The measurement of the colour of paints takes place through the use of the spectrophotometer: it describes the colorimetric terms necessary to determine the colour coordinates of coatings.
Measuring colour in a precise and reliable way is necessary both during the preliminary evaluation of the coating, to scientifically determine with which shade of colour an item or a part is to be painted, and during quality control, to make sure that the result of the processing is the desired one.
It therefore serves all the players involved in the field of industrial painting: those who deal with painting use it to specify and communicate the colour they will use, while the customer can request it to check the accuracy of the colour.
It is an objective test, capable of ensuring the uniformity of colours at every stage, from the preliminary evaluations of the samples to the delivery of the finished product.
Carrying out the colour measurement test is simple and fast: once the item to be checked has been identified, it will be enough to subject it to the spectrophotometer.
The spectrophotometer is the instrument capable of acquiring and evaluating the colour data: through the measurement of reflected light with a fixed angle, spherical or with a multi-angle setting, the device is able to create the “fingerprint” of the colour, that is, the spectral reflectance curve.
The results can be shown textually on the display integrated into the instrument (if present) or through graphs processed using dedicated software.
The standard that governs this test is ISO 7724.