Patent ID: 8637112

Claim:
A gloss prediction process comprising: (a) dispensing on a test substrate a L 0 layer of a substantially uniform thickness of a coating composition through a vessel of a gloss prediction device containing said coating composition, wherein said thickness is controlled by a gap between a slot provided on said vessel and said substrate; (b) projecting on said L 0 layer a beam of light of a preset intensity at a preset angle of incidence from a light source; (c) measuring B 0 reflectance of said beam reflected from said L 0 layer at a preset angle of reflectance by an optical measurement instrument; (d) curing or drying said L 0 layer into a C 0 coating; (e) measuring Y 0 gloss of said C 0 coating at a preset gloss angle by a gloss meter; (f) storing said B 0 reflectance of said L 0 layer and said Y 0 gloss of said C 0 coating in a computer usable storage medium of a computer; (g) repeating said steps (a) through (f) for S 1 to S n coating compositions respectively comprising F 1 to F n parts by weight of one or more flatting agents based on 100 parts by weight of said coating composition to determine B 1 to B n reflectance of L 1 to L n layers and Y 1 to Y n gloss of C 1 to C n coatings wherein n ranges from 4 to 20; (h) subtracting said B 0 reflectance of said L 0 layer from said B 1 to B n reflectance of said L 1 to L n layers to determine ΔB 1 to ΔB n of said L 1 to L n layers respectively; (i) locating intersecting points on a graph where said ΔB 1 to ΔB n of said L 1 to L n layers on X-axis of said graph intersect with said Y 1 to Y n gloss of said C 1 to C n coatings on Y-axis of said graph; (j) using a curve fitting equation to produce a gloss prediction curve on said graph; (k) dispensing on said test substrate a L T layer of said substantially uniform thickness of a target coating composition through said vessel of said wet gloss prediction device containing said target coating composition further comprising said flatting agent; (l) projecting on said L T layer a beam of light at said preset intensity and at said preset angle of incidence from said light source; (m) measuring B T reflectance of said beam reflected from said L T layer at said preset angle of reflectance by said optical measurement device; (n) subtracting said B 0 of said L 0 layer from said B T of L T layer to determine ΔB T of said L T layer; (o) locating said ΔB T of said L T layer on said X-axis of said graph; (n) locating an intersecting point on said gloss prediction curve that intersects with said ΔB T on said X-axis of said graph; and (p) predicting gloss at said preset gloss angle of a target coating resulting from said target layer by locating Y T on said Y-axis of said graph that intersects with said intersecting point on said gloss prediction curve that intersects with said ΔB T on said X-axis of said graph.