has greatly reduced its VOC content, which is in line with the global trend of environmental protection regulations. However, it puts forward special requirements for ion stability, pH adaptability and freeze-thaw stability of color paste. When matching colors, it is necessary to ensure the compatibility between the color paste and the emulsion system to prevent defects such as flocculation and floating colors.
Systems with organic solvents as the medium can provide better leveling and wettability, but they need to be equipped with explosion-proof color-matching equipment and solvent recovery devices. The color paste must have excellent solvent compatibility to avoid resin precipitation or pigment flocculation.
Comprises 100% solid content system such as epoxy, polyurethane and the like, and color matching is realized by premixing pigment slurry or powder pigment. It is necessary to precisely control the amount of pigment added to avoid adverse effects on the viscosity and curing characteristics.
The characteristics of solid state processing determine that its color matching must be completed in the extrusion melting stage, using dry blending method or master batch method. Color quality control relies on laser particle size analysis, colorimeter and other detection methods, and has strict requirements on the temperature resistance of pigments.
Latex paint color matching has widely adopted a fully automatic color matching system to achieve color reproducibility through accurate measurement of basic paint and color paste. It is necessary to pay attention to the impact of different white base paints (high titanium dioxide/low titanium dioxide/transparent) on the final color and establish a corresponding color matching database.
Including automotive OEM, coil and other continuous production fields, absolute batch consistency of color is required. It is necessary to adopt an online color difference monitoring system, adjust formula parameters in real time, and establish a color quality traceability system.
The coexistence of transparent coloring and solid color coating requires the color matching system to not only match pigment coloring but also manage dye solutions. Special attention needs to be paid to the compatibility of colorants with primers and topcoats to prevent defects such as color bleeding and tendon swelling.
Most of them are solid color systems, and the color matching is relatively simple, but attention needs to be paid to the correlation between color and anti-corrosion performance. Such as the influence of zinc powder content on gray, the directional arrangement of cloud ash and other special effects.
The traditional visual color matching method, which relies on the experience of colorist, is rapidly being replaced by digital and intelligent modern color matching technology. This evolution is not only an upgrade of equipment, but also a fundamental change in the concept of color quality management. Its core lies in solving the long-standing pain points of the industry through technological innovation: color accuracy, batch consistency and production efficiency.
The core of modern color mixing systems lies in their precise fluid handling capabilities. Technological progress is mainly reflected in:
The synergistic effect of high-precision servo motor and ceramic pump: replaces the traditional stepper motor and gear pump, and realizes the continuous and smooth delivery of extremely small amounts of liquid. This is very important for the strong tinting power color paste that adds very little amount but has a huge impact on the color, thus completely avoiding the excessive risk caused by the “drop addition” method.
Material compatibility and durability design: For highly corrosive solvent-based systems, the fluid channel is fully made of chemical corrosion-resistant materials such as 316 stainless steel, PTFE
or PEEK to ensure that it will not be affected during long-term use. Measurement accuracy and color paste purity will be affected by aging or corrosion of components.
Active self-cleaning function: After each color mixing is completed, the system will automatically perform a cleaning cycle to prevent the color paste from remaining and drying up in the nozzle or pipeline, causing cross-contamination. This is the basis for guaranteeing color accuracy, especially when switching colors frequently.
The digitization of color management begins with accurate measurement. Modern spectrophotometers are the “eyes” of color matching systems, and their evolution includes:
High-resolution spectral data acquisition: It is no longer limited to simulating the tristimulus value of the human eye, but captures the reflectivity curve of the object in the entire visible spectral range, providing “fingerprint” information describing the color, and greatly improving the accuracy and reliability of color matching.
Application of a variety of measurement geometries: Colorimeter equipped with a variety of optical structures according to the characteristics of different products. Integrating sphere instruments are particularly critical. They can simultaneously measure data including and excluding specular reflections. They are essential for evaluating effect pigments such as metallic paints and pearlescent paints.
Modern color matching has evolved from a standalone station to a key link integrated into the entire production chain.
Connection with the production management system: The color matching system can be integrated with ERP, MES, and other enterprise management systems to automatically receive the color instructions of production orders, and then send back the consumable data and output data after completion to realize the digital management of the whole process.
Fully automatic integrated color batching station: In large paint factories, the fully automatic color mixing system can realize the unmanned operation of the entire process from automatic weighing of base materials, recalling formula, precise injection of color paste, high-speed mixing and dispersion to final filling. Not only does this reduce manual error to zero, but it also frees up the workforce to focus on quality oversight and process optimization.
Efficient service solutions on the retail side: In the building materials market, the compact color matching machine integrates software, pump unit and shaker. The clerk only needs to scan the color card code, and the equipment can automatically complete the color matching according to the formula, and within a few minutes Shake the paint evenly, quickly respond to customers’ personalized needs, and transform the store into a professional color service center.
The scientific classification of coating systems is the basic framework for understanding product performance and formulating color schemes. As coating technology continues to develop in the direction of high environmental protection and multi-function, the color matching process must also improve its precision and automation level accordingly. Only by deeply understanding the chemical characteristics and application requirements of various coating systems can we give full play to the technical advantages of modern color matching equipment and achieve multiple optimizations of color quality, production efficiency and cost control.
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Our team of engineers can provide targeted coating color matching solutions, covering a full range of technical needs from water-based systems to solvent-based systems. Based on your specific product structure and business scale, we will recommend the most suitable color matching process and equipment configuration to help you improve product quality and technical competitiveness.
