Sensitivity analysis of wall coating thickness to paint characteristics in the spray painting process phase 1 : paint characterization

This report represents the first stage of producing a new CFD model capable of calculating paint deposition rate in a robot spray gun for a range of input variables. This will be achieved by analysing the sensitivity of the atomisation and deposition process to each of the major controllable inputs to the system. This report accurately measures the viscosity of several high solid solvent based paints across a range of temperatures and shear rates occurring in industrial spraying processes. Based on a number of practical experiments, statistical regression is used to determine paint viscosity as a function of temperature and applied rate of shear. Results will be used to inform the next stage of computer modelling using measured accurate values for spray paint rheology to better predict spray paint deposition and final film thickness.