ChromaFlair is the registered trademark for a
pigmentA pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
used in
paintPaint is any liquid, liquifiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film.-History:...
systems, primarily for automobiles. When the paint is applied, it changes
colorColor or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, yellow, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
depending on the
lightLight is electromagnetic radiation, particularly radiation of a wavelength that is visible to the human eye ....
source and viewing angle. It was created by
JDS UniphaseJDSU is a company that designs and manufactures products for optical communications products, communications test and measurement equipment, lasers, optical solutions for authentication and decorative applications, and other custom optics. It is headquartered in Milpitas, California, USA...
Flex Products Group in Santa Rosa, California and is used by
DuPontE. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont or Du Pont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont is currently the world's second largest chemical company in terms of market capitalization and...
and
PPGPPG Industries is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass. The company has more than 140 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates and operates in more than 60 countries. Sales in 2008 were $15.8 billion...
The paint system (and competing versions made by other companies) are known by a vast variety of proprietary names, including
Chameleon Colors,
ChromaLusion,
ChromaPremier,
ColourShift,
Exclusive Line,
Extreme Colors,
Harlequin Color,
IllusionColor,
Kameleon Kolors,
Maziora,
MultiTones,
MystiChrome and
Paradis Spectrashine.
The effect is achieved by interfering with the
reflectionReflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two differentmedia so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated. Common examples include the reflection of light, sound and water waves...
and
refractionRefraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its velocity. This is most commonly observed when a wave passes from one medium to another...
of light from the painted object's surface.
Discussion
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ChromaFlair is the registered trademark for a
pigmentA pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
used in
paintPaint is any liquid, liquifiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film.-History:...
systems, primarily for automobiles. When the paint is applied, it changes
colorColor or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, yellow, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
depending on the
lightLight is electromagnetic radiation, particularly radiation of a wavelength that is visible to the human eye ....
source and viewing angle. It was created by
JDS UniphaseJDSU is a company that designs and manufactures products for optical communications products, communications test and measurement equipment, lasers, optical solutions for authentication and decorative applications, and other custom optics. It is headquartered in Milpitas, California, USA...
Flex Products Group in Santa Rosa, California and is used by
DuPontE. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont or Du Pont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont is currently the world's second largest chemical company in terms of market capitalization and...
and
PPGPPG Industries is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass. The company has more than 140 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates and operates in more than 60 countries. Sales in 2008 were $15.8 billion...
Names
The paint system (and competing versions made by other companies) are known by a vast variety of proprietary names, including
Chameleon Colors,
ChromaLusion,
ChromaPremier,
ColourShift,
Exclusive Line,
Extreme Colors,
Harlequin Color,
IllusionColor,
Kameleon Kolors,
Maziora,
MultiTones,
MystiChrome and
Paradis Spectrashine.
Effect
The effect is achieved by interfering with the
reflectionReflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two differentmedia so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated. Common examples include the reflection of light, sound and water waves...
and
refractionRefraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its velocity. This is most commonly observed when a wave passes from one medium to another...
of light from the painted object's surface. The paint contains tiny synthetic flakes about one
micrometreThe metre or meter is the basic unit of length in the International System of Units . Historically, the metre was defined by the French Academy of Sciences as the length between two marks on a platinum-iridium bar, which was designed to represent one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator...
thick. The flakes are constructed of
aluminiumAluminium or aluminum is a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
coated with
glassIn general Glass refers to a solid, brittle, transparent material, commonly used for windows, bottles, or eyewear. Examples of glassy materials include, but are not limited to, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, acrylic glass, sugar glass, Muscovy-glass, or aluminium oxynitride. The term glass...
-like
magnesium fluorideMagnesium fluoride is a white crystalline salt composed of one magnesium ion and two fluoride ions, and is used in the electrolysis of aluminium ore and anti-reflective coatings. It is a tetragonal, birefringent crystal....
embedded in semi-translucent
chromiumChromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24, first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odourless, tasteless, and malleable...
. The aluminium and chrome gives the paint a vibrant metallic sparkle, while the glass-like coating acts like a refracting
prismIn optics, a prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. The exact angles between the surfaces depend on the application. The traditional geometrical shape is that of a triangular prism with a triangular base and rectangular sides, and in colloquial use...
, changing the apparent color of the surface as the observer moves around. Interestingly, ChromaFlair paints contain no conventional absorbing
pigmentA pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
s, rather it is a "light interference pigment": the color observed is created entirely by the refractive properties of the flakes (analogous to how people perceive rainbow colors in oil slicks).
The ChromaFlair pigment is available in thousands of different color variations. It is usually applied to items whose visual appeal is considered important — such as motor vehicles,
electric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker. The signal that comes from the guitar is sometimes electronically altered with guitar effects such as...
s and computer case mods.
In addition to paint, it can applied as a coating, for example on
synthetic polyurethane leatherArtificial leather is a fabric or finish intended to substitute for leather in fields such as upholstery, clothing and fabrics, and other uses where a leather-like finish is required but the actual material is cost-prohibitive or unsuitable....
, or dispersed in a
resinResin is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. It is valued for its chemical constituents and uses, such as varnishes and adhesives, as an important source of raw materials for organic synthesis, or for incense and perfume. Fossilized resins are the source of amber...
for
injection moldingInjection molding is a manufacturing process for producing parts from both thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic materials. Material is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mold cavity where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the mold cavity...
.
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