ITW Trans Tech: Custom Computerized Color Matching of Inks


	Special Services: Custom Color Matching & Ink Mixing • Computerized • Color Measurement & • Analysis • Consistent Ink Mixing • Formulas & Technique • Quality Control Thru • Large or Small Volume Viscometer Measures Ink Batch Consistency When customers prefer to order ink pre-thinned to a specific thickness, the tool of choice is the viscometer, an instrument used for measuring the viscosity or flow properties of fluids. A commonly-used type measures the force required to rotate a disc or hollow cup immersed in a fluid at a predetermined speed. The term “viscosity” means resistance to pouring and the basic metric unit of absolute viscosity is the “poise” (one dyne-second per square centimeter). The common unit for expressing absolute viscosity is “centipoise” (1/100 of a poise.) Water at 68.4°F (20, 2°C) has an absolute viscosity of one centipoise. By using this device, our specialists are able to mix ink and thinner to a level of flow thickness to match each customer’s specification. This ensures consistent pre-thinned batches without an operator needing to spend time adding thinner as needed during production. Hence, improved quality and reduced downtime. Dave's Ink Tips Tip Number One: Ink Thin Rule: 20% Tops Don’t try to over-thin by stretching out inks with excessive solvents. This is false economy. It weakens the ink and can shift the color and opacity. Maximum recommended thinner ratio is 20%. Most applications are fine at 15% thinner. Cutting corners by extending your ink doesn’t really save money. Plus, you are risking the most important goal of your finished decorating job: an image of quality ink! Don't Guess-- Use A Scale Speaking of quality control, invest in a good electronic weighing scale and use it. Don’t eyeball or use guesswork in mixing. Measure everything by weight. You’ll find it’s more reliable and repeatable. I recommend our model #1421800 measuring scale. Mix It Up Last but not least: thoroughly stir your ink in its can as soon as you open it. This ensures that any ingredients that may have settled are properly mixed into the entire contents. Good ink deserves good mixing. Any questions? Call your Consumables representative at 630.752-4000 or e-mail us!

Ink Mixing Expertise
Daily Challenge To Match Color

YOU hold a color chip of PMS 430C in one hand and your black molded ABS part
in the other. The job specifications require a perfect match of ink in that color, padprinted onto the part. Not too light, not too dark– it must be exactly the same on every single part, from beginning to end of a 10,000 part production run. You’re thinking, “Who can match this chip and mix that ink consistently throughout an order of not just one, but 100 liters?”

Custom Mixing: All In a Day’s Work
“Not a problem.”, says ITW Trans Tech color specialist Dave Pinta. “Do you want that all in one shipment, or would you like us to break it up into seven batches of fifteen liters each?”

A skeptic may ask, “How can you be sure each liter of ink will match the last one?”

Assistant Ink Mixing Specialist Nick Cannistra selects ingredients as specified in a customer's color formula.

“Just science and skill. When you’ve been doing this as long as I have, it’s all in a day’s work.” Pinta and his assistant ink specialist Nick Cannistra employ equal parts of know-how and technology to come up with reliable formulas for customer-specified ink colors. These include such measuring devices as a computerized spectrophotometer, viscometer and light simulation booth.

Add to that a total ink industry experience of over 35 years and you have a team that knows the tricks of the trade as well as the “old school” way of mixing color. “Decades ago, when we started out, we mixed all the components manually: powder pigments, resins, drying agents, the works. We had to understand how each individual part worked in the total formula.”

Ink Mixing Specialist Dave Pinta takes a color reading from a test padprinted sample using the spectrophotometer. The computer program compares the results with a known standard for the customer’s specification. The maximum acceptable deviation from that benchmark is a delta error of 2.0, as indicated below.

Technology Is Tool
Their key technical tool today is the spectrophotometer or “sniffer” as Dave calls it. By objectively measuring the wavelength of a given sample, this instrument assigns it a numerical value in hue (color) and tint (light-to-darkness). After three readings, the operator establishes this as the standard.

The technician then uses it to guide and test his results as he adds components to the formula. This process enables him to match the ink color with the standard during the initial mixing and throughout the production run, as well as future orders. As with any computerized system, the digital files are readily repeatable and archived for future reference.

Once the full batch is completely mixed, Cannistra pours off the finished ink into quart cans.

Perfect Match Equals No Delta
The deviation from that standard, or delta error, that ITW Trans Tech has set for its custom inks is a maximum of 2.0. That means the resultant color is a 98 percent match to the standard. In practice, Pinta says, better than 75 percent of his ink matches are 1.0 delta or less. Once a test formula has been mixed, a sample of the ink is padprinted on the customer’s blank part or a matching substrate.

To further duplicate production conditions, the ink is doctored onto a cliché having the same etch depth as the customer’s own plate. The resulting test print is then hot-air cured and finally checked by the spectrophotometer. If the reading is within the 2.0 delta limit, it passes the standard

Another completed order is placed on the finished rack, ready for shipment.

Light Booth Viewing & Other Services
Technicians also use a special lightbooth to view padprinted inks in controlled lighting conditions. This enables visual evaluation of the printed results on the part under every likely condition: daylight, incandescent or fluorescent.

Upon request, our ink mixing specialists also can custom-formulate inks using dry pigments, such as Day-Glo™, or a range of metallics. Customers who require exact matching of inks to Pantone™ or C-Mix 2000™ universal color systems are welcome. We actually prefer these reliable industry standards.

For applications that demand brilliant color over white or on light substrates, we offer special multi-pigment (high-opacity) or mono-pigment inks. If you are unsure, ask our experts for their recommendation.

For more information about Custom Color Matching as well as other special services from ITW Trans Tech, feel free to call your Consumables representative directly at 630.752.4000 or e-mail us!