CoatSim – A Digital Twin for Optimizing Powder Coating and Galvanization Processes

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 surface treatment industry, 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 surface treatment process one-to-one in the form of its digital twin. This means that not only are geometric details and the exact motion of moving parts such as a coating pistol preserved, but the interaction of the coating and the carrier medium (e.g. air flow), as well as other process relevant forces (e.g. electrostatic for powder coating) and the substrate to be coated are considered as well. This in itself makes the solver the only one, tailored specifically for surface treatment processes 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 surface treatment industry.

Stand/Resultate

A fully functional version of the software, containing all the key elements, is ready for marketing to the early adopters. The software incorporates all the necessary functionality for the user to construct the geometry, define the coating material and process parameters, generate the mesh and prepare the case with minimum effort, and intuitive input. Furthermore, parameters studies can be set-up directly as well as the post processing operations to carry out automatically for each case. The software is seamlessly interfaced with Kaleidosim cloud platform. coatSim has already been presented to the wider academic community on the 9th OpenFOAM Workshop of ESI and the 16th International Conference of Multiphysics. Additionally it will be presented on the 9th World Congress on Particle Technology. Ian investigation on the computational performance of the software and enhancement of its efficiency has been performed providing an insight into the key performance indicators on cost and computational performance. On the business aspect, interested parties to join our co-founding team or to act as business angels with vast amount of experience and connections in the broader coating industry have been incorporated into the project.

Publikationen

Siyahhan, B.; Boldrini, M.; Hauri, S.; Reinke, N.; Boiger, G.; 2018. Procedure for experimental data assessment for numerical solver validation in the context of model based prediction of powder coating patterns (2019). Int.Journal of Multiphysics. 12(4), pp. 373-392(20). DOI: 10.21152/1750-9548.12.4.373.
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.

Medienecho

«Für eine optimale Beschichtung», ZHAW Impact, Seite 15, März 2021

Links

CoatSim Website

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.

Letzte Aktualisierung dieser Projektdarstellung 08.08.2022

PORTFOLIO

Projektdarstellungen auf der Webseite

Handlungsfelder

Jahr