"We want to take simulation out of the hands of experts and integrate it directly into development practice," says Dr. Dennis Barton, Simulation Team Leader at the Fraunhofer IST. The aim is to provide people from design and development with a sound basis for decision-making without them having to familiarize themselves with the complexity of numerical modelling.
The institute is already using a PICMC/DSMC code developed in-house and established among experts to simulate low-pressure plasmas and gas flows in PVD coating processes. The models provide information on gas separation factors, target burn-off and coating thickness profiles. This is supplemented by methods such as computational fluid dynamics (CFD), for example in the design of electrolyte reactors or dryer constructions.
With a growing team, intelligent data strategies and artificial intelligence, the Fraunhofer IST aims to simplify access to simulation methods. Machine learning methods and large language models will help to make simulation-based decisions accessible to non-experts. Digital twins, data management and networked sensor technology play a central role here.
The institute also has its sights set on promoting future specialists. In his course Modeling Methods in Surface Technology at TU Braunschweig, Barton teaches the tools: "Simulation requires a mindset of its own - an understanding of when a model is good enough, what computing capacities are available and how results can be compared with reality."