Be Dazzled

All that glitters is not gold -- or so the old saying goes.

But JDSU, which makes thin-film technology, hopes there's gold in a new kind of glitter developed in Santa Rosa.

JDSU launched ChromaFlair ColorShift Glitter this week, tapping a growing market for eye-catching consumer goods.

The high-tech glitter is added to paint, plastics, textiles and other materials, creating brilliant, shifting colors when viewed from different angles.

Consumers may soon see it on cars, boats, running shoes and electronic gadgets.

"This is truly the first color-shifting glitter," said Tom Hughes, decorative product manager for JDSU's Flex Products Group in Santa Rosa. "It offers a totally different experience."

It's an outgrowth of Flex Products' ChromaFlair pigment business, which makes color-changing paints for an array of products, including snowboards, fishing lures, sunglasses, soccer balls, bike helmets and cell phones.

ChromaFlair products are based on the optical thin-film coating technology developed in Santa Rosa by Optical Coating Laboratory Inc. JDSU, based in Milpitas, acquired OCLI in 2000.

JDSU has about 650 employees in Santa Rosa, the headquarters of its Advanced Optical Technologies division. About 180 work for the Flex Products business in Santa Rosa.

To make ColorShift glitter, JDSU manufacturing workers use precision coating equipment to deposit ultra-thin layers of chemical film on a plastic surface.

The individual layers reflect light differently, creating the effect of shifting colors when an object is seen from various angles.

It's similar to a process found in nature. Butterfly wings, hummingbird feathers and some sea shells reflect light in the same manner, according to JDSU.

The material is cut into hexagon-shaped pieces no more than 0.006 inches across. The dry glitter can then be added to paints, plastic, coatings and textiles used by manufacturers.

ColorShift glitter is a new way for companies to make their products distinctive, Hughes said.

"Designers are constantly looking for the 'wow' factor, a way to differentiate their products from the rest of the pack," he said.

The high-tech glitter is more durable than conventional material and it can be sanded, making spot repairs easier, according to JDSU.

Two paint companies, PPG Industries and House of Kolor, will begin selling paints with ColorShift glitter this year, Hughes said.

Car and boat customizers who use the new product could charge $500 to $1,000 more for a paint job, he said.

The Flex Products Group also makes color-shifting technology to discourage counterfeiting. JDSU pigments are used to authenticate the bank notes of 90 different countries, and they're included in packaging to distinguish brand-name products from fakes.

JDSU's Advanced Optical Technologies division earned $36 million on $163 million in sales in 2006.

You can reach Staff Writer Steve Hart at 521-5205 or steve.hart@pressdemocrat.com.