Color Control in Coatings: Do We Really Need Skilled People?
Color technology, the use of sophisticated instruments, computers and software for measuring, matching, and evaluating color, has come a long way since its commercial introduction in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In fact, instruments and computers are now so accurate and user friendly that almost anyone can operate them. But do the operators really understand the meaning behind the numbers and the spectral curves generated by the computers, or the hundreds of variables that can affect the perception and production of color?
This interview with Charles H. Mertz, business manager of the Light & Color Applications Center™, a newly created independent operation of Minolta Corp.’s Instrument Systems Division, seeks an answer to this question. Prior to joining Minolta Corp. and bringing to his new position 40 years of experience in color technology, Mertz served as general manager and principal in Raitech Inc., a company that develops laboratory testing equipment for the textile industry, and as vice president and director of customer support for Datacolor International and its predecessor company, Applied Color Systems Inc. He began his career with Ford Motor Co.’s Paint and Vinyl Operations in Mt. Clemens, MI, where he rose to the position of senior development engineer.