COLOUR MANAGEMENT | TECHNOLOGY


Achieving


precision in colour control


Colour masterbatch producers have many new options to maintain accuracy and quality. Chris Saunders surveys new products in colour management


Colour management has evolved from a largely empirical discipline into a data-driven, process- integrated engineering function. New require- ments around colour (ΔE) tolerances, multi-material colour matching, recyclability, and regulatory compliance, have pushed masterbatch makers towards high-precision formulation, real-time process control, and advanced material systems. One of the most significant developments is the widespread adoption of AI-driven colour formula- tion software, which is replacing traditional trial- and-error lab matching. Machine learning models use spectral databases of pigments and historical formulations to predict and perfect recipes, greatly accelerating the process. “For masterbatch manufacturers, colour manage- ment is undergoing an exciting and fundamental transformation – not in what we do, but in how we do it intelligently,” said Marco Meixner, Head of Re- search & Development, Lifocolor. “At Lifocolor, we develop more than 10,000 tailor-made masterbatch formulations every year, covering standard polymers, engineering polymers, biopolymers, and recyclates. This combination of breadth and depth across standards, processing methods and regulatory requirements, makes our work particularly well suited to smarter software, higher degrees of automation and, potentially, artificial intelligence support.”


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Lifocolor Group’s colour library contains over 150,000 documented formulations and product variants. The company already uses technical support tools for colour measurement, formulation assistance, and documentation, but says AI-driven software could make the process significantly faster. An area that needs urgent attention is the increasingly complex regulatory landscape. “With Reach restrictions, food contact compli-


ance requirements (EU 10/2011, FDA 21 CFR, GB 9685 and others) and new substance prohibitions such as the current EU BPA ban, PFAS restrictions, and the further classification of benzotriazole compounds, our colourists must keep pace with an ever-expanding matrix of requirements,” said Meixner. “AI-assisted formulation tools could screen colourant databases against up-to-date regulatory listings, identify restricted substances, and automatically calculate and enforce concentra- tion limits. This would support compliance for sensitive applications such as food packaging, medical instruments, and toys.”


Meixner also sees advantages in the colouring of


recyclates, which remains technically demanding. “Post-consumer and post-industrial recyclates (PCR/ PIR) carry an inherent body colour that makes repro- ducible colour matching difficult,” he said “How- ever, machine learning systems trained on material


July 2026 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 11


Main image: Datacolor’s Spectro P Series next generation portable spectro-


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