## 4 Conclusions  
This study focused on the inter-relationship between deposition time, degreasing temperature, and applied voltage in the cataphoretic painting process, examining their cumulative effect on the thickness of the formed layers. The results showed that the  
Figure 16: Comparison of measured and predicted coating thickness values depending on minimum (**a**) and maximum (**b**) degreasing concentration, KTL deposition time, and applied voltage. optimal settings of these parameters can significantly affect the quality and uniformity of the coating, which is important for industrial surface treatment applications. Key findings:
* The layer thickness increases with KTL deposition time, with the maximum thickness achieved at 7 min, while shorter times (e.g., 3 min) result in thinner coatings. * The applied voltage significantly influences the layer thickness; at 300 V, the layer thickness increases more steeply, and the reduction over time is minimal, indicating a higher material accumulation in the early stages of deposition. * Lower degreasing temperatures (e.g., 40 \({}^{\circ}\)C) lead to higher layer thickness, while higher temperatures (e.g., 80 \({}^{\circ}\)C) result in a reduction in thickness. * The optimal combination of voltage and temperature (e.g., 60 \({}^{\circ}\)C) leads to more uniform layer thicknesses across different deposition times. For future research, it would be beneficial to focus on the long-term stability and durability of cataphoretic coatings under real-world operational conditions, including corrosion resistance and mechanical property tests. This would provide a better understanding of the practical use and lifespan of coatings in industrial applications. A promising direction is also the expansion of the predictive model to include additional factors, such as electrolyte pH, solution conductivity, and surface roughness, which would increase the accuracy of layer thickness predictions and enable the better optimization of the cataphoretic painting process. The research provided valuable insights into the impact of deposition time, voltage, and degreasing temperature on the thickness of the cataphoretic coating, but it has certain limitations. The study focused on specific values of voltage (200-300 V), deposition time (3-7 min), and degreasing temperature (40-80 \({}^{\circ}\)C), and expanding these parameters could offer a more comprehensive perspective. Additionally, the research mainly focused on layer thickness without a detailed analysis of factors such as electrolyte pH, solution conductivity, or surface pretreatment, whose investigation could provide a better understanding of the overall process. The research was conducted in controlled laboratory conditions, which may limit the applicability of the results to real industrial environments. In actual operational conditions, factors such as electrolyte impurities or variations in surface pretreatment could influence the results. Additionally, while the statistical model explained about 75% of the layer thickness variability, there is room for improvement. Further refinement of factor interactions and testing additional variables could enhance the accuracy of layer thickness predictions. These limitations open opportunities for further research to expand findings and contribute to optimizing cataphoretic painting, particularly for industrial applications. [PERSON] and [PERSON] conceived and designed the experiments and wrote the paper; [PERSON], M.G. and [PERSON] analyzed and evaluated data, processed data, and performed the experiments and measurements. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This research received no external funding. Not applicable. The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author. This research has been designed in the framework of the projects VEGA no.