Test for evaluating the color and surface gloss of the component.
The measurement of the color and aesthetic characteristics of the components is particularly important in the case of applications in the field of mass-pigmented paints or plastics, especially if the samples are subjected to aging tests which require the maintenance of the aesthetic characteristics. The laboratory is able to perform evaluations such as colorimetric tests via color spectrophotometry with CIE L*a*b* space, evaluation of gloss (gloss) and visual evaluations using gray scale.
In the photos below it is possible to visually see differences in color and texture between aged (left) and as-is (right) samples.
- CIE L*a*b* color spectrophotometry:
Identification of the colorimetric coordinates of the CIE L*a*b* space of a mass-pigmented or newly painted component and after aging. Generally the difference of the color in general expressed as ΔE is requested, but often it can be interesting to go and evaluate the difference in the single coordinates or ΔL, which indicates the light/dark change, Δb which allows to evaluate the yellowing and Δa which measures the variation in the color space from green to red.
- Gloss tests (gloss):
Evaluation of the brightness of a painted or mass-pigmented component when new or after aging, such as xenotest. It allows to give a general indication on the aesthetic surface finish of the component and its variation based on the aging performed.
- Grayscale:
Visual assessment of color using a standardized gray scale, to identify the change in color between a new component and one that has undergone an aging test.
