Color Testing Capabilities
The Shepherd Color Company's Laboratories are well equipped to evaluate our pigments' physical properties and color characteristics in a variety of media. Test results are reported on Certificates of Analysis and tracked to assure consistent products for our customers' applications.
The Shepherd Color Company routinely tests our pigments in three different categories: Coatings, Plastics, and Porcelain/Decorative Enamels. For Coating applications, we disperse our pigments into either water-borne or solvent-borne coating systems using a variety of dispersion methods depending on the coating system. For Plastic applications, we disperse our pigments into various thermoplastic systems using a two-roll mill, a bowl mixer, or an extruder. For Porcelain and Decorative Enamels, we disperse our pigments into porcelain and glass enamel inks using a three-roll mill.
For each color test, a freshly prepared dispersion is made of the pigment standard, along with the pigment lot to be tested. Masstone and white tint samples are made for both the test lot and the standard, and the color difference between the standard and the test lot is measured and certified.
Our Analytical and Quality Assurance laboratories also measure the physical properties of our pigments such as density, oil absorption, surface area, pH, conductivity, and particle size. In some cases, powder x-ray diffraction testing is used to measure minimal impurity levels. We follow ASTM and other standard protocols. We also perform regulatory testing according to worldwide protocols such as the food/toy contact regulation listed by the US FDA, Council of Europe AP(89)1, AS 2070.6-1999, EN 71 part 3, and others. This testing also verifies our pigment's conformance to waste management regulations such as CONEG and TCLP in the United States, and 94/62/EEC in the European Union.
Specialized color and physical property testing for other applications, such as cement, cosmetics, artist colors, and camouflage systems is also available.
