Device and method for controlling an application of a coating material on a substrate

Abstract

The invention is directed to a control device (100) for controlling application of a coating material (150) on a substrate (152), which comprises an input data ascertaining unit (102) configured to ascertain applicator data (AD), coating data (CD) and substrate data (SD), a first simulation unit (104) configured to perform a simulation of a coating application in accordance with a predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm (A1), and to provide simulated coating application data (106), a second simulation unit (108) configured to perform a simulation of a coating-film flow in accordance with a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm (A2), and to provide simulated coverage data (110). A modular solver unit (112) is configured to control operation of the first and the second simulation unit such that in a first phase, both simulation units are operated simultaneously and in a second phase only the second simulation unit is operated.

Description

[0001] Device and method for controlling an application of a coating material on a substrate

[0002] The invention is directed to a control device for controlling application of a coating material on a substrate, to a coating application arrangement, to a corresponding method for controlling operation of a control device and of a control application arrangement and to a computer program.

[0003] US 2012 / 0269958 A1 presents a method for simulating of the thickness of a coating which is placed onto a substrate surface. The thickness is simulated using mass conservation principles. In a preferred embodiment at least one reference spray trial is performed, the correlation of a single spray profile to at least one spray process parameter is determined, the single spray pro file is simulated using mass conservation principles to an incoming powder jet stream.

[0004] Typically, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to investigate coatingfilm flow under the influence of gravity, surface tension and changing rheological behaviour due to the evaporation of solvent contained in the coating film. This enables a prediction of a sagging, i.e., a downward drooping movement of the coating film after application, and levelling behaviour of the coating film. CFD simulation can also be applied to the coating application process itself, coupling the coating film flow modelling with the simulation of coating jets being ejected from an application head through nozzles holes, typically aligned next to each other. However, while the coating application itself is controlled by physical processes occurring on the timescale of milliseconds, the flow of the coating film once applied has to be analysed over a period of several minutes. Therefore, it is not practical in terms of simulation time to simulate such a long period (e.g., minutes) with the coupled approach. It would therefore be beneficial to reduce the simulation effort without significant losses in simulation accuracy.

[0005] According to a first aspect of the invention, a control device for controlling application of a coating material on a substrate is disclosed. The control device comprises an input data ascertaining unit that is configured to ascertain, that is, to receive and / or to determine, applicator data indicative of operation parameters of a coating application unit, coating data indicative of material properties of a coating material, and substrate data indicative of morphological parameters of the substrate. The control device of the first aspect of the invention also comprises a first simulation unit that is connected to the input data ascertaining unit and is configured to perform a simulation of a coating application by a coating application unit model indicative of the coating application unit using the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data, wherein the simulation of the coating application is in accordance with a predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm. The first simulation unit is also configured to provide simulated coating application data indicative of a simulated distribution of the coating on a substrate model indicative of the substrate. The control device also comprises a second simulation unit that is connected to the input data ascertaining unit and to the first simulation unit and is configured to perform a simulation of a coating-film flow on the substrate model using the simulated coating application data provided by the first simulation unit, the coating data and the substrate data, wherein the simulation of the coating-film flow is in accordance with a predetermined coating-film flow simulation algorithm. The second simulation unit is further configured to provide simulated coverage data indicative of a simulated coating coverage of the substrate model.

[0006] According to the invention, the control device also comprises a modular solver unit that is configured to selectively control the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit in a predetermined simulation cycle, such that in a first simulation phase of the simulation cycle, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit are operated simultaneously and in a second simulation phase of the simulation cycle that follows the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit is operated. The control device also comprises a processing unit that is connected to the input data ascertaining unit, to the first simulation unit and to the second simulation unit and that is configured to provide the ascertained application data, and / or the ascertained coating data and / or the ascertained substrate data as control data for controlling the application of a coating material on the substrate, upon determining that the simulated coverage data at a predetermined target area of the substrate model is within a predetermined target coverage range. Thus, by providing a modular solver unit, the simulation process of the combined application process of the coating film on the substrata and the flow process of the coating film on the substrate once it has been applied, is decoupled after the first simulation phase, such that during the second simulation phase, the simulation of the coating application, which involves calculations in three-dimensional volume cells, is set on hold, and only the simulation of the coating-film flow is continued, which involves calculations in two dimensional area cells. Less conservation equations have to be solved in the case of already deposited coating-film than for the coating material in the gas phase, i.e. , during application. Thus, the more time-consuming calculations associated to the simulation of the coating-application are advantageously controlled by the solver unit and the time required to obtain relevant simulated coverage data is reduced, when compared to the combined approach.

[0007] The first simulation unit thus performs a simulation of the operation of a coating application unit model, which is indicative of a real coating application unit, also referred as applicator, that is characterized by its operation parameters. The simulation is performed in accordance with the predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm, in accordance with the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data, i.e., those parameters characterizing the applicator itself, the material to be applied, or coating material, and the substrate onto which the coating material is applied. The coating-application simulation algorithm uses a virtual representation of the coating application unit, which is referred as coating application unit model, or applicator model, a virtual representation of the substrate, also referred to as substrate model, and a virtual representation of the applied coating, in the form of a simulated distribution of the coating applied by the application model on the substrate model. This is indicative of the distribution of the coating material on the substrate upon application.

[0008] The second simulation unit, uses the results provided by the first simulation unit, namely the simulated coating application data indicative of the distribution of the coating applied on the substrate model, and performs the simulation of the coating-film flow on the substrate model in accordance with the predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm, that has, as inputs, the simulated coating application data, as well as the coating data, pertaining to the properties of the coating material, and the substrate data, that pertains to the properties of the substrate. As a result, the second simulation unit generates simulated coverage data as a function of time, which is indicative of a simulated coating coverage of the substrate model with time.

[0009] The processing unit then receives the simulated coverage data and is advantageously configured to compare the results with a predetermined target coverage, e.g., an expected coverage with e.g. sufficient quality in terms of thickness and / or homogeneity, at least on a predetermined target area of the substrate model. If the input data of the simulation, namely the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data, result in a suitable simulation in terms of coverage and homogeneity, the input data is provided as control data suitable for controlling the coating application unit for applying the coating material on the substrate.

[0010] The use of the control device of the first aspect of the invention further allows for a potential reduction of the material and personnel resources required and enables focused and targeted development of the coating application and the coating material.

[0011] In the following, embodiments of the control device of the first aspect of the invention will be described.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, the applicator data is indicative of one or more parameters selected from the group that includes a number of nozzles in an applicator head, the size, e.g., the diameter of the respective nozzle, the relative distance between neighbouring nozzles, relative distance to the substrate or to a reference location where the substrate is to be placed, tilting angle with respect to the substrate and / or with respect to the direction of gravity, speed and / or acceleration of the applicator head while spraying, mass flow distribution to the nozzle holes that results from the internal configuration of the applicator head. The angle with respect to the direction of gravity has an impact on both the flight curve and on the film flow once the simulation indicates that the coating material model has been applied on the substrate model. Additionally, the applicator data can also include data indicative of a lateral distance between two spraying rounds, in cases where more than one spraying cycle are performed and the position of the applicator head at the beginning of each of the simulation cycles is shifted by a predetermined amount in a direction perpendicular to the spraying direction along which the applicator head moves while spraying. The applicator data can also include data indicative of a time span between two consecutive spraying cycles, which is referred to as “open time”. The spraying cycles of the real coating application unit correspond to the simulation first simulation phases of the simulation cycles of the coating application unit model. The time span between spraying cycles preferably corresponds to the duration where the second simulation phase takes place, and the first simulation unit is set on hold.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the coating data is indicative of one or more parameters selected from the group that includes composition of the coating material, e.g. type of solvent, wetting ability of the coating material, e.g., wetting angle between a droplet of the coating material and the substrate, surface tension of the coating material, in particular of the solvent, density, viscosity of the coating material, solvent evaporation rate, thermal properties such as heat capacity, heat of evaporation and thermal conductivity of the coating material.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the substrate data is indicative of one or more parameters selected form the group that includes, size and / or shape of the substrate, relative orientation with regard to the applicator head, inclination angle as a function of the position and wetting properties of the substrate. In another embodiment, the substrate data may further include microstructural data indicative of a microstructure of the substrate, e.g. indicative of a roughness of the substrate.

[0015] The more accurate the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data are, the closer the respective models of the coating application unit, the coating material and the substrate are to the real coating application unit, coating material and substrate.

[0016] Preferably, in one embodiment, the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit are implemented as software in a computer system. The control device can be realized in form of any one or more computers. For example, the control device can be realized as a general or dedicated computer hardware and / or software combination. However, the control device can also be realized in form of distributed computing, for example, in a cloud environment.

[0017] For instance, in an embodiment, the first simulation unit and / or the second simulation unit are implemented on the OpenFOAM® (Open-source Field Operation And Manipulation) software, which is a toolbox for the development of customized numerical solvers, and pre- / post-processing utilities for the solution of continuum mechanics problems, most prominently including computational fluid dynamics. Other possible software include, but are not limited to, Star-CMM+, which used the finite element analysis or finite volume method to calculate the transport of physical quantities on a discretized mesh. In particular, for fluid flow, the Navier-Stokes equations are solved in each of the cells.

[0018] In another embodiment, the first simulation unit is configured to perform a Lagrangian-Eu- lerian multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of the coating application as the predetermined coating application simulation algorithm including a simulation of a gas phase of the applied coating material. This involves a Lagrangian representation of the dispersed phase of the coating material upon application. The dispersed phase is described as consisting of a number of spray droplets using Lagrangian coordinates, e.g., the respec- tive position, the velocity and the radius of a given particle at a given time. In this embodiment, the gas phase surrounding the Lagrangian droplets is also simulated. Lagrangian- Eulerian multiphase CFD simulation, also referred to as LE-CFD simulation, is commonly used to calculate the properties of multiphase flow of sprays or particle-laden flows. The LE approach denotes a family of modeling and simulation techniques wherein the droplets or particles are represented in a Lagrangian reference frame, while the carrier-phase flow is represented in an Eulerian frame. In an embodiment, the surrounding gas phase is formed by ambient air, or any other gas such as N2. In an alternative embodiment, the simulation of the gas phase includes the evaporation of the solvent material of the coating material. In a particular embodiment, the backcoupling of droplets on the gas phase is neglected. This is referred to as a one-way coupling. However, a two-way coupling approach is preferred, where the simulation is based upon the fact that both phases have an effect on each other (e.g., droplets entrain gas locally and gas causes drag force to the droplets as they pass through it).

[0019] Preferably, in another embodiment, the first simulation unit is configured to perform the simulation of the coating application wherein one or more jets of coating are modelled using a string of spheres with diameters corresponding to respective nozzle openings. In particular, a sufficient number of so-called “parcels” (i.e. packages of particles) per second is assumed. If the number of parcels is too low, the resulting jet is torn apart, as the mass flow would be too discretized. A suitable amount of parcels results in a substantially continuous mass flow of the spheres or parcels. This results in a suitable representation of the form of the jet for the simulation. In an exemplary and non-limiting embodiment, the number of parcels is between 106and 107parcels per second. This number may vary in dependence on the liquid flow rate to be resolved using the Lagrangian model.

[0020] In yet another embodiment, the second simulation unit is configured to perform a thin fluid film simulation of the applied coating as the predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm. In a particular embodiment, wherein the second simulation unit is implemented using OpenFOAM® software, the thin fluid film simulation is performed in accordance with a so called surface film model. The surface film modelling library offers the capability to predict the complex behaviour of thin films with optional coupling to the bulk flow, both continuum and discrete (particle) phases, in parallel. The film equations are solved on a separate mesh region, typically defined at a surface region of a mesh, by extrusion of the surface. The system of equations is described in 2 dimensions and can model behaviour such as transport over arbitrary geometries, including thermal effects and mass transfer. Sub-models for surface film may include accumulation of particle sources, surface shear, contact angle force, particle splashing, phase change, dripping and curvature separation. Preferably, the thin fluid film simulation includes a rheology modeling approach. Thus, in an embodiment, the second simulation unit is configured to perform a rheology model simulation of the applied coating, in particular a thixotropic rheology model simulation, wherein a viscosity value is a space-dependent and time-dependent viscosity value. The software OpenFOAM® includes a detailed model for plastic Bingham fluids. In materials science, a Bingham plastic is a viscoplastic material that behaves as a rigid body at low stress but flows as a viscous fluid at high stress.

[0021] The viscosity is defined as and A is a structural parameter, where = a(l - A)b- cAydwith parameters a, b, c, and d, and y being the sheer rate.

[0022] The parameters are then fitted with respect to provided rheology data. This same model can also be applied to Newtonian fluids, which are fluids in which the viscous stresses arising from its flow are at every point linearly correlated to the local strain rate, i.e., the rate of change of its deformation over time. For Newtonian fluids, = fi0.

[0023] In another embodiment, the thin fluid film simulation includes a solvent evaporation effect. This is especially relevant for high temperature conditions and / or high film surface curvature sections.

[0024] Preferably, in another embodiment, the modular solver unit is configured to control the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit such that after a second simulation phase of a simulation cycle, one or more additional simulation cycles consisting of a respective additional first simulation phase and a respective additional second simulation phase is performed, in particular wherein a first region of the substrate coated during the simulation cycle has at least a non-overlapping section with a respective additional region of the substrate coated during the additional simulation cycle. The first simulation unit is therefore not operated, or set on hold, during the second simulation phases of the plurality of simulation cycles. This enables to simulate the application of a coating material on a substrate with a width that is larger than the width of the applicator head. After the first simulation cycle is finished, the application head of the coating application unit model is returned to its stating position and shifted laterally before a new simulation cycle is started. Applicator data indicative of the lateral distance between two simulation cycles is therefore necessary for implementing this embodiment. Further, providing application data indicative of the open time is also advantageous for this embodiment.

[0025] The control device of the first aspect thus enables a coupling and de-coupling of the simulation of the gas and droplet phase, which requires a three-dimensional approach, with the simulation of the deposited film, which can be reduced to a two-dimensional approach. This in turn enables an increase of the simulation speed using the same hardware by a factor of at least 10. The solver module enables a new modular setup that allows for joint analysis of coating (e.g., paint) jet application processes at small time scales and deposited coating (e.g., paint) sagging processes at comparatively large time scales. The required computational time, for instance with readily available multipurpose computers, is reduced from months, which is typically a prohibitively long time, to approximately 2 weeks. Thus, decoupling the simulation phases enables the simulation of larger times within a given constant simulation time window, when compared to the current approach.

[0026] Therefore, the control device of the first aspect is advantageously configured to capture the relevant physical parameters and their influence on the coating application process and the coating film flow process and provides additional insight into coating flow phenomena, while allowing for parameter sensitive studies with a reduced processing time. It complements experimental characterization and is useful for optimizing coating application properties. The control data provided by the control device can be used for controlling a coating application arrangement, as it will be explained in the following.

[0027] A second aspect of the present invention is formed by a coating application arrangement for applying a coating material on a substrate. The coating application arrangement comprises a control device in accordance with the first aspect of the invention for generating providing control data as explained above.

[0028] The coating application arrangement further includes a coating application unit that comprises a reservoir comprising a coating material, a coating providing unit in fluid communication with the reservoir, a driving unit configured to drive a relative movement between the substrate and the coating providing unit, an input unit or input interface for receiving the control data from the control device and a controller configured to control the coating provid- ing unit and the driving unit in accordance with the received control data. Thus, the controller receives the control data from the control device, wherein the control data is indicative of the input data that has resulted in simulated coverage data, which, at least at a predetermined target area of the substrate model, is within a predetermined target coverage range that is itself indicative of a sufficient coating quality for coating application, for instance in terms of coating thickness and coating homogeneity.

[0029] The coating application arrangement of the second aspect of the invention thus shares the advantages of the control device of the first aspect.

[0030] The coating application arrangement is, in an embodiment, an overspray-free coating applicator. For instance, the applicator head can be installed on a movable arm or robot and can be configured to apply a coating, such as a paint, directly onto a substrate. The underside of the applicator head is equipped with one or more nozzles. Preferably, the nozzle holes have a diameter smaller than 1 mm, preferably in the order of a tenth of a millimeter. A measuring system can be provided to monitor the distance between the applicator head and the substrate. The measurements are fed to the controller and the position of the application head with respect to the substrate can be adjusted in accordance with the control data. This enables a highly precise and sharply defined coating and the use of masking processes for coating the substrate with different colours can be omitted.

[0031] A third aspect of the invention is formed by a method, in particular a computer implemented method, for controlling application of a coating material on a substrate. The method comprises

[0032] - ascertaining, that is, determining or receiving, applicator data indicative of operation parameters of a coating application unit, coating data indicative of material properties of a coating material, and substrate data indicative of morphological parameters and / or compositional parameters of the substrate;

[0033] - performing a simulation of a coating application by a coating application unit model indicative of the coating application unit using the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data, the simulation of the coating application being in accordance with a predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm, and providing simulated coating application data indicative of a simulated distribution of the coating on a substrate model indicative of the substrate; and - performing a simulation of a coating film flow on the substrate model using the simulated coating application data, the coating data and the substrate data, the simulation of the coating-film flow being in accordance with a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm, and providing simulated coverage data indicative of a simulated coating coverage of the substrate model;

[0034] - selectively controlling the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit in a simulation cycle, such that in a first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit are operated simultaneously and in a second simulation phase that follows the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit is operated; and

[0035] - providing the ascertained application data, and / or the ascertained coating data and / or the ascertained substrate data as control data for controlling the application of a coating material on the substrate, upon determining that the simulated coverage data at a predetermined target area of the substrate model is within a predetermined target coverage range.

[0036] The method of the third aspect of the invention therefore shares the advantages of the control device of the first aspect. In the following, embodiments of the method of the third aspect will be disclosed.

[0037] In another embodiment, the step of performing the simulation of a coating application by the coating application unit includes performing a Lagrangian-Eulerian multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application as the predetermined coatingapplication simulation algorithm including a simulation of a gas phase of the applied coating material.

[0038] In yet another embodiment, the step of performing the simulation of a coating film flow on the substrate includes performing a thin fluid film simulation of the applied coating as the predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm.

[0039] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method, in particular a computer implemented method, for controlling operation of a coating application arrangement for applying a coating material on a substrate is disclosed. The method comprises;

[0040] - performing the method of the third aspect of the invention for generating and providing control data; - receiving the control data;

[0041] - controlling at least one coating providing units and a driving unit in accordance with the received control data.

[0042] A fifth aspect of the invention is formed by a computer program comprising instruction which, when executed by a processor of a control device according to the first aspect of the invention cause the control device to carry out the method of any of the preceding claims the third aspect and / or when executed by a processor of a coating application arrangement according to the second aspect of the invention cause the coating application arrangement to carry out the method of the fourth aspect.

[0043] It shall be understood that the method described above, the device described above, the arrangement described above and the computer program product described above have similar and / or identical preferred embodiments, in particular, as defined in the dependent claims.

[0044] It shall be understood that a preferred embodiment of the present invention can also be any combination of the dependent claim or above embodiments with a respective independent claim.

[0045] These and other aspects of the present invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereafter.

[0046] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] In the following drawings:

[0048] Fig. 1 shows schematically and exemplarily an embodiment of a coating application arrangement for applying a coating material on a substrate, that includes a control device in accordance with the invention;

[0049] Fig. 2 shows schematically an exemplarily simulation of a coating application using an Eulerian-Lagrangian multiphase computational dynamics simulation of the coating application; Fig. 3 shows an exemplarily viscosity vs. time diagram of experimentally determined rheology data of a given coating material and a fitted curved using a thixotropic model fit;

[0050] Fig. 4 shows an example of a combined simulation process that includes two simulation cycles;

[0051] Fig. 5 shows the comparison of experimental and simulated results of an exemplary application of a coating material on a substrate;

[0052] Fig. 6 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method for controlling operation of a coating application arrangement in accordance with the invention.

[0053] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0054] Fig. 1 shows schematically and exemplarily an embodiment of a coating application arrangement 200 for applying a coating material 150 on a substrate 150, that includes a control device 100 in accordance with the invention;

[0055] The control device 100 comprises an input data ascertaining unit 102 configured to ascertain, that is, to receive from an external unit, or to determine in some particular way, applicator data AD indicative of operation parameters of a coating application unit, coating data CD indicative of material properties of a coating material, and substrate data SD indicative of morphological parameters of the substrate. The substrate data may also be indicative of compositional parameters of the substrate.

[0056] A first simulation unit 104 is connected to the input data ascertaining unit 102 and configured to perform a simulation of a coating application by a coating application unit model indicative of the coating application unit in accordance with a predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm A1 . This simulation is performed using the applicator data AD, the coating data CD and the substrate data SD ascertained by the input data ascertaining unit 102. The first simulation unit 104 is also configured to generate and provide simulated coating application data 106 that is indicative of a simulated distribution of the coating on a substrate model indicative of the substrate. The simulated coating application data 106 thus describes, based on the ascertained input data, how the coating material model is applied on the substrate model and typically involves a simulation of both the droplet phase and of the gas phase surrounding the droplets. The associated time resolution is in the range of microseconds (e.g. 4x106s). This simulation is performed on a three-dimensional mesh and involves both a simulation of the droplets of the coating material and a simulation of the gas phase surrounding said droplets. The first simulation unit 104 of Fig. 1 is configured to perform a Lagrangian multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application as the predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm A1 , or, more preferably, a Lagrangian-Eulerian multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application as the predetermined coating application simulation algorithm including a simulation of a gas phase of the applied coating material.

[0057] The ascertained applicator data AD represents operation parameters of a real applicator head 204, and include data indicative of a number of nozzles in the applicator head, the size, e.g., the diameter of the respective nozzle holes, the relative distance between neighbouring nozzle holes, relative distance D to the substrate or to a reference location where the substrate is to be placed, tilting angle with respect to the substrate, speed and / or acceleration of the applicator head while spraying, mass flow distribution to the nozzle holes that results from the internal configuration of the applicator head. The coating data, in turn, is indicative of the composition of the coating material, e.g. type of solvent, wetting ability of the coating material, e.g., wetting angle between a droplet of the coating material and the substrate, surface tension of the coating material, in particular of the solvent, density, viscosity of the coating material, solvent evaporation rate, thermal properties such as heat capacity of the coating material. The substrate data is indicative of the size and / or shape of the substrate, the relative orientation with regard to the applicator head, inclination angle as a function of the position and wetting properties of the substrate, etc. The substrate data may further include microstructural data indicative of a microstructure of the substrate, e.g. indicative of a roughness of the substrate. The more accurate the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data are, the closer the respective models of the coating application unit, the coating material and the substrate are to the real coating application unit, coating material and substrate.

[0058] Fig. 2 schematically shows an exemplary simulation of a coating application using an Eu- lerian-Lagrangian multiphase computational dynamics simulation of the coating application. The first simulation unit 104 is configured to perform the simulation of the coating application wherein one or more jets 154 of coating material are modelled using a string of spheres 155 with diameters ds corresponding to those of the respective nozzle openings 156 of the applicator head 157. The simulation of a coating application shown in Fig. 2 is performed using a predetermined set of applicator data that includes data pertaining to the applicator head including the number of nozzles, the diameter of their respective openings, the spatial distribution of the openings, the angle with respect to the substrate 153, the velocity at which the applicator head 157 is moving, and also coating data CD indicative of the properties of the applied coating material.

[0059] A second simulation unit 108 is also provided, which is connected to the input data ascertaining unit 102 and to the first simulation unit 104 and configured to perform a simulation of a coating-film flow on the substrate model in accordance with a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm A2. To this end, the second simulation unit 108 uses the simulated coating application data 106 received from the first simulation unit 104 and that defines the simulated starting state of the coating material on the substrate. Then, further using the coating data CD and the substrate data SD, the second simulation unit 108 is configured to provide simulated coverage data 110 indicative of a simulated coating coverage of the substrate model. The coating film flow simulation simulates the behaviour of the applied coating material on the substrate. This behaviour influenced by how the coating material is applied, as given by the simulated coating application data 106, by the position and shape of the substrate, for instance due to gravity, by the interactions between the applied coating material and the substrate, such as the wetting angle, and by the material properties of the coating material, such as the viscosity, to name a few. The exemplary second simulation carried out by the second simulation unit 108 is performed on a two- dimensional mesh in accordance with a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm, for instance a surface film model, as defined by the OpenFOAM® software platform. The CFD-based simulation of the applied coating material, in particular the simulation of sagging processes, is performed using a so-called rheology model approach, preferably including thixotropic rheology, i.e., considering possible changes in the viscosity of the coating material as a function of the pressure. For example, the coating material is modelled as a plastic Bingham fluid, which shows rigid-like properties at low stress and viscous- like properties at high stress. The experimentally obtained data is then fitted using the model for Bingham fluids, as it is shown in Fig. 3.

[0060] Here the viscosity p is defined as where K = 1 - A is a structural parameter, a(l - A)fc- cAyd, with pa rameters a, b, c, and d, and y being the sheer rate. In this particular example, the parameter fitting done with respect to experimentally obtained, or otherwise provided rheology data results in p«= 0.039 Pa*s, po=2.85 Pa*s, a=0.07, b=1 .39, c=0.001 and d=5, confirming the non-Newtonian characteristic of the coating material, and the time- and space dependency of the film viscosity.

[0061] The time associated time resolution of this simulation of the coating-film flow is also in the range of microseconds due to the limits imposed by surface tension, which limits the possibility of increasing the time steps. However, the simulation of the coating-film flow only involves a two-dimensional space, and therefore the amount of cells, and thus the complexity, is reduced with respect to the simulation of a coating application.

[0062] The control device 100 further comprises a modular solver unit 112 that is configured to selectively control the operation of the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 in a predetermined simulation cycle, such that in a first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 are operated simultaneously and in a second simulation phase that follows the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit 108 is operated. As stated above, the computational effort required for operating the first simulation unit, which performs a simulation in a three-dimensional space, is significantly higher than that needed for operating the second simulation unit, and thus the overall simulation time can be greatly reduces, typically by a factor between 10 and 20.

[0063] Preferably, the modular solver unit 112 is configured to control the operation of the first simulation unit 104 and of the second simulation unit 108 such that after a second simulation phase, one or more additional simulation cycles consisting of a respective additional first simulation phase and a respective additional second simulation phase is or are performed, in particular wherein a first region of the substrate coated during the simulation cycle has at least a non-overlapping section with a respective additional region of the substrate coated during the additional simulation cycle. An example of such a simulation including two simulation cycles is shown in Fig. 4. In this case, the applicator data also include data indicative of a lateral distance between two spraying rounds. The applicator data can also include data indicative of a time span between two consecutive spraying cycles, which is referred to as “open time”. The spraying cycles of the real coating application unit correspond to the simulation first simulation phases of the simulation cycles of the coating application unit model. The time span between spraying cycles preferably corresponds to the duration where the second simulation phase takes place, and the first simulation unit is set on hold. In Fig. 4, the combined simulation according to the invention starts with a first simulation phase 161.1 of a first simulation cycle 161. In this first simulation phase, the modular solver unit 1 12 controls the operation of the first and the second simulation unit 104, 106, such that both the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 are operated simultaneously. The application of the coating material is simulated by the first simulation unit 104 in a three-dimensional space. The coating material is provided in the form of a plurality of jets each simulated as a plurality of spheres 155, each jet being associated to a respective nozzle opening of the applicator head. In this particular example, 48 nozzle openings are simulated, with a 290 ml / min paint volume flow distributed over the 48 openings and an applicator head speed of 0,73 m / s. Simultaneously, the flow of the applied coating material is simulated by the second simulation unit 108 in a two-dimensional space, using a thixotropic rheology approach (see Fig. 3). The duration of this first phase depends on the velocity of the applicator head and on the size of the substrate. These values are available from the ascertained input data, in particular from the applicator data and the substrate data. Once the applicator head has reached, in the simulation, the end of the substrate, the modular solver unit 112 controls the operation of the first and the second simulation units in a second simulation phase 161 .2 of the first simulation cycle 161 , in which only the second simulation unit is operated, i.e. in which the first simulation unit is put on hold or otherwise temporarily stopped. In this second simulation phase 161 .1 , the simulation of the flow of the coating material on the substrate model 152 is continued. The duration of this second simulation phase 161 .2 is controlled by a so-called open time parameter, i.e., the time passing between two runs of coating material being applied next to each other.

[0064] After the first simulation cycle has finished, the modular solver unit 112 again controls the operation of the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 in a second simulation cycle 162. The position of the applicator head has been shifted perpendicular to the direction of motion by a distance Do with respect to the position at the beginning of the first simulation cycle 161. The value of Do and the width of the applicator head, i.e., the maximum distance between two nozzle openings (the two openings arranged at the respective ends of the applicator head) define an overlap region of the deposited coating layers. In the first simulation phase 162.1 of the second simulation cycle 162, the first simulation unit 104 and the second simulation unit 108 are operated simultaneously. The coverage data obtained from the second simulation phase 161.2 of the first simulation cycle 161 is used as a starting point for the second simulation cycle, in particular in the overlap region, where the material coating is applied on an already coated region of the substrate model 152. After the first simulation phase 162.1 of the second simulation cycle is performed, the modular solver unit 112 controls the operation of the first and the second simulation units in a second simulation phase 162.2 of the second simulation cycle 162, in which only the second simulation unit is operated. The final coverage data as a function of the input data is obtained.

[0065] For instance, the CDF simulation of coating material application and flow shown in Fig. 4 is performed using the OpenFOAM® software. The first simulation phase 161 .1 of the first simulation cycle 161 represents approximately 0.1 s of “real” time. The medium substrate geometry is 0.04 m long and the simulation time was approximately 10-12 hours. The open time during which only the second operation unit was operated (i.e., the duration of the second simulation phase 162.1 of the first simulation cycle 161) was approximately 5.3 s of “real” time. For the same medium substrate geometry, the simulation time was approximately 20 hours, instead of the approximately 520 hours that would have been needed if the first simulation unit had not been put on hold during the second simulation phase 161 .2.

[0066] The first simulation phase 162.1 of the second simulation cycle represents a second application of coating material on the substrate 152, with an approximate simulation time of 10 hours. During the second simulation phase 162.2 of the second simulation cycle, the simulation can be for instance performed over the whole substrate geometry or over a reduced substrate geometry, for instance of approximately 0.01 m, as indicated by the marked area 164. This second simulation phase 162.2 of the second simulation cycle 162 simulated a long-term levelling of both applied coating layers, which typically lasts 2.5 minutes in “real time”, in dependence on the solvent evaporation conditions, for example. The simulation time for the whole 0.04 meter substrate geometry is approximately 25 s “real” time per week of simulation, or 1 .25 minutes “real” time per week of simulation with the reduced geometry. Two simulation cycles are typically sufficient, since it already provides the necessary information about the coverage at the overlapping region, that can be extrapolated to further simulation cycles beyond a number of two.

[0067] Typically the substrate model 152 is not cut but surrounded completely by the gas phase, which mitigates or suppresses that impact of inflow / outflow boundary conditions in the simulation. If necessary, or desired, the simulation can include either a k-e turbulence model instead of a k-w-SST turbulence model. The k-e turbulence model is a two equation model that gives a general description of turbulence by means of two transport equations. The first transported variable is the turbulent kinetic energy (k) and the second transported variable is the rate of dissipation of the turbulent kinetic energy (e). The k-w-SST turbulence model, also referred to as Menter’s Shear Stress Transport model combine the k-w turbulence model and the k-e turbulence model such that the k-w turbulence model is used in the inner region of the boundary layer and the k-e turbulence model is used in the free shear flow. The control device 100 of Fig. 1 further comprises a processing unit 114 that is connected to the input data ascertaining unit 102 and to the second simulation unit 108. The processing unit 114 is configured to provide the ascertained application data AD, and / or the ascertained coating data CD and / or the ascertained substrate data SD as control data 1 16 for controlling the application of a coating material 150 on the substrate 152, upon determining that the simulated coverage data at a predetermined target area 164 of the substrate model 152 is within a predetermined target coverage range. The target area 164 shown in Fig 4 is substantially perpendicular to the direction of coating material application and corresponds to the reduced substrate geometry of 0.01 m on which the simulation of the coverage data during the second simulation phase 162.2 of the second simulation cycle 162 is performed. A predetermined target coverage range is provided and the processing unit compares the simulated coverage on that target area with the target coverage. The target coverage range is indicative of a coverage of the substrate with the coating material that has sufficient quality, e.g. in terms of thickness and / or homogeneity. If the simulated coverage data is in agreement with the target coverage range, the input parameters used for the simulation are considered as suitable parameters for controlling the coating material application arrangement 200.

[0068] Such a comparison is shown in Fig. 5.

[0069] For this experiment, the applied paint (e.g., coating material) volume is AV^Jm= VL■ At where VL= 261 mL / min.

[0070] The applicator head speed is vappi= — = 0.6m / s

[0071] The resulting dry-paint film thickness is given by 8fiim= xs■ where Ay = 0.048 m (applicator head thickness) and xs= 0.38619 (solid volume fraction).

[0072] With VL= 261 mL / min the resulting thickness according to the theory is is approximately 58 pm. As it is shown in Fig. 5, the evaluation of the coverage data using the CFD- based simulation process according to the invention yields a thickness of approximately 59 pm, whereas experimental data of applied coating material suggests a film thickness of approximately 53 pm. As it can be seen in Fig. 5 there is a good agreement between the simulated thickness and the experimentally determined thickness of a paint layer applied using the parameter values also used for the simulation and within the uncertainty associated to the experimental method for determining the thickness profile of the deposited coating material film. For this particular experiment, the results of the simulation at the overlap region 165 tends to be smoother than for the experimental data, and there is a slight vertical offset of around 10%. If, for example, the predetermined target coverage range was 50 - 65 pm the parameters used for the simulation would be considered as suitable parameters and would be provided as control data 116 for controlling the operation of the coating material application arrangement 200 for applying a coating material to a substrate. An exemplary coating material application arrangement 200 is shown in Fig. 1 , and in addition to the control device 100, it also comprises a coating application unit 202 that includes a reservoir 206 comprising a coating material, at least one coating providing unit 206 in fluid communication with the reservoir 204, for example an applicator head comprising a plurality of nozzle openings, a driving unit 208 configured to drive a relative movement between the substrate 152 and the coating providing unit 206, for instance a movable robotic arm, and a controller configured to receive the control data 116 from the control device 100 and to control the coating providing unit 204 and the driving unit 208 in accordance with the received control data 116.

[0073] Fig. 6 shows a flow diagram of a method 400 for controlling operation of a coating application arrangement. The method comprises, in a step 402, ascertaining applicator data indicative of operation parameters of a coating application unit, coating data indicative of material properties of a coating material, and substrate data indicative of morphological parameters and / or compositional parameters of the substrate. The method also comprises, in a step 404, performing a simulation of a coating application by a coating application unit model indicative of the coating application unit using the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data, the simulation of the coating application being in accordance with a predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm, and providing simulated coating application data indicative of a simulated distribution of the coating on a substrate model indicative of the substrate and, in a step 406, performing a simulation of a coating film flow on the substrate model using the simulated coating application data, the coating data and the substrate data, the simulation of the coating-film flow being in accordance with a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm, and providing simulated coverage data indicative of a simulated coating coverage of the substrate model. The method also comprises, in a step 408, selectively controlling the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit in a simulation cycle, such that in a first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit are operated simultaneously and in a second simulation phase that follows the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit is operated and, in a step 410, providing the ascertained application data, and / or the ascertained coating data and / or the ascertained substrate data as control data for controlling the application of a coating material on the substrate, upon determining that the simulated coverage data at a predetermined target area of the substrate model is within a predetermined target coverage range. The method also comprises, in a step 412, controlling the coating providing unit and the driving unit of the coating application arrangement 200 in accordance with the control data. The subset of steps 402 to 410 form a method 300 for controlling application of a coating material on a substrate, i.e. , for generating and providing control data for controlling the application.

[0074] In summary, the invention is directed to a control device for controlling application of a coating material on a substrate, which comprises an input data ascertaining unit configured to ascertain applicator data, coating data and substrate data, a first simulation unit configured to perform a simulation of a coating application in accordance with a predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm, and to provide simulated coating application data, a second simulation unit configured to perform a simulation of a coating-film flow in accordance with a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm, and to provide simulated coverage data. A modular solver unit is configured to control operation of the first and the second simulation unit such that in a first phase, both simulation units are operated simultaneously and in a second phase only the second simulation unit is operated.

[0075] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

[0076] For the processes and methods disclosed herein, the operations performed in the processes and methods may be implemented in differing order. Furthermore, the outlined operations are only provided as examples, and some of the operations may be optional, combined into fewer steps and operations, supplemented with further operations, or expanded into additional operations without detracting from the essence of the dis-closed embodiments.

[0077] In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

[0078] A single unit or device may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Procedures like the receiving of a graph database, the receiving of a query, the applying of the query and the generating of control data, etc. performed by one or several units or devices can be performed by any other number of units or devices. These procedures can be implemented as program code means of a computer program and / or as dedicated hardware.

[0079] A computer program product may be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium, supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.

[0080] Any units described herein may be processing units that are part of a classical computing system. Processing units may include a general-purpose processor and may also include a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other specialized circuit. Any memory may be a physical system memory, which may be volatile, non-volatile, or some combination of the two. The term “memory” may include any computer-readable storage media such as a non-volatile mass storage. If the computing system is distributed, the processing and / or memory capability may be distributed as well. The computing system may include multiple structures as “executable components”. The term “executable component” is a structure well understood in the field of computing as being a structure that can be software, hardware, or a combination thereof. For instance, when implemented in software, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the structure of an executable component may include software objects, routines, methods, and so forth, that may be executed on the computing system. This may include both an executable component in the heap of a computing system, or on computer- readable storage media. The structure of the executable component may exist on a computer-readable medium such that, when interpreted by one or more processors of a computing system, e.g., by a processor thread, the computing system is caused to perform a function. Such structure may be computer readable directly by the processors, for instance, as is the case if the executable component were binary, or it may be structured to be interpretable and / or compiled, for instance, whether in a single stage or in multiple stages, so as to generate such binary that is directly interpretable by the processors. In other instances, structures may be hard coded or hard-wired logic gates, that are implemented exclusively or near-exclusively in hardware, such as within a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other specialized circuit. Accordingly, the term “executable component” is a term for a structure that is well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art of computing, whether implemented in software, hardware, or a combination. Any embodiments herein are described with reference to acts that are performed by one or more processing units of the computing system. If such acts are implemented in software, one or more processors direct the operation of the computing system in response to having executed computer-executable instructions that constitute an executable component. Computing system may also contain communication channels that allow the computing system to communicate with other computing systems over, for example, network. A “network” is defined as one or more data links that enable the transport of electronic data between computing systems and / or modules and / or other electronic devices. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection, for ex-ample, either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless, to a computing system, the computing system properly views the connection as a transmission medium. Transmission media can include a network and / or data links which can be used to carry desired program code means in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computing system or combinations. While not all computing systems require a user interface, in some embodiments, the computing system includes a user interface system for use in interfacing with a user. User interfaces act as input or output mechanism to users for instance via displays.

[0081] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that at least parts of the invention may be practiced in network computing environments with many types of computing system configurations, including, personal computers, desktop computers, laptop computers, message processors, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones, PDAs, pagers, routers, switches, datacenters, wearables, such as glasses, and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed system environments where local and remote computing system, which are linked, for example, either by hardwired data links, wireless data links, or by a combination of hardwired and wireless data links, through a network, both perform tasks. In a distributed system environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

[0082] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that at least parts of the invention may be practiced in a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing environments may be distributed, although this is not required. When distributed, cloud computing environments may be distributed internationally within an organization and / or have components possessed across multiple organizations. In this description and the following claims, “cloud computing” is defined as a model for enabling on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources, e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services. The definition of “cloud computing” is not limited to any of the other numerous advantages that can be obtained from such a model when deployed. The computing systems of the figures include various components or functional blocks that may implement the various embodiments disclosed herein as explained. The various components or functional blocks may be implemented on a local computing system or may be implemented on a distributed compu- ting system that includes elements resident in the cloud or that implement aspects of cloud computing. The various components or functional blocks may be implemented as software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The computing systems shown in the figures may include more or less than the components illustrated in the figures and some of the components may be combined as circumstances warrant. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

Claims:1 . Control device (100) for controlling application of a coating material (150) on a substrate (152), the control device comprising:- an input data ascertaining unit (102) configured to ascertain applicator data (AD) indicative of operation parameters of a coating application unit (202), coating data (CD) indicative of material properties of the coating material (150), and substrate data (SD) indicative of morphological parameters and / or compositional parameters of the substrate;- a first simulation unit (104) connected to the input data ascertaining unit and configured to perform a simulation of a coating application by a coating application unit model indicative of the coating application unit using the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data, the simulation of the coating application being in accordance with a predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm (A1), and to provide simulated coating application data (106) indicative of a simulated distribution of the coating on a substrate model indicative of the substrate; and- a second simulation unit (108) connected to the input data ascertaining unit and to the first simulation unit and configured to perform a simulation of a coating-film flow on the substrate model using the simulated coating application data, the coating data and the substrate data, the simulation of the coating-film flow being in accordance with a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm (A2), and to provide simulated coverage data (110) indicative of a simulated coating coverage of the substrate model; the control device further comprising:- a modular solver unit (112) that is configured to selectively control the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit in a predetermined simulation cycle, such that in a first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit are operated simultaneously and in a second simulation phase that follows the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit is operated; and- a processing unit (114) connected to the input data ascertaining unit (102) and to the second simulation unit (108), and configured to provide the ascertained application data, and / or the ascertained coating data and / or the ascertained substrate data as control data (116) for controlling the application of a coating material on the substrate, upon determiningthat the simulated coverage data at a predetermined target area of the substrate model is within a predetermined target coverage range.

2. The control device of claim 1 , wherein the first simulation unit is configured to perform a Lagrangian multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application as the predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm.

3. The control device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first simulation unit is configured to perform a Lagrangian-Eulerian multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application as the predetermined coating application simulation algorithm including a simulation of a gas phase of the applied coating material.

4. The control device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first simulation unit is configured to perform the simulation of the coating application wherein one or more jets of coating material (154) are modelled using a string of spheres (155) with diameters (ds) corresponding to those of the respective nozzle openings (156).

5. The control device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second simulation unit is configured to perform a thin fluid film simulation of the applied coating as the predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm.

6. The control device of claim 5, wherein the second simulation unit is configured to perform a rheology model simulation of the applied coating, in particular a thixotropic rheology model simulation, wherein a viscosity value is a space-dependent and time-dependent viscosity value.

7. The control device of claims 5 or 6, wherein the thin fluid film simulation includes a solvent evaporation effect.

8. The control device of any of the preceding claims, wherein the modular solver unit is configured to control the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit such that after a second simulation phase, one or more additional simulation cycles consisting of a respective additional first simulation phase and a respective additional second simulation phase is performed, in particular wherein a first region of the substrate coated during the simulation cycle has at least a non-overlapping section with a respective additional region of the substrate coated during the additional simulation cycle.

9. Coating application arrangement (200) for applying a coating material (150) on a substrate (152), the coating application arrangement comprising:- a control device (100) in accordance with any of the preceding claims for generating and providing control data (116); and- a coating application unit (202) comprising:- a reservoir (206) comprising a coating material;- at least one coating providing unit (204) in fluid communication with the reservoir (206);- a driving unit (208) configured to drive a relative movement between the substrate (152) and the coating providing unit (204);- a controller (210) configured to receive the control data and to control the one or more coating providing units and the driving unit in accordance with the received control data.

10. Method (300) for controlling application of a coating material (150) on a substrate (152), the method comprising:- ascertaining (402) applicator data indicative of operation parameters of a coating application unit, coating data indicative of material properties of a coating material, and substrate data indicative of morphological parameters and / or compositional parameters of the substrate;- performing (404) a simulation of a coating application by a coating application unit model indicative of the coating application unit using the applicator data, the coating data and the substrate data, the simulation of the coating application being in accordance with a predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm, and providing simulated coating application data indicative of a simulated distribution of the coating on a substrate model indicative of the substrate; and- performing (406) a simulation of a coating film flow on the substrate model using the simulated coating application data, the coating data and the substrate data, the simulationof the coating-film flow being in accordance with a predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm, and providing simulated coverage data indicative of a simulated coating coverage of the substrate model;- selectively controlling (408) the operation of the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit in a simulation cycle, such that in a first simulation phase, both the first simulation unit and the second simulation unit are operated simultaneously and in a second simulation phase that follows the first simulation phase, only the second simulation unit is operated; and- providing (410) the ascertained application data, and / or the ascertained coating data and / or the ascertained substrate data as control data for controlling the application of a coating material on the substrate, upon determining that the simulated coverage data at a predetermined target area of the substrate model is within a predetermined target coverage range.11 . The method of claim 10, wherein the step of performing the simulation of a coating application by the coating application unit includes performing a Lagrangian-Eulerian multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application as the predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11 , wherein the step of performing the simulation of a coating application by the coating application unit includes performing a Lagrangian-Eulerian multiphase computational fluid dynamics simulation of the coating application as the predetermined coating-application simulation algorithm including a simulation of a gas phase of the applied coating material.

13. The method of any of the preceding claims 10 to 12, wherein the step of performing the simulation of a coating film flow on the substrate includes performing a thin fluid film simulation of the applied coating as the predetermined coating film flow simulation algorithm.

14. Method (400) for controlling operation of a coating application arrangement (200) according to claim 9, for applying a coating material on a substrate, the method comprising;- performing the method (300) of any of the preceding claims 10 to 13;- controlling (412) the coating providing unit and the driving unit in accordance with the control data 116.

15. Computer program comprising instruction which, when executed by a processor of a control device cause the control device to carry out the method of any of the preceding claims 10 to 13 and / or when executed by a processor of a coating application arrangement cause the coating application arrangement to carry out the method of claim 14.

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