Ready Mix Concrete:

It's finally happened: Computers and concrete do mix. And they're mixing well, especially when it comes to integrally colored concrete.

Thanks to the technology of companies such as Solomon Colors, Davis Colors and Master Builders Inc. , there are systems designed to automatically weigh out the correct amount of liquid coloring agents into a holding tank which then discharges it directly into the mixer truck. The primary components consist of a control panel, a weigh chamber and hose pumps.

"It takes about 10 minutes to train someone how to use our system," says Nick Paris, vice president of marketing for Davis Color, a subsidiary of Rockwood Pigments headquartered in Los Angeles. "Our goal was to make it as easy to use as an ATM machine."

The Chameleon, as Davis' system is named, combines liquid color metering technology with the computing power of a standard PC and the versatility of a Windows operating system. Likewise, Solomon Colors' ColorSelect liquid dispensing system and Master Builders' CHROMIX CAM (Coloring Admixture Measuring) System operate on a Windows-based platform, with the CAM featuring touch-screen controls rather than a keyboard.