#Car paint color machine how to#

The visible light spectrum ranges from the reds at 400 nm to the blues in the 700nm range, and the most efficient wheels have filters that handle intervals of 10 nm each. Each filter is programmed to allow a specific wavelength of light to pass through it, and each wavelength is within a particular range of nanometers. Visible light is measured in nanometers, which is a tiny unit of measurement in the metric system, equal to one-billionth of a meter. The wheel is a highly efficient color analyzer, consisting of a number of interference filters and powered by a stepper motor, which is known for its precision. This light is reflected off the sample back into the machine and onto a small wheel.

A clip located on the outside of the machine holds the paint sample to be matched, and white light is flooded onto the sample. Interference filters powered by stepper motorīecause it's made up of all of the colors in the visible spectrum, white light is the illumination source used in a spectrophotometer, in the form of a tungsten bulb or in more advanced models, a Light Emitting Diode (LED).So how could you possibly expect to find that color you're looking for? There could even be 10 different shades of blue-green. So describing something as green or even blue-green isn't going to be specific enough if you're trying to find the exact color. A color can be described by how pure or desaturated it is, as well as its value or lightness. Colors are actually waves of light, and each wavelength has a value that makes it different from the rest. You can choose from cornflower blue, midnight blue, blue-gray, blue-green and the list goes on.

Who knew there were so many different shades of green?Īs we learned from our big box of Crayolas, purple isn't just purple and red isn't just red. You head over to your local paint store and come home armed with a pocketful of paint chips, thinking surely one of the colors will match, but no luck. Or perhaps you moved into a house with a paint color scheme that you love, but it needs some touching up.

#Car paint color machine how to#

Maybe you've created your own custom color from paints lying around the basement, only to find that you can't figure out how to replicate it.