FGIA Advisory

Procedure for ensuring production color match on aluminum extrusions in situations where vertical paint line (length or weight) constraints require material to be painted by a horizontal outside paint source

• Customer requests color match by either submitting lab sample or paint code to the extruder/vertical painter.
• Extruder requests color match lab sample panel from chosen paint vendor.
• Extruder receives two or more lab sample panels, retains at least one and submits one lab sample panel to customer for initial lab sample color approval.
• Upon signed receipt of lab sample color approval from customer, extruder orders paint.
• Extruder paints a mockup production line sample and compares color readings of mockup production line sample to lab sample panel.
• If match between mockup production line sample and lab sample panel is acceptable, extruder retains two mockup production line samples and resubmits one mockup production line sample to customer for final color approval.
• Upon receiving signed mockup production line sample approval from customer, extruder submits one mockup production line sample to chosen outside paint source for color matching. Extruder will retain one mockup production line sample (preferably the one signed by the customer) to serve as the master color standard. (Note: Extruder does not submit Paint Code or sample panel to outside paint source.)
• Outside paint source submits a vertically painted production line sample to paint vendor for color match, and orders paint for the job.
• To ensure a color match, it is likely the paint vendor will reformulate to a new color for the outside paint source that will possibly have a different Paint Code from what the vertical extruder/painter will use.
• Upon receipt of paint, outside paint source will spray out a production sample and verify color match with the vertically painted production sample.
• Outside paint source retains one sprayed-out production sample and sends one sprayed-out production sample to the extruder for color match verification and sign off by the extruder.
• Upon approval by extruder, production painting by both the vertical extruder and outside horizontal paint source can begin.
• Any color discrepancies will be judged relative to the extruder’s mockup production line samples (the reference color standard) retained both by the extruder and the outside paint source and previously approved (written sign-off) by the customer.