Innovation in Canadian companies with additive manufacturing

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The interest of additive manufacturing resides with the idea that parts can be obtained directly from using a 3D model and fabricated to near net shape as opposed to have multiple steps of manufacturing which can be detrimental for a rapid production of parts. Additive manufacturing technologies have the potential of replacing traditional manufacturing techniques in cases where the material used has a value and it becomes more profitable to use AM and also when new designs of parts can be used to either lighten the part while maintaining the same properties or providing the part with properties that could not be obtained through traditional processing. AM technologies tend to not be justifiable for parts made in huge production number using low cost materials as those parts are already made using technologies which had multiple decades of optimization. Furthermore, low cost materials can be easily machine to obtain a part and as such, it does not matter that a significant amount of material is wasted. To create sustainable world-class expertise in additive manufacturing processes (AM), the CMQ wishes to train specialists who can provide a complete service over the whole AM process, from research to implementation. The CMQ will make certain processes a priority for the next five years: directed energy deposition AM (LENS, www.optomec.com) and ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM, www.fabrisonic.com). The Centre wants to develop a pool of knowledge and unique expertise in Canada precisely surrounding these technologies. The CMQ will support the aspirations of companies exploiting its capacity for innovation and its relationship with universities, other research centers, as CRIQ (Quebec 3D Network), École de technologie supérieure de Montreal, Laval and McGill universities and equipment suppliers. Specifically, the Centre will do so by focusing on the needs of manufacturing SMEs to invest in improving the productivity and development of international niche markets. This project, highly scientific and technological, was created at the request of companies. The Quebec Metallurgy Center (CMQ) proposes to develop the expertise in metallic additive manufacturing along two different axis of research: (1) Development of ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) and (2) Development of Laser-engineered net shaped (LENS).