Acrylic Color Matching Solutions: Custom Colors for Optical-Grade Acrylic
Finding the right acrylic color is not always as simple as choosing from a standard color chart. You may need to replace a discontinued material, match an existing component, reproduce a legacy specification, or develop a specific color for a new optical application.
CLAREX optical-grade acrylic can be custom color matched using an existing material sample or optical specifications, with additional options for thickness, coatings, textures, and finished-part fabrication.
The Challenge
When Do You Need Custom Acrylic Color Matching?
Common situations include:
- Legacy equipment and replacement parts
Match acrylic originally specified years or even decades ago. - Avionics and long-life products
Maintain an established appearance or optical specification when redesigning the assembly is not practical. - Existing product lines
Keep acrylic color and optical performance consistent across future production runs. - New product development
Develop a color around specific visual or light-transmission requirements. - Specialty optical applications
Combine color with specific transmission, filtering, texture, or coating requirements.
This comes up frequently with products that stay in service for many years. A particular acrylic color may have been readily available when the product was designed, but difficult or impossible to source when replacement parts are needed later.
AT A GLANCE
Custom color matching options.
Provide a physical sample or transmission requirements to develop a matching CLAREX acrylic.
More than just color.
Customize thickness, coatings, textures, and other performance requirements
Quick lead times. Low to high volumes.
Custom sheets are typically available in 4 to 6 weeks, with minimums as low as one sheet.
Repeatable formulations.
Once a color is developed, the formulation can be reproduced for future orders.
THE SOLUTION
Custom Color Matching with CLAREX Acrylic
CLAREX optical-grade acrylic can be produced in a wide range of custom colors, including transmissive, translucent, and opaque formulations.
If an existing CLAREX formulation meets your requirements, it may already be available. If not, Astra can work with the factory to develop a new formulation based on a physical sample, color specification, or optical transmission requirements.
Once the formulation is established, it can be reproduced for future orders, helping maintain consistency from one production run to the next.
CLAREX has an extensive portfolio of color formulations. If none of the existing color formulations work for you, no problem. For a nominal fee, CLAREX can take your color specs or a sample piece of the material you are trying to match, and they can formulate the color.
HOW IT WORKS
How Does Acrylic Color Matching Work?
The process depends on what you are trying to match and how important the optical properties are to the application.
1. Send Us Your Requirements
Start with whatever information you already have. This may include:
- A physical sample of the existing material
- Desired color or appearance
- Transmission curve
- Optical transmission requirements
- Thickness
- Application information
For legacy parts, a physical sample is often the easiest place to start.
2. We Check Existing CLAREX Formulations
CLAREX has an extensive portfolio of previously developed colors. If an existing formulation meets the requirement, it can be used as the starting point for your material.
3. A Custom Color Can Be Developed
If there is not an existing match, the factory can analyze the sample or specifications and develop the appropriate pigment or dye formulation.
A nominal development fee may apply for a completely new color.
4. Build Out the Rest of the Sheet
Once the color is established, the material can be further customized around the application, including thickness, surface texture, coatings, formulation, and finished-part requirements.
What Types of Colored Acrylic Can Be Customized?
Depending on the application, CLAREX can be produced with several types of color formulations:
- Transparent Colors
- Allow light to pass through while providing a specific color or spectral response.
- Neutral Density / Smoke
- Reduce overall light transmission while maintaining a neutral appearance.
- Translucent Colors
- Allow light through while providing more diffusion and reduced visibility through the material.
- Opaque Colors
- Provide color without requiring light transmission.
- Specialty Optical Formulations
- Color can also be combined with other optical requirements for more specialized applications.
Not every application needs the same type of match. The right formulation depends on what the acrylic needs to look like and how it needs to interact with light.
AN EXAMPLE
Custom Color Matching in Action
Replacement Windows for a Legacy Avionics Display
One Astra customer was refurbishing a batch of legacy avionics displays but could no longer source the acrylic color originally specified for the equipment.
Changing the display design was not an option, so the replacement acrylic needed to closely reproduce the original material.
The Sample
The customer sent Astra a piece of the original acrylic they needed to match.
The Match
The factory measured the material’s optical transmission and developed the appropriate color formulation.
The Result
CLAREX sheets were produced in the matched color and required thickness. The customer also specified the coatings needed for the application and was able to purchase the material in a relatively low volume.
Because the color formulation was established as part of the process, the same material can now be reproduced for future replacement requirements.
Customize More Than the Color
Color can be just one part of a custom CLAREX specification. Depending on the application, acrylic sheets can also be customized with:
- Custom thicknesses
- Anti-reflective coatings
- Hard coats
- Non-glare textures
- Specialty formulations
- Optical coatings
- Cutting and machining
- Printing
- Finished-part fabrication
This makes it possible to develop the material around the complete application rather than finding a color match first and sourcing additional processing separately.
Explore CLAREX Customization Options
Need to Match an Existing Acrylic Color?
Whether you are replacing a discontinued acrylic, recreating a legacy component, or developing a new custom color, Astra Products can help determine the best way to reproduce the appearance and optical performance your application requires.
Send us a physical sample, transmission requirements, or information about your application to get started.