Systems and methods for calibrating flow and for coating a substrate

A method of calibrating flow rate of a material through a spray nozzle of a coating system for applying the material to a substrate, the method comprising:

• receiving operating parameters for the coating system, the operating parameters comprising a target coating thickness of the material, a target coating width of the material, a solids percentage of the material, and a velocity of an applicator of the coating system;
• calculating a target flow rate for the material through the spray nozzle based upon the operating parameters for the coating system;
• calculating a first operating pressure of the coating system based upon the target flow rate for the material through the spray nozzle and a pressure-flow relationship between operating pressure of the coating system and flow rate of the material through the spray nozzle;
• and
• spraying at least part of the substrate with the material flowing through the spray nozzle of the coating system operating at the first operating pressure.

A method of calibrating flow rate of a material through a spray nozzle of a coating system for applying the material to a substrate, the method comprising:

• ejecting the material from the spray nozzle with an operating pressure of the coating system set to a first calibrating pressure, and determining a first flow rate of the material ejected from the spray nozzle;
• adjusting the operating pressure of the coating system to a second calibrating pressure that is different from the first calibrating pressure;
• ejecting the material from the spray nozzle with the operating pressure of the coating system set to the second calibrating pressure, and determining a second flow rate of the material ejected from the spray nozzle;
• calculating a pressure-flow relationship between operating pressure of the coating system and flow rate of the material through the spray nozzle at least based upon the first calibrating pressure, the first flow rate, the second calibrating pressure, and the second flow rate;
• receiving a target flow rate for the material through the spray nozzle;
• calculating a first operating pressure of the coating system based upon the target flow rate for the material through the spray nozzle and the pressure-flow relationship;
• setting the operating pressure of the coating system to the first operating pressure;
• and
• spraying at least part of the substrate with the material flowing through the spray nozzle at the first operating pressure of the coating system.

A method of calibrating flow rate of a material through a spray nozzle of a coating system for applying the material to a substrate, the method comprising:

• receiving a target flow rate for the material through the spray nozzle;
• calculating a first operating pressure of the coating system based upon the target flow rate for the material through the spray nozzle and a pressure-flow relationship between operating pressure of the coating system and flow rate of the material through the spray nozzle;
• setting an operating pressure of the coating system to the first operating pressure;
• spraying at least part of a surface with the material flowing through the spray nozzle at the first operating pressure of the coating system;
• determining a first operating flow rate of the material at the first operating pressure of the coating system;
• comparing the first operating flow rate to the target flow rate;
• determining, in response to the comparison of the operating flow rate to the target flow rate, that a difference between the operating flow rate and the target flow rate is within a predetermined control range and subsequently spraying at least part of a substrate with the material flowing through the spray nozzle at the first operating pressure of the coating system;
• determining, subsequent to the spraying of at least part of the substrate, a second operating flow rate of the material at the first operating pressure, the second operating flow rate being different from the first operating flow rate;
• calculating a rate of change between the first and second operating flow rate;
• adjusting, in response to the calculated rate of change between the first and second operating flow rates, the operating pressure of the coating system to a second operating pressure;
• and
• spraying at least part of another substrate with the material flowing through the spray nozzle at the second operating pressure of the coating system.