Software Development for the Optimal Parts Location in the Bath Space with the Purpose to Reduce the Non-uniformity of the Coating Thickness

The article provides an analysis of research to reduce the non-uniformity of electroplated coatings, on the basis of which an approach to changing the parts location in the bath space is proposed. To search for the optimal parts location in the bath space, it is necessary to build software. The optimization problem to achieve the minimum criterion for non-uniformity coating is formulated and a stationary mathematical model of the electroplating process in distributed coordinates is developed, based on the laws of Faraday, Ohm, and the Laplace equation. Methods for solving the optimization problem and the mathematical model equations are proposed. The database tables for storing information about the subject area are described. A software algorithm has been developed. The user’s interaction with the software interface is demonstrated by solving the problem of finding the optimal location of 14 volumetric parts of various shapes in the bath space. The decrease in non-uniformity was 34.6% when zinc coating was applied to parts. The results of solving the problem of optimal parts location can be considered as the initial stage for further improving the uniformity of the resulting coating thickness.