Expanding Coordinate Measuring Capacity

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As the leading technical post-secondary institution in the Niagara Region, Niagara College is well positioned to be a catalyst of manufacturing innovation. Manufacturing is one of the largest sectors contributing to Niagara Region's gross domestic product (GDP), in excess of $2.14 billion in 2012; 16% of the region's GDP is derived through the output of manufacturers. Niagara College has long been a vital component of the manufacturing and industrial design landscape, providing superior trained technicians and technologists to support the design engineering efforts required across a wide variety of industries. Many within the manufacturing community depend on Niagara College's Industry Innovation Centre at Niagara (IIC@N) to continually invest in the tools and technology to support their applied research and innovation needs and provide specialized technical assistance. As a result of this synergy and based on two major surveys of the Region's more than 800 manufacturers, both IIC@N and its collaborators have identified the need and necessity to expand the range of coordinate measurement machines (CMMs) and their supporting software. With the addition of a new portable CMM and software to transform three-dimensional (3D) scanned data into computer-aided design (CAD) databases, IIC@N will be able to further support its industry partners by performing: CAD-based large-part inspections, machine calibrations and alignments, dimensional analysis, tool building and setup, and robot calibrations. Increasing IIC@N's capacity in 3D scanning and 3D software further enhances its position as a favoured partner for industry and will help it provide products and sustainable solutions to help strengthen and support our regional economy.