Simulation Tool for the Improvement of the Coating Development Process

Historically, the development of new coating processes at Alstom's Birr, Switzerland factory was iterative, time-consuming and expensive. In the coating shop, each order for a new coated component requires identification of a statistically acceptable production process in order to conform to engineering requirements. In an effort to streamline coating process development, Alstom began working on a computer-based coating simulation tool to allow for offline programming and coating process simulation. This research effort focused on continued development, calibration and analysis of an offline coating simulation tool. The Alstom offline coating simulation tool merges the prediction capabilities of an internally developed plasma coating analysis program with the environment and simulation capabilities of an off-the-shelf CAD package. A programming firm was contracted to integrate the two systems and provide customizing macros to tailor the program for specific use with Alstom's low-pressure and atmospheric plasma spraying processes. An analysis of the offline tool simulation results for low-pressure plasma spraying was accomplished through a systematic comparison of the theoretical results from the offline tool with actual results for production parts. Results from an experiment were used to calibrate Alstom's coating analysis program. The offline tool was first developed for use with low-pressure plasma spraying processes. This development served as a platform for subsequent expansion of the tool for use with atmospheric plasma spraying processes. This thesis outlines the results of the development, analysis and calibration efforts along with recommendations for future development. The final chapter of the thesis analyzes Alstom's improvement efforts at a system-wide level specifically looking at the role that the offline tool plays in helping Alstom overcome production challenges in their Birr, Switzerland coating shop.