Colour and Surface Measurement for Building Materials

Scalable solutions for cement, wood, tiles, metal, glass, ...

 

Colour and Gloss Measurement Solutions for Construction Materials

Konica Minolta Measuring Instruments offer traceable and trusted measurement technology for the building materials industry, including simple tristimulus colorimeters, ergonomic portable spectrophotometers, innovative bench-top spectrophotometers, close tolerance glossmeters, and a range of controlled colour viewing systems.

Scalable solutions are available to help organisations and their wider value chain to specify, communicate, produce, and control colour and surface gloss.
  • Optimise processes
  • Improve consistency
  • Boost customer satisfaction
  • Reduce waste
 
Colour control is a vital tool in the construction materials industry.

For process control and quality control, materials are used primarily to improve our built environment. Colour control ensures the quality of the materials, but also that they meet required standards such as Light Reflectance Value (e.g., BS 8300:2009).

Colour measurement, using either a spectrophotometer or tristimulus colorimeter depending on the sample, will allow producers to offer customers a consistent product with a higher perceived quality and, therefore, value. The application specialists at Konica Minolta have a vast experience of building product applications including:
  • Concrete and cement,
  • Industrial metalwork,
  • Slate,
  • Colour matched grouting, etc.
Konica Minolta has a global reach, with local sales and expertise to assist you in establishing a successful digital colour data system. Whether between supply chain partners, in development, in production or in QC, our teams can deliver a solution that meets your needs, and partner with you to scale that system as those requirements grow. Our colour matching software is supported by a dedicated team experienced in installation, training, and customization of the solution to optimise your colour workflows.

Konica Minolta Measuring Instruments are supported by an extensive network of authorised service facilities to ensure that your instrument is maintained, accurate, and traceable all year round.

Benefits

  • Produce consistent quality: batch to batch consistency improves end user satisfaction and perception of quality, reducing returns and waste.
  • Colour is a sales tool: Both B2B and B2C markets value personalisation and customisation. A system of Colour Matching and Colour Control allows producers to manufacture tiles or cladding in customer brand colours, consistent from batch 1 to batch 300 saving time and waste throughout the construction process. Consumers treat their homes as an expression of character with more choice than ever before, but success in that market requires consistency.
  • Greatly reduce waste: It is easier to spot small colour differences in larger samples. This is a universal truth of human vision. In the construction materials industry typically, the products are large, making it easier for even the untrained observer to perceive colour difference that they would not see on smaller samples.
  • Colour is a Service: The ability to offer commercial customers colour data and consistency marks you as a reliable partner who offers an added value service.

Example Applications

  • Increase the consistency of colour and gloss on roof tiles, developing, maintaining, and agreeing tolerances with customers. 
  • Implement a shade sorting system for wood flooring products to reduce rejects and returns (this also helps optimising filler colour which in turn reduces waste).
  • Produce an expended range of colours in sealant, grouting, and other products.
  • Increase the quality and consistency of building facade panels to customer specification.

Solutions for Colour and Gloss Measurement of Building Products

Colour Measurement of Powdered Raw Materials

The colour of powdered raw materials will ultimately effect the materials that they are used in or the finished material once mixed, wet or applied.

Colour and Gloss of Opaque Building Material

Colour and gloss measurement of solid building products covers a huge array of product types, everything from wood, stone, metal, builders ware and other plastics. As colour difference is more easily noticable on larger surfaces, manufacturers implement colour QC to deliver a consistent product to customers. 

Colour and Gloss Measurement for Sealants and Adhesives

Sealants and adhesives are controlled for colour as they are commonly utilised for either matched or contrasting colour, even over reduced colour ranges, batch to batch consistency is important.

Colour Measurement for Textured Materials

Materials with surface texture must be controlled in much the same way as other solid products but with added consideration for any directionality of the surface. Some samples may benefit from a different measurement geometry or a larger measurement apeture.

Colour and Gloss Measurement for Transparent Buildng Materials

Products such as coloured glass, films and transparent plastics are often used in commercial building projects to add flair and visual appeal. Like any other product, their development and processing can be controlled to maximise the percieved quality of the finished product. 

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