Simulation-based study of the impact of mean powder particle diameters on key-performance-attributes of the powder coating of U-profiles

A computational tool based on the open-source software OpenFOAM was designed to simulate the interaction between powder coating guns and metal surfaces during industrial coating. This tool accounts for various factors, such as airflow, movement of coating particles, interactions among particles, and interactions between particles and surfaces, including details like blow-off effects, electrical phenomena like corona formation around electrodes, and how particles get charged in the corona. Enhanced to work with cloud computing technology, this tool can simulate multiple coating scenarios at once, adjusting for different process parameters. Tests for accuracy and relevancy have been carried out, with positive results. This specific study showcases how the tool predicts coating patterns, coating efficiency, and coating uniformity on a U-shaped metal object based on varying mean powder particle diameters. It suggests optimum particle sizes for coating U-profiles both efficiently and uniformly, which is valuable information for commercial powder material suppliers.