Design and Prototyping of an Electronic Circuit Board Controller for an Outdoor Furnace - Phase II Heatmaster Furnaces Inc.

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Heatmaster Furnaces Inc. (formerly SteelTech Inc.) is a Manitoba based SME that manufactures biomass heating alternatives for customers seeking energy independence. The G-series line of furnaces, with a capacity for an approximate heating space range of 4,000 to 10,000 square feet, is a relatively new product recognized as the flagship furnace of the industry. The initial design of the furnace uses a digital system based on Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) to operate the sensors and control the furnace. This design did not make room for improvements in product performance as the input/output (I/O) capability of the controller is limited. Heatmaster collaborated with the Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM), Red River College Polytechnic on an NSERC Engage project to find solutions to this problem. The project was successful, leading to the development of a new Printed Circuit Board (PCB) to replace the PLC, providing the robustness required for additional sensors, standardizing the control system, and lowering the overall cost of producing the furnace. Heatmaster intends to work with TACAM in this new Phase II project to build on the previous success and the lessons learned to advance the technology readiness of the prototype PCB for commercialization purposes. The PCB will be further designed for an off-the-shelf microcontroller system that is available in the open market post-COVID-19, an integrated oxygen gas sensor to improve efficiency and further develop the human machine interface (HMI) for trend data visualization. The objective is to refine the user experience, increase usability of the system and provide overall improvements to the HeatMasterss G-series line of furnaces. The furnace will be equipped with Internet-of-Things (IoT) functionalities to enable communication and data acquisition and analysis.The TACAM team will deploy expertise in PCB design, computing languages (C++ and Python), sensors, HMI programming, IoT, and systems integration to deliver this project. Heatmaster is a successful Manitoba SME with a significant amount of commitment to innovation. The company has a demonstrated capacity to implement the results of this research. Once commercialized, there is capacity for mass manufacturing the PCB locally in Manitoba through organizations such as Price Electronics and Parker Hannifin. The knowledge gained will be of benefit to students, researchers and faculty working on the project.