Method for setting the layer thickness of a covering coating material to be applied to a substrate by an application device

A method for setting a layer thickness of a covering coating material to be applied to a substrate by an application device including:

• applying the covering coating material to the substrate one of in a printing machine and in a paper-processing machine;
• the covering coating material being applied at least to first and second points on the substrate using the application device in a machine process;
• applying the covering coating material at at least one of the first points on the substrate, the covering coating material being applied to the at least one first point in a grid having a plurality of grid points;
• applying the covering coating material at at least one of the second points on the substrate, the coating material being applied to the at least one of the second points over a full area of the at least one of the second points, wherein each first point on the substrate forms a grid zone and each second point on the substrate forms a solid zone;
• using a control unit and a connected sensing device for determining a value for an optical density of the layer of the covering coating material applied at the first and second points on the substrate using data captured by the sensing device at the first and second points on the substrate and provided to the control unit;
• using at least one covering printing ink as the covering coating material, and wherein the covering printing ink is formed as one of a primary color and as an opaque white and as a metallic color;
• using the sensing device for continually collecting the measured values of the covering coating material applied to subsequent ones of the substrate during an ongoing operation of the one of the printing machine and the paper-processing machine, wherein the application of the covering coating material onto subsequent ones of the substrate using the application device during the ongoing operation of the one of the printing machine and the paper-processing machine is monitored continually with the sensing device during the ongoing production, and wherein the control unit stipulates and controls a layer thickness of the covering coating material applied to the subsequent ones of the substrate by the application device in the ongoing operation, at which stipulated and controlled layer thickness a value (DR) for an optical density determined in a grid zone corresponds to a value (DV) for an optical density determined in a solid zone, as a layer thickness of the covering coating material having an opacity of 100%.