Color Formulations

Table 8. Permanent Hair Colorant Formulation for a Medium Brown Shade...

The ready availabiUty of computers has led to the detailed analysis of the colorant formulation problems faced every day by the textile, coatings, ceramics, polymer, and related industries. The resulting computer match prediction has produced improved color matching and reductions in the amounts of colorants required to achieve a specific result with accompanying reductions of cost. Detailed treatments have been given for dyes and for pigments (13,29,30). 

Ti02-mica pigments are used in all color formulations of conventional pigments where brilliance and luster are required in addition to color, i.e., in plastics, coatings, printing, and cosmetics. A major market for silver white pigments (pearl pigments, white metallic ) is the plastics industry. 

Nacreous and interference pigments are used as colorants or part of color formulations for all applications where traditional pigments are used, but where additional color depth, brilliance, iridescence, color shift (flop), and other spectacular effects are desired [5.253]. Mica-based pigments dominate their combination of pearl and interference effects, brilliance, stability, and weather resistance is unsurpassed. Furthermore, they are non-toxic [5.221],... 

Blending nacreous pigments with other pigments in a single color formulation... 

Using a two-layer system with a transparent absorption color formulation applied on top of a layer containing the nacreous pigment... 

Bullock Colorant Formulation and Applications, Routledge, New York, NY. 1999. Cousidine, DM. and GJ). Considine Foods and Food Production Encyclopedia, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, Inc., New York, NY. 1982. 

Colored formulations Low co-additive additions Enhanced flammability resistance/reduced smoke Improved processibility and physical properties Handling issues Char promotion Reduced filler levels Can be pigmented Reduced overall filler levels Color limitations Possible adverse toxicity effects... 

Today, the speed of the Pentium processors has allowed for much more complicated algorithms written on the Windows platform, such as computing many-flux calculations and spectral matching routines. New color-matching technology provides sophisticated and intuitive color formulation that is easily learned and used by the expert as well as the novice color matcher. 

The typical approach for color formulation uses tristimulus matching routines. 

In practice, there are many sources of error apart from the inaccuracies of theory. In addition, there is human error, measurement error, batch variation of the colorants, and the nonreproducibility of the coloration process itself [2], Once a process is under control, the next step is to apply color formulation software. It has been shown that many of the past methods have not proven to be completely viable for the variety of color applications encountered today. 

Considering the full scope of many applications, traditional color matching has not provided a total solution for color matching. With the addition of the many-flux theory, and spectral matching, contemporary color-matching systems are the next step in providing a total solution for color formulation. 

Mark Maes, Advanced Color Formulation, Colourplas Conference, Manchester, 1996. 

D. Mowery, A Complete Solution for Computer Color Formulation, Color and Appearance Division RETEL Charlestion, NC Sept. 24-26,1995. 

Materials such as colorants can range from highly transparent through varying amounts of translucency to opaque. Dyes will be truly transparent. Plastics themselves can be transparent (water clear) to opaque. These varying opacity levels of colorants and plastics are major factors considered when determining colorant formulations for plastics products. 

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