CoatSim

Imagine being able to save up to 10% in resources, complemented by as much in operational costs in a multibillion dollar market. With CoatSim we aim to make this potential a reality for the powder coating and galva-nizing industries, by combining a totally unique numerical simulation software with optimization algorithms and by embedding it into a cloud computing platform to take advantage of cutting-edge Massive Simultaneous Cloud Computing (MSCC) capabilities. We will thus provide the industry with the necessary means to revolutionize their process design procedures, which currently rely mainly on costly trial and error methods, thus enabling further cost savings. However the main benefit of the coatSim software will appear in the form of reduction of scrapped parts and the amount of coating material utilized during the whole manufacturing process, also reducing the environmental footprint of our customers.

Was ist das Besondere an diesem Projekt?

CoatSim has at its core a simulation software that can replicate any coating process one-to-one in the form of its digital twin. This means that not only are geometric details and the exact motion of coating pistols pre- served, but the interaction of individual coating powder particles with the air flow, the electrostatic forces and the substrate to be coated are considered as well. This in itself makes the solver the only one, tailored specifi- cally for the coating process in all its details. As of now the core of this break-through technology has been thoroughly validated, yielding results of a predictive quality unmatched by any other software package. It has taken more than ten man-years of intense development effort in close cooperation with industrial application partners to reach today's state. However, we will yet go one step further with this unique solver, and combine it with the latest advancements in computational science. Namely we will take advantage of the computational power of novel cloud computing technology in order to perform process optimization by completing hundreds of predictive simulation runs. While this will be a complex process requiring the implementation of an optimization algorithm to comply with MSCC Massive Simultaneous Cloud Computing in the background, it is envisioned to be as easy as a drag and drop operation on the user end. Hence we expect our state of the art simulation-based approach to replace the customary trial and error methods, making coatSim the standard software of choice for the powder coating- and galvanizing industries.

Stand/Resultate

Currently our simulation software is able to incorporate any kind of motion of a coating pistol. Its physical foundation has been validated based on an extensive experimental study in static configurations. It can thus be proven that the core simulation software can predict the outcomes of any static powder coating set-up (coating pistol, air-flow, cloud of coating particles, electro-static forces, substrate) more accurately than any other tool, procedure or software used in industry today. Furthermore, we have already developed a parameter study tool that in a next step will evolve into an optimization tool. Currently the implementation of the solver onto the cloud computing platform KaleidoSim is ongoing. In the immediate development stages, the performance of the solver will be characterized in terms of computational time and accuracy to arrive at the ideal solver parameters. In addition to the cloud computing provider KaleidoSim, we are in very close contact with CoatMaster, a former start-up producing coating thickness measurement devices. Since we have complementary products we will be leveraging our contact with them as a sales channel in the future. We have also initiated contacts with 4 local industry partners in the fields of powder coating and galvanizing. Their inputs will be invaluable when it comes to validating the whole process design approach for a real life application. At the moment the Institute of Computational Physics at ZHAW is strongly endorsing our project with a significant financial backing.

Publikationen

Boiger,G., 2016. Eulerian-LaGrangian model of particle laden flows and deposition effects in electro-static fields based on OpenFoam (2017), Int.Journal of Multiphysics; 10(2), pp. 177–194(18); DOI: 10.21152/1750-9548.10.2.177.

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Am Projekt beteiligte Personen

Bercan Siyahhan, Project Leader. Is in charge of the technical development of the simulation software and the optimization algorithm in addition to the collaboration with KaleidoSim to spearhead the cloud implementation of the software. He will also be controlling the finances of the project as well as play a crucial role in customer relations especially when it comes to technical matters.
Malcolm Werchota, Business Development Specialist. Is in charge of the business development plan and the marketing strategy. He will be initiating customer contacts and maintain ongoing relations with them.
Prof. Dr. Gernot Boiger, External Advisory. Will be our main academic advisor as an early developer of the simulation software and expertise into the field of powder coating and galvanizing.
Viktor Lienhard, External Advisory. Will be our advisor and beta user as he has been involved inapplying the software in various industrial projects.

Letzte Aktualisierung dieser Projektdarstellung 20.10.2021

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