Advanced technologies promise an opportunity to save on time and materials when determining the best color match

With the introduction of the PPG DIGIMATCH™ spectrophotometer and PPG VISUALIZID™ software, PPG says these technological advancements will make it easier and faster for body shops to determine the best color formula for matching a customer’s vehicle.

Here’s how they work in concert to create digital sprayouts:

PPG DigiMatch Spectrophotometer

Featuring a lightweight, ergonomic design that can be held in one hand, this advanced digital color tool takes readings of a vehicle’s color from 6 imaging angles as well as 6 reflective angles to provide color and texture information—including effect pigment particle size (an industry first). PPG DigiMatch vehicle readings are fast and easy, even on curved surfaces.

The detailed information is then seamlessly loaded into the PPG PAINTMANAGER^® XI formula retrieval software and compared against its vast color database to find color formulations that come closest to a match, including the texture. And here’s where the VisualizID software function takes over.

PPG VisualizID Software

This revolutionary software enables technicians to compare 3D visualizations of the retrieved colors side by side against the target color taken by the DigiMatch spectrophotometer—just as they would in the traditional process of comparing a sprayout card. However, this software technology enables multiple “sprayouts” to be compared in a matter of minutes.

Since effect pigments have different appearances, depending on the viewing angle, the visualization software provides users with a host of options for making comparisons. For example, to account for color travel, the virtual sprayout can be compared from flash, flop or face angles. They can also be rotated in any direction as well as compared from “blend” and “edge” views.

“When you consider that the conventional process can take some 30 minutes for creating just one sprayout card, VisualizID software offers a considerably faster way to compare multiple sprayouts, determine the right color formula and save on paint materials,” says Allen Porter, PPG refinish color manager, U.S. and Canada. “We have no doubt that our two new color-matching tools, PPG DigiMatch and VisualizID, are going to revolutionize how body shops accurately and efficiently color match their customer vehicles.”

The PPG DigiMatch and VisualizID tools represent the latest components of the PPG LINQ™ end-to-end digital solution for the automotive refinish industry, with more advancements expected in the near future.

To learn more, visit ppglinq.com.