Experimental Verification of Deposition Models for Automotive Painting with Electrostatic Rotating Bell Atomizers

Abstract

This paper documents the development, validation, and refinement of analytic deposition models for automotive spray painting, based largely on experimental work conducted in conjunction with the Ford Motor Company. This work, part of a larger ongoing collaborative effort with the Ford Motor Company, has the goal of developing practical and efficient trajectory planning tools for automotive painting. Our efforts thus far have led to the development of analytic deposition models for the widely used electrostatic rotating bell (ESRB) atomizers. Unlike earlier trajectory planning tools, which rely on conventional deposition models that do not capture the complexity of deposition patterns generated by ESRB atomizers, the models presented in this paper take into account both the surface curvature and the deposition pattern of ESRB atomizers. These deposition models enable our planning tools to evaluate trajectories with respect to several measures of quality, such as coating uniformity.