In manufacturing, color is more than just a visual aesthetic. It is a critical factor influencing brand identity, product usability, and customer satisfaction. From the vibrant hues of a graphic overlay to the subtle tones of a silicone rubber keypad, manufacturers must navigate a complex world of color callouts to ensure their products meet functional and aesthetic requirements.
But with so many methods to define and replicate colors, such as CMYK, RGB, and Pantone, how do manufacturers determine the best approach?
What Is “Color”?
Scientifically, color is how the human eye perceives light as it interacts with different surfaces and materials. It’s defined by wavelength, intensity, and how it reflects or absorbs light. Color is used as a universal language describing things like STOP and GO, or POSITIVE and NEGATIVE in low-voltage circuits.
In manufacturing, color is more than just perception. It’s a measurable and repeatable property that must adhere to strict specifications to ensure product consistency across batches, materials, and even different factories.
The Role of Color in Manufacturing
For manufacturers producing items with custom colors, getting the color right is critical. It’s not just about aesthetics; color can impact usability, regulatory compliance, and a product’s marketability. Consider the following:
- Safety and Usability: Products as diverse as defibrillators or avionics bezels rely on specific colors to enhance visibility and usability in critical situations.
- Brand Identity: Companies often build their reputation around a consistent color palette, as seen in Coca-Cola’s signature red or Barbie pink.
- Compliance: Certain industries, such as aerospace, follow stringent color standards to meet regulatory requirements.
Products Made with Custom Colors: Practically Everything
Custom colors are everywhere in manufacturing. Nearly every product you interact with daily has undergone a rigorous process to ensure its color meets specifications. This literally means everything from milk cartons to cars, from computers to electric guitars, and so on. All these everyday items have vectorized artwork, Pantone swatches, and possibly a “golden sample”.
The need for precise color matching is particularly critical in the production of items like graphic overlays, membrane switches, silicone rubber keypads, faceplates, and bezels. These components often need to meet both aesthetic and functional color standards, requiring advanced techniques and stringent quality control. Additionally, many of these items need paint and materials that are rugged enough to stand up to harsh environments and operating conditions.
Epec manufactures a wide range of products where color requirements and consistency are among the most stringent:
Graphic Overlays
Used in user interfaces, overlays must align with a customer’s branding and remain legible across varying lighting conditions. Most graphic overlays are back-printed films with silkscreen inks and digital printing.
Graphic overlays that match the customer’s branding.
Membrane Switches
The colors of legends, symbols, and backgrounds affect usability and aesthetics. Given that most membrane switches are paired with graphic overlays, their color requirements overlap considerably.
Membrane switch with color matched red symbol.
Silicone Rubber Keypads
Often backlit, these keypads require precise color matching to ensure clarity and uniform illumination. The silicone elastomer can be painted, or colorized. For backlighting applications, the silicone is usually transparent or translucent, with paint applied to key areas of the design.
Translucent silicone rubber keypad.
Injection Molded ABS/PC Components
From an enclosure to a custom housing, these parts must meet both structural and visual specifications. The exact material used, and details as small as the mold texture, can drastically change the appearance of a finished part. Color matching is especially critical from batch to batch to ensure no noticeable deviations.
Injection molded housing with red color matching.
Wire Jackets and Overmolds
Color coding is vital for identification and compliance. Wire insulation is colored to indicate the different legs of a multiconductor cable. Some customers require their special color for an overmold, connector, or label.
Specialty color overmolded cable connector.
Machined 6061 Aluminum Panels
Often anodized or chem filmed, many aluminum front panels will need painting to be used. First primed and then painted with specialty enamel paint, there are numerous industry-specific paint types, colors, and performance requirements for these types of items.
Machined parts with specialty enamel paint.
Industry Standard Methods for Defining Color
To achieve consistent color results, manufacturers rely on several industry-standard methods for defining and replicating colors:
- Pantone Matching System (PMS): A universally recognized system that provides precise color codes for use in printing and manufacturing.
- CMYK: A subtractive color model used in color printing that combines cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink.
- RGB: An additive color model used for digital displays, mixing red, green, and blue light.
- HSV/HSB/HLS: These models define color based on hue, saturation, and brightness, often used in software applications.
- Federal Standard 595 (Now AMS STANDARD 595A): Common in military and aerospace applications, this standard specifies colors for paints and coatings.
Each method serves a unique purpose, and the choice often depends on the material, manufacturing process, and end-use application.
Example of a Pantone color chart booklet.
Where Should Color Requirements Be Noted?
For manufacturers, it is essential that customers clearly define their color requirements during the design and prototyping stages. Ambiguity or oversight can lead to costly rework, delays, or parts that fail to meet expectations. Even small details, like the color of a serial number marking, can become critical.
Proper documentation matters. It prevents miscommunication, as clear specifications reduce the risk of color mismatches. Proper documentation also ensures accountability. Documenting requirements ensure all stakeholders, from designers to production teams, are aligned. And obviously, clear color requirements improve efficiency. Manufacturers can better plan processes like silk-screening, painting, or printing when color requirements are well-defined.
Managing Color Requirements Effectively
To ensure successful color implementation, manufacturers and buyers can adopt these best practices:
- Clearly Define the Requirements: Define the artwork with vectorized files and use a Pantone or CMYK color specification.
- Keep a Golden Sample: A physical reference sample serves as the benchmark for color matching, reducing subjective interpretations.
- Account for Material Differences: Colors can appear different on various materials. For example, matching the color of an aluminum panel with an injection-molded plastic component can be challenging.
- Utilize Color Matching: Advanced techniques, like spectrophotometry, help ensure accurate replication of unique color requirements.
- Build and Approve Samples: Before full-scale production, always create prototypes or samples to confirm color accuracy.
Summary
Color in manufacturing isn’t just a creative choice. It’s a critical factor that impacts functionality, brand identity, and customer satisfaction. By understanding the different methods for defining color, documenting requirements clearly, and employing robust quality control processes, manufacturers like Epec can deliver consistent and reliable results across a variety of products.
Whether it’s a graphic overlay, a silicone rubber keypad, or an injection-molded housing, the right color can make all the difference. Precision, planning, and communication are key to success for companies navigating the world of custom colors.
Key Takeaways:
- The Critical Role of Color in Manufacturing:
- Color affects functionality, brand identity, and customer satisfaction.
- It plays a role in usability (e.g., visibility of defibrillators) and compliance (e.g., aerospace regulatory standards).
- Applications of Custom Colors:
- Graphic Overlays: Enhance user interfaces while maintaining branding and legibility.
- Membrane Switches: Usability depends on precise color matching of symbols and backgrounds.
- Silicone Rubber Keypads: Require precise color consistency for backlighting clarity.
- Injection Molded Components: Must meet structural and aesthetic needs, with critical batch-to-batch consistency.
- Wire Jackets and Overmolds: Color-coding ensures identification and regulatory compliance.
- Machined Aluminum Panels: Painted or anodized finishes often require strict adherence to specific colors.
- Industry Standards for Defining Colors:
- Pantone Matching System (PMS): Universally recognized for precise color codes.
- CMYK: Used in printing with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
- RGB: Digital displays rely on this additive color model.
- Federal Standard 595: Specifies colors for military and aerospace paints and coatings.
- Spectrophotometry: Advanced color matching for unique applications.
- Key Best Practices for Managing Color:
- Clearly Define Requirements: Use vectorized files and Pantone or CMYK specifications.
- Maintain a Golden Sample: Physical samples serve as benchmarks for matching and consistency.
- Account for Material Differences: Recognize that colors can vary across materials like aluminum and plastic.
- Build and Approve Samples: Always test and approve prototypes before full production.
- Document Color Requirements: Proper documentation ensures alignment across teams and avoids costly rework.
- Importance of Proper Documentation:
- Reduces miscommunication and ensures alignment between designers and production teams.
- Streamline processes like silk-screening, printing, and painting.
- Prevents delays, rework, and costly errors.
- Ensuring Consistency in Color-Critical Products:
- Rigorous quality control and advanced color-matching techniques ensure reliable results.
- Industries like aerospace, medical, and industrial rely on precise color specifications for critical components.
- Summary:
- Color in manufacturing is more than aesthetics—it impacts functionality, branding, and user experience.
- Manufacturers need precision, planning, and communication to meet color requirements effectively.
