Patent ID: 7739088

Claim:
A method of simulating an occurrence of an air pocket in an object to be coated, the method comprising: dividing a shape data of the object, which is to be immersed in a coating material tank, into a plurality of two-dimensional elements; setting an element disposed at an end portion of the object or a hole portion of the object as an initial boundary element, and setting an element comprising a common nodal point with the initial boundary element as a flanking element; analyzing the flanking element, set from the element comprising the common nodal point with the initial boundary element, based on the initial boundary element; setting the analyzed flanking element, set from the element comprising the common nodal point with the initial boundary element, as a secondary boundary element, and also setting an element comprising a common nodal point with the secondary boundary element as a flanking element; analyzing the flanking element, set from the element comprising the common nodal point with the secondary boundary element, based on the secondary boundary element; determining whether there is a flanking element adjoining the secondary boundary element; repeatedly performing, using a computer, when it is determined that there is a flanking element adjoining the secondary boundary element, analyzing the flanking element adjoining the secondary boundary element based on the secondary boundary element, and setting the analyzed flanking element which adjoined the secondary boundary element as the secondary boundary element and setting an element with a common nodal point with the secondary boundary element as a flanking element until it is determined that there is no flanking element adjoining the secondary boundary element; and finishing analysis when it is determined that there is no flanking element adjoining the secondary boundary element, wherein analyzing the flanking element comprises comparing a height characteristic of the flanking element with a height characteristic of one of the secondary boundary element and the initial boundary element to determine if the flanking element is filled with an air or a liquid coating material.