On the relations between color,gloss, and surface texture in injection‐molded plastics

The relation between color and gloss of injection‐molded plastic specimens was evaluated by means of a 45°/0° geometry spectrophotometer and a glossmeter. The specimens were plaques having one smooth, glossy field and one rougher, textured region made of two different polymeric materials (acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene and polypropylene) in a range of colors. A significant influence of the lightness L* of the specimens on the measured gloss of the textured field, with a low gloss appearance, was found. This can probably be attributed to a contribution from bulk scattering, which is linked to the reflectance from within the specimen. The influence of texture on the measured color of the plaques was assessed by evaluating the color difference between the smooth field and the more textured area on the specimens. When the surface was textured, the color changed; in general it became lighter and less saturated. The magnitude of the change depended on the color of the material. The darker the material was, the larger was the increase in lightness L* as the surface became rougher. The shift in chroma C* was determined not only by the saturation but also by the lightness of the specimens. Darker specimens exhibited a larger decrease in chroma when the surface was textured. The change in the measured color caused by increasing the surface roughness could be predicted in a satisfactory manner using a model developed for xerographic printing paper. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 34, 291–298, 2009     

Visual perception and measurements of texture and gloss of injection‐molded plastics

The effect of an imposed texture on the gloss of injection‐molded polymeric surfaces was evaluated as well as the way in which these properties are visually perceived. Specimens having small differences in surface topography were produced using two mold cavities with slight differences in texture and three different polymers. The texture and gloss were characterized using laser profilometry, gloss measurements, and by means of psychometric evaluations. The measured surface topography parameters and gloss were determined mainly by the texture of the mold surface and the gloss also by the processing conditions. Variations in surface topography due to differences in the rheological properties of the polymer melts were, in most cases, too small to be reflected in the measurements. The visual assessments of the texture and the gloss of specimens from the same cavity were in fair agreement with the measurements, although the observers could discern differences between some specimens not revealed by the measurements. When the specimens molded in the two cavities differing significantly both in gloss and texture were compared, the agreement between the measured topography parameters and the perceived roughness was poorer. It is suggested that higher gloss of a textured surface enhances the perception of a higher roughness. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Evaluating contrast gloss of textured polymeric surfaces

The concept of contrast gloss and its relation to visually perceived gloss was examined for textured polymeric specimens. The specimens were injection‐molded plaques manufactured in three different polymers (acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene copolymer, polypropylene, and a blend of polycarbonate and acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene copolymer). A contrast gloss factor was determined from the reflectance data obtained with a conventional multiangle spectrophotometer. To evaluate the visual impression of gloss of the specimens a psychometric study was performed. The contrast gloss factor corresponded well with the visual assessment of the gloss and it was able to discern the visual differences between several specimens not significantly discriminated by their gloss values. These latter gloss values were obtained with a conventional glossmeter measuring specular gloss. In correspondence with the visual assessments and practical experience, the relation between the contrast gloss factor and the specular glossmeter measurements was found to depend on the type of polymer used. When evaluating gloss of specimens varying in color, the contrast gloss factor corresponded well with the visual assessments. This was in contrast to the specular glossmeter measurements which ranked the specimens essentially in the opposite order. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers     

On the relation between surface texture and gloss of injection‐molded pigmented plastics

The relation between the surface topography of injection‐molded plastic objects with deliberately imposed textures and their gloss, measured by means of a conventional glossmeter at incident angles of 20°, 60°, and 85°, was investigated. A modification of the general scalar Kirchhoff approximation, which accounts for geometrical features of the glossmeter, is used to describe the experimental gloss values of the textured surfaces. The agreement between the measured and the calculated values for incidence angles of 20° and 60° confirms the usefulness of the approach, though several of the textured surfaces used here are too rough for the Kirchhoff theory to be strictly valid. A poorer agreement, however, was noted at higher incidence angles (85° in this case). For very smooth surfaces (without any texture), the classical Bennett‐Porteus theory could in many cases describe the gloss level with sufficient accuracy. The influence on the measured gloss of the polymer material (in terms of its refractive index) and the color of the injection‐molded object is also discussed. Light beige specimens in three different polymeric materials (acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene, acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene/polycarbonate blend, and polypropylene) as well as three acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene products with different colors were used. The refractive index of the polymer had no major influence on the measured gloss. The gloss level increased slightly with increasing lightness of the specimens, which can be associated with an increased contribution from the bulk scattering. However, the surface texture governed most of the gloss variations. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:1343–1356, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Influence of surface roughness on the diffuse to near‐normal viewing reflectance factor of coatings and its consequences on color measurements

In this work, we discuss the effect of surface roughness on the measurement of the diffuse to near‐normal viewing reflectance factor of coatings and evaluate its impact on the corresponding color coordinates. We compare specular component included (SCI) and excluded measurements. We introduce a gloss‐factor to account for surface roughness in specular component excluded measurements. We present experimental results on samples with different degrees of surface roughness. Samples in this study were chosen to expose the contribution of the surface in the reflectance factor. For slightly rough surfaces, the influence on the measured reflectance factor depends on whether the specular‐component is included or excluded. As the surface roughness increases, the specular‐excluded reflectance factor increases approaching its value with the SCI further roughness lead to similar measurement results in both configurations. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 38, 177–187, 2013.     

Specular gloss versus surface topography for oil‐filled nanoparticle coatings on paper

The appearance or printing quality of paper surfaces is mostly characterized by their glossiness, measured with a glossmeter as specular reflectance. The gloss properties of a base paper substrate can be improved after application of a poly(styrene‐co‐maleimide) nanoparticle coating under pure conditions or in the presence of different vegetable oils. The specular gloss properties of 11 different nanoparticle paper coatings have been determined under 75° and 85° incident light angles, with good relation between values along parallel (machine) and perpendicular (transverse) direction. The gloss properties for the different coatings have been further related to the surface topography. Therefore, the statistical and spatial surface roughness parameters have been studied in detail at two length scales including non‐contact profilometry (1 × 1 mm²) and atomic force microscopy (2 × 2 μm²). Based on values of the Rayleigh parameter for non‐contact profilometry, the surfaces can be considered as optically rough. The gloss values cannot be directly related to statistical surface roughness parameters. Otherwise, an experimental power‐law model for gloss has been proposed as a function of (β/Sq) with correlation length β and root‐mean‐square roughness Sq. A best‐fit model illustrates that gloss properties of various nanoparticle paper coatings mainly relate to the spatial surface roughness parameters determined from non‐contact profilometry. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 41, 596–610, 2016     

Experimental study of back‐scattering spectrum of textile structures

The back‐scattered light by textile surfaces mainly depends on their surface state, which is often periodic and directional. The analysis of the reflectance spectra in back‐scattering conditions of two types of structures (yarn, plain and twill weaves) shows the influence of the orientation of these surfaces as well as the back‐scattered angle. In fact, the declination of the yarn orientation in relation to the incidence plane involves an increase of the reflectance factor to reach a maximum value when the yarns are perpendicular to this plane. For woven fabrics, the back‐scattering of surface according to a given orientation primarily depends on its geometrical characteristic in this direction and consequently the used yarn densities. The computation of the ratio of mean quadratic surface roughness h to correlation length l for various used orientations shows the close link between this parameter and the evolution of back‐scattering. The effect of the variation of back‐scattered angle on the back‐scattered light varies with the value of h/l . The comparison between these experimental results and a theoretical study based on Gaussian and isotropic surfaces shows a satisfactory correlation between these two elements with the presence of some cases of discrepancy due to the different natures of the two types of surfaces. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 31, 122–132, 2006     

Ghost marks—gloss‐related defects in injection‐molded plastics

The production of injection‐molded parts free from surface appearance defects is of great importance in the manufacturing of high‐quality products. A particular surface defect which occurs on components manufactured from an acrylonitrile‐butadiene‐styrene copolymer (ABS) is here described. The defect has been called ghost marks and is characterized by a local change in gloss or lightness which is only visually detectable in certain viewing angles and conditions of illumination. By means of scanning electron microscopy, small‐scale deformations of the surface texture were observed in the area of the defect which in turn alters the light scattering properties of the surface. The light scattering properties were evaluated by means of a multiangle spectrophotometer. The holding pressure during the injection molding process was shown to play a significant role in the formation of the ghost marks possibly imposing forces causing the deformation of the surface texture. The deformations may also occur from nonuniform thermal surface shrinkage during cooling. The type of texture and wall thickness also influences the occurrence of ghost marks.POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2012. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Improving the cleanability of melamine‐formaldehyde‐based decorative laminates

Decorative laminates based on melamine formaldehyde (MF) resin impregnated papers are used at great extent for surface finishing of engineered wood that is used for furniture, kitchen, and working surfaces, flooring and exterior cladding. In all these applications, optically flawless appearance is a major issue. The work described here is focused on enhancing the cleanability and antifingerprint properties of smooth, matt surface‐finished melamine‐coated particleboards for furniture fronts, without at the same time changing or deteriorating other important surface parameters such as hardness, roughness or gloss. In order to adjust the surface polarity of a low pressure melamine film, novel interface‐active macromolecular compounds were prepared and tested for their suitability as an antifingerprint additive. Two hydroxy‐functional surfactants (polydimethysiloxane, PDMS‐OH and perfluoroether, PF‐OH) were oxidized under mild conditions to the corresponding aldehydes (PDMS‐CHO and PF‐CHO) using a pyridinium chlorochromate catalyst. With the most promising oxidized polymeric additive, PDMS‐CHO, the contact angles against water, n‐hexadecane, and squalene increased from 79.8°, 26.3° and 31.4° for the pure MF surface to 108.5°, 54.8°, and 59.3°, respectively, for the modified MF surfaces. While for the laminated MF surface based on the oxidized fluoroether the gloss values were much higher than required, for the surfaces based on oxidized polydimethylsiloxane the technological values as well as the lower gloss values were in agreement with the requirements and showed much improved surface cleanability, as was also confirmed by colorimetric measurements. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40964.     

Effects of injection‐molding conditions on the gloss and color of pigmented polypropylene

The effects of processing conditions on appearance characteristics of injection‐molded mineral‐filled polypropylene (compounded with pigments giving differing intensities of a beige color) have been studied; characteristics studied included gloss, color, and texture. A mold cavity embossed with smooth, fine, and coarse surface patterns was used. In‐mold rheology and gate‐seal analysis were used to select the filling and postfilling processing parameters. Interest was focused on the effects of filling rate, holding pressure, and mold temperature on the appearance characteristics, and a significant influence of these processing conditions on the gloss and color was found. For all the surface patterns examined, a better replication of the mold texture was obtained with a low melt viscosity at a high shear rate (high injection speed or short injection time) and a high mold temperature. This gave a higher gloss in the smooth surface regions and a lower gloss in the textured regions. An increase in the holding pressure had an effect similar to but smaller than increasing the filling rate or mold temperature. The gloss (or surface topography) had a significant effect on the color; an increase in gloss was associated with an increase in the color coordinate b* and a decrease in the lightness L*. POLYM. ENG. SCI. 45:1557–1567, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

The effect of gloss on color

A model was developed for the effect of gloss on reflected color, taking the measurement geometry of the color measuring device into account. It considers the total front surface reflectance of a given sample to be independent of gloss and determined only by its refractive index and the angle of the incident beam. Although the total front surface reflectance is fixed, its specular component increases (and the diffuse component decreases) with increasing sample gloss. Therefore, the diffuse reflectance factor measured by a spectrophotometer decreases with sample gloss. In this article, a defined curve was fitted to the measured reflectance factor of black xerographic print samples having a range of gloss values for the 0/45 and diffuse spectrophotometer geometries, and this curve was used to predict the CIELAB color values for samples of the other colors at various gloss levels. The predicted color was compared to the measured color for cyan, magenta, yellow, red, green, and blue images that spanned a wide range of gloss. The RMS color error between the predicted and measured color of all of these images was found to be about 3 CIELAB ΔE* units. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Col Res Appl, 24, 369–376, 1999     

Optical and surface properties of whey protein isolate coatings on plastic films as influenced by substrate,protein concentration,and plasticizer type

Composite film structures of common plastic polymers including polypropylene (PP) or poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) with whey protein isolate (WPI) coatings may be obtained by a casting method. Optical and surface properties of the resulting WPI‐coated plastic films, as affected by protein concentration and plasticizer type, were investigated to examine the biopolymer coating effects on surface modification with polymeric substrates of opposite polarity. The measured properties involved specular gloss, color, contact angle, and critical surface energy. Regardless of the substrates, WPI‐coated films possessed excellent gloss and no color, as well as good adhesion between the coating and the substrate when an appropriate plasticizer was added to the coating formulations. The protein concentration did not significantly affect gloss of WPI‐coated plastic films. Among five plasticizers applied, sucrose conferred the most highly reflective and homogeneous surfaces to the coated films. The WPI coatings were very transparent and the coated films with various protein concentrations and plasticizers showed no noticeable changes in color. Experimental results suggest that WPI coatings formulated with a proper plasticizer can improve the visual characteristics of the polymeric substrate and enhance water wettability of the coated plastic films. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 92: 335–343, 2004     

Surface quality characterization of textile‐reinforced thermoplastics

To allow cost effective mass production of reinforced thermoplastics for visible parts, in‐situ a surface quality with “Class‐A” standard must be achieved. Furthermore, after the application of varnish, an appearance (gloss, waviness, color) similar to that of the traditional metal component is required. Porosity and fiber readout are the common surface defects. Fiber readout results from the significantly higher volume shrinkage of the thermoplastic resin (higher CLTE) in comparison to that of the reinforcement during the cooling process in production combined with the uneven distribution of resin and fibers. While glass mat reinforced thermoplastic (GMT) parts show a disorderly readout influenced (among other factors) by fiber length, processing and fiber content of the semi‐finished material, the fabric reinforced thermoplastics (organic sheets) suffer from a regular print‐through—a display of the textile reinforcement. Modern tools of measurement enable one to quantify gloss, roughness, and waviness of the surfaces. Thus parameters significantly influencing the surface characteristics can be identified. This leads to the development of procedures for improving the surface quality.     

The Influence of the Measuring/Viewing Angle on the Color of Injection-Molded Plastics

A multi-angle spectrophotometer was used to measure the CIELab coordinates L?, a? and b? in different angles relative to the incident light. The specimens used were acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene injection-molded plaques in different colors and with different surface textures. Variations in the coordinates when changing the measuring angle depended on the color and the texture. In general, however, smooth (glossy) surfaces were measured to be darker and of higher chroma than textured surfaces and as the gloss of the surfaces decreased (due to texturing), the lightness of the surfaces increased and the absolute values of a? and b? decreased over the range of measuring angles (not too close to the specular reflection angle). A psychometric study involving a human test panel was used as a complement to the measurement. The agreement between the measurements and this study cannot be said to be satisfactory, unless the variation in the color coordinates was quite clear. Possible reasons are discussed.     

Film formation from pigmented latex systems: Mechanical and surface properties of ground calcium carbonate/functionalized poly(n‐butyl methacrylate‐co‐n‐butyl acrylate) latex blend films

The mechanical and surface properties of films prepared from model latex/pigment blends were studied using tensile tests, surface gloss measurements, and atomic force microscopy. Functionalized poly(n‐butyl methacrylate‐co‐n‐butyl acrylate) [P(BMA/BA)] and ground calcium carbonate (GCC) were used as latex and extender pigment particles, respectively. The critical pigment volume concentration of this pigment/latex blend system was found to be between 50 and 60 vol % as determined by surface gloss measurement and tensile testing of the blend films. As the pigment volume concentration increased in the blends, the Young's modulus of the films increased. Nielsen's equations were found to fit the experimental data very well. When the surface coverage of carboxyl groups on the latex particles was increased, the yield strength and Young's modulus of the films both increased, indicating better adhesion at the interfaces between the GCC and latex particles. When the carboxyl groups were neutralized during the film formation process, regions with reduced chain mobility were formed. These regions acted as a filler to improve the modulus of the copolymer matrix and the modulus of the resulting films. The carboxyl groups on the latex particle surfaces increased the surface smoothness of the films as determined by surface gloss measurement. When the initial stabilizer coverage of the latex particles was increased, the mechanical strength of the resulting films increased. At the same time, rougher film surfaces also were observed because of the migration of the stabilizer to the surface during film formation. With smaller‐sized latex particles, the pigment/latex blends had higher yield strength and Young's modulus. Higher film formation temperatures strengthen the resulting films and also influence their surface morphology. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 4550–4560, 2006     

Microstructure‐based fatigue modeling of an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) copolymer

In this article, we experimentally investigate the structure–property relationships of an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) copolymer for fatigue and use a microstructure‐based multistage fatigue (MSF) model to predict material failure. The MSF model comprises three stages of fatigue damage (crack incubation, small crack growth, and long crack growth) that was originally used for metal alloys. This study shows for the first time that the MSF theory is general enough to apply to polymer systems like ABS. The experimental study included monotonic testing (compression and tension) and fully reversed uniaxial cyclic tests at two frequencies (1 Hz and 10 Hz) with a range of strain amplitudes of 0.006 to 0.04. Cyclical softening was observed in the ABS copolymer. Fractography studies of failed specimens revealed that particles were responsible for crack incubation. Although polymeric materials can be argued to be more complex in terms of failure modes and thermo‐mechano‐chemical sensitivity when compared with most metal alloys, results showed that the MSF model could be extended successfully to capture microstructural effects to polymeric materials. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40882.     

Preparation of Smart Poly(SPAA‐co‐MMA) Film Materials for Regulating Wettability and Humidity by Electrospinning

Smart photoresponsive structured films with tunable wettability and ambient humidity were developed from acrylamino spiropyran–methyl methacrylate copolymer by electrospinning in this work. The wettability of the electrospun materials and ambient humidity can be reversibly regulated by the simple change of UV–Vis light irradiation due to the photoisomerization mechanism of spiropyran chromophore. Under UV light irradiation, the spiropyran molecules exhibit a colored polar open‐ring status which is hydrophilic, whereas under visible light irradiation it is colorless, nonpolar, and hydrophobic. As a promising and efficient method to produce surfaces with appropriate roughness, electrospinning was used to control the morphology of the copolymer surface, and significantly it is found that the roughness of the surface can strongly influence the reversible variation range of the water contact angle and humidity. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E279–E286, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Multiscale physical characterization of an outdoor-exposed polymeric coating system

Surface topography and gloss are two related properties affecting the appearance of a polymeric coating system. Upon exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the surface topography of a coating becomes more pronounced and, correspondingly, its gloss generally decreases. However, the surface factors affecting gloss and appearance are difficult to ascertain. In this article, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) measurements have been performed on an amine-cured epoxy coating system exposed to outdoor environments in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The formation of the protuberances is observed at the early degradation stages, followed by the appearance of circular pits as exposure continues. At long exposure times, the circular features enlarge and deepen, resulting in a rough surface topography and crack formation. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) study indicates that the oxidation and chain scission reactions are likely the origins of the surface morphological changes. The relationship between changes in surface roughness and gloss has been analyzed. The root mean square (RMS) roughness of the coating is related to nanoscale and microscale morphological changes in the surface of the coating as well as to the gloss retention. A near-linear dependence of RMS roughness with the measurement length scale (L) is found on a double logarithmic scale, i.e., RMS ∼ L ^f. The scaling factor, f, decreases with exposure time. The relationship between surface topography, on nano- to microscales, and the macroscale optical properties such as gloss retention is discussed. Moreover, a recent development in using an angle-resolved light scattering technique for the measurement of the specular and off-specular reflectance of the UV-exposed specimens is also demonstrated, and the optical scattering data are compared to the gloss and the roughness results.