LUMENTIFY
Material and formulation
1. A dark or opaque carrier
The pigment needs to absorb and release light. Dark or highly opaque binders swallow a large part of it. Better: choose a carrier that is as transparent or light as possible, and use a white primer on dark substrates. More under dosage.
2. Too little – or needlessly much – pigment
The guide value is 15–20 % relative to the carrier, 30–50 % in opaque carriers. More than 30 % in transparent systems adds hardly any brightness, only cost.
3. Ready-made glow paint instead of pigment
For resin and silicone, use the pure pigment, not a ready-made glow paint.
4. Mixing different glow colours
Possible, but not homogeneous because of different particle sizes. For a specific shade, choose the matching glow colour – see glow colours compared.
5. Mixing water-based and oil-based systems
The systems themselves cannot be mixed directly. Thanks to its SiO₂ coating, the pigment can be used in both – but in one of them.
Process
6. Tinted pigments in hot processes
From approx. 150 °C – practically every injection moulding, extrusion and filament printing process – do not use tinted pigments. The untinted pigments with a light, whitish daylight colour are heat-resistant. Details under heat resistance.
7. Settling in casting resin
In low-viscosity resin the pigment settles, and in the end only the underside glows. Better: let the resin start to gel or thicken it before stirring in the pigment – or pigment only a top layer.
8. The wrong particle size for the layer thickness
A particle thicker than the layer sticks out of the surface. Conversely, a very fine grade gives away brightness where a coarser one would be possible – see choosing the particle size.
9. Mixing pigment into concrete
In concrete the pigment disappears almost completely. Granules or glow stones at the surface, or a clear top coat containing pigment, work better – see pigment, granules or glow stones?
10. Rolling large areas
Making walls or panels glow evenly is difficult. Spraying gives the most uniform result: pigment in clear lacquer, several thin coats.
Application and expectations
11. Too little light for charging
A pigment that is never properly charged glows only briefly. UV content charges fastest, artificial light much more slowly – more under how to charge.
12. Stray light in the surroundings
Afterglow only works in real darkness. Even a street lamp largely outshines the effect.
13. Planning afterglow as lighting
Photoluminescent materials are for orientation and marking. They are not a light source.
14. Deciding from photos instead of samples
Photos reproduce brightness and colour very differently depending on camera and charge level. Only a sample tested in your own system is reliable.
The most important ruleTest every formulation on a small scale first – with your carrier, your process and your layer thickness. We put together suitable samples for this.