Virtual Manufacturing A Vision for Virtual Paint Operations

The present paper deals less with Grid computing than with other aspects of this conference, namely numerical software. The goal of our work is to use mathematical modeling and computer simulation to avoid building nonproduction prototypes in manufacturing processes. Of particular interest is to eliminate prototypes associated with painting processes used in the automotive industry. Since painting processes are difficult to simulate accurately, the numerical software employed in the computational simulation is quite complex and requires substantial computing power to get a decent result within the timeframes of an industrial operational environment. On the other hand, the rewards for getting it right go straight to a company's bottom line: eliminating prototypes leads to tangible savings in terms of paint and materials, man power, energy costs, reduced warrantee costs, improved operational processes, and improved quality of the finished product. Getting it right therefore, is the subject of this paper.