News & Blog

Features Under Development

We’re continually working on improving the XpressTint site. Most new features go under the radar because they only subtly enhance your workflow and experience, others really change the way you do day to day things.

Here is a little look behind the scenes at some of the things we are working on.

Mixing Calculators

Most of us always have a calculator by the side of your workstation when you are getting ready to mix your paint. If you are like me, you may even have a series of complex mathematical equations in a spreadsheet on your computer that tell you how much Part A you need to make, taking into equation how much Solvent and Part B you have. You might even have a ratio conversion table set up to help ascertain how much Solvent you like to thin by when you are spraying on a particular surface. You may even have another algorithm set up to calculate Spread Rates for different gloss levels and products!

You can see why I use the word “complex”.

We are building a calculator that will be able to handle most, if not all of your application needs, and it will be integrated in your search screen by the click of a button.

Clicking on the Calculator icon will drop down a dialogue box that will ask you to either enter How many Square Metres you need to paint, or How many Mixed Litres of paint you need to make. See the screenshot below:

One of the great things about XpressTint is that it is simple to use. Most people can look at the search screen one time and completely understand what it is they have to create. We wanted to keep the screen as simple as possible, minimising distraction and enhancing clarity. So many “extra features” can quickly clutter and complicate things. The outcome is simple bar that runs the width of the page.

When you click on the calculator icon  it will give you a choice of calculators to use. The first one is a Mixed Litre calculator and the second is the Total Square Metres calculator.

If you know the total size of Part A + Part B + Solvent , then the Mixed Litre calculator will let you punch in the size you want to end up with and will show you how much Part A to make.

The Total Square Metres calculator is built with a lot of Research and Development hours behind it. XpressTint knows the optimal spread rates for each type of gloss level and product, and you can start using it from Day 1 when it launches. Of course, not everyone sprays the same, and as such you are free to change whatever spread rates you want, for any or all of your products, and XpressTint will save them all automatically. To use this calculator, simply punch in how many square metres you need to paint, and XpressTint will work out how much Part A to make.

The XpressTint Calculator is one of those features that has the potential to dramatically speed up your workflow, by taking some of the guesswork out of your own calculations when you prepare your paint.

Mixing Information

The calculator goes further than this however, by adding weight and volumetric Mixing Instructions to your recipe.

Mixing is often difficult, because you need to rely on mixing sticks, graduated and standardised vessel sizes after you have worked out the tricky math with ratios of Part A, Part B and solvents. And because each tinter in your Part A has a different Specific Gravity to each other (the weight of each mL of tinter), as well as your Part B and Solvent being different, you can’t just put them on a set of scales and weigh it.

XpressTint knows all the specific gravities involved with the colour you are making and can accurately display the correct weight for you to simply put a vessel on your scales and start weighing them out. This will save you loads of time in mixing your paint. And you never have to use a graduated measuring cup again!

Colour Request

The Colour Request module is something that you have asked for and is coming to your Search screen soon. It’s one of the little features that will help you contact us quickly and conveniently (should you wish to not contact us via Email or over the phone), but has been tricky to implement. If you are logged in, this will appear just above the footer of every page. Just add the Colour name, and any other information that you can think would help us locate the colour, e.g. Taubmans Chart 102 Endure; and we will track it down.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *