NGen invests $3.5M in four new advanced manufacturing projects

Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) has funded four new advanced manufacturing projects with approximately $3.5 million in funding.

The industry-led organization leading Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster is investing in the following four projects, which were selected by a panel of independent experts:

Printed circuit board manufacturing facility

Toronto-based Addem Labs has partnered with COR Engineering to conduct a pilot project that will establish what they say is the world’s cleanest and fastest professional printed circuit board manufacturing facility in Ontario.

Ultimately, the service will attract the electronics supply chain to Canada and provide the world with an ultra-clean option to manufacture their electronics just-in-time.

“Addem Labs is looking to narrow the gap between current research-based technology and the systems needed to develop to set up large-scale production,” says Gowtham Ramachandran, Addem Labs.

The funding will be used to scale up from research to a production-ready system, and establish testing of machine designs, he says.

Automotive plastics technology

Axiom Group in Aurora, Ont., along with partners MS Falcon, Kytech Machines and Bulldog Polymers, is developing a technology to eliminate visual transitions between different plastic materials, typically hard and soft plastics, for use in automobile interior and exteriors.

The technology will also have applications in broader advanced manufacturing industries, including aerospace, medical devices, construction, heavy equipment and sport equipment manufacturing.

Augmented reality guides

Montreal-based DeepSight has partnered with Avior Integrated Products to add a new component to the current DeepSight augmented reality (AR) platform that will create holographic guides to help workers assemble aerospace components and composite parts, which the company says will improve productivity and reduce defaults.

“On a broader level, this tool will offer effective and immersive virtual assistance in training, assembling, quality check, troubleshooting and much more,” says Nicolas Bearzatto, co-founder of DeepSight.

Digital transformation for wood manufacturers

BlueWater Wood Alliance (BWA), a not-for-profit wood manufacturing cluster, is undertaking a digital transformation program that will enable SMEs to grow and run their businesses by enabling access to BWA’s programs and activities.

Anticipated economic benefits include increased sales and productivity, and process improvements for member companies both inside and outside the cluster.

The program will also enable BWA to engage with remote SMEs and to collaborate with other organizations involved in the Canadian wood industry, further strengthening the wood manufacturing ecosystem.

“We’re happy to announce the latest round of NGen funding for projects that connect manufacturers and technology companies and accelerate the development, adoption, and scale-up of transformative capabilities in Canadian advanced manufacturing technology,” says Jayson Myers, CEO, NGen.

“NGen projects are developing unique, collaborative solutions to industrial challenges and are positioning Canada as a world leader in advanced manufacturing.”