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Clariant ColorWorks™ Launches Training Program on Coloring of Plastics
7/5/2012 |
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Basic and in-depth information on all aspects of color in plastics
Content suits product/packaging designers and engineers
Four-part program tailored to user requirements
Charlotte (USA), July 3, 2012 - A new, four-part training program developed within Clariant ColorWorks™ aims to help designers and engineers understand the art and science of coloring plastics so they can achieve better success in the marketplace. The training is offered at the ColorWorks center at Clariant's North American headquarters in Holden, Massachusetts, or at a customer site.
"Plastics present many unique challenges when it comes to design and coloration," explains Steve Goldstein, Ph.D., Clariant Masterbatches Director of Technology -- North America, "and, yet, few design schools provide much information on the subject. At the same time, engineering resources at product and packaging companies have been scaled back in recent years. The new ColorWorks training program was developed to fill this educational gap, helping our customers gain a better understand of coloring in plastics so they get better results."
The four modules are structured sequentially to deliver increasingly technical information as the program progresses. Some may choose to participate in just one or two sessions, while others will find it important to complete all four. Goldstein says each module can be presented in just over an hour, but the Clariant color experts encourage active participation and, with ongoing questions and discussion, it may take several hours to complete each segment. "It's all up to the customer," he says. "We'll take as much time as is needed to make sure they get a thorough understanding of the subject."
The first and most basic module - "Color 101: Color Perception and Communication"- is aimed at beginners who have no real knowledge about color. It covers how people see color and why some may see the same color differently; metamerism or how different light sources can change the way color is perceived; how viewing angle and surface texture or gloss can impact what is seen; and how specific polymers can respond differently to color.
"Color 202: The Observer" delves further into three elements of color vision… the light source, the object being viewed, and the eye of the beholder. This unit examines how the human eye works, how the wave length of colored light varies, and various instruments available to analyze color.
These first two sessions are aimed primarily at a design audience, including those individuals who want to know how to use and control color in a plastic product or package to capture consumer attention. The third and fourth modules address the technical intricacies of different types of color and their performance in manufacturing. "Color 303: Pigments" introduces participants to the different kinds of colorants including organic and inorganic pigments, dyes and special effects. It examines what the various materials can and cannot do, how two or more colors can be combined to create still another color, and how particle size, shape and other factors influence the development of color in plastics.
In the final module - "Color 404: Design" - the ColorWorks instructors cover the interaction of colorants and different polymers under processing conditions; why some dyes migrate to the surface of certain plastics; how the clarity of some resins can be preserved; which colorants are most temperature and light stable; and how additives can be used to improve performance.
The color training program is a service of Clariant ColorWorks, a global network of design and technology centers for plastics designers, marketers and brand managers. These highly specialized service sites provide unique creative resources and technical guidance that help customers address the subject of color early in the development process. ColorWorks facilitates creation of innovative products, protection of brand identity and rapid market penetration.
Construction of the newest of the ColorWorks sites is underway at the Clariant Masterbatches facility West Chicago, Illinois. Upon completion, it will represent the next generation of ColorWorks centers and a model for other global locations. Besides West Chicago, other ColorWorks centers are located in Holden, Massachusetts, and New York City in the United States, in Merate, near Milan, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan and Sao Paulo, Brazil. |
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