3D metal printing is revolutionizing marine manufacturing in Canada and UNB’s new Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence is leading the way. The new centre is the first in the country to use 3D metal printing as a method for manufacturing certified, custom parts for the marine sector.
“This is the first centre of its kind in Canada and we are doing it right here in New Brunswick,” said Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi, director of the Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence and assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “Our technology is greener and more efficient than conventional methods and will create high-value jobs here in Atlantic Canada.”
The centre is also the first of its kind in Canada to combine research, commercialization and workforce development and training. This initiative is the result of a partnership forged with UNB, Custom Fabricators and Machinists (CFM), and community colleges in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Dr. Mohammadi leads the research and development component of the centre, with CFM partnering on commercialization. the New Brunswick Community College, Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and the Nova Scotia Community College, are leading workforce development and training.
With early investors including Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Irving Shipbuilding Inc., the multi-million-dollar centre is expected to build new partnerships and grow exponentially in the coming years. By working closely together, the founding partners are working hard to ensure the program has the best chance of succeeding long term in a globally competitive marketplace.
Dr. Mohammadi says the centre has become a lure for recruiting top notch talent to New Brunswick.
Dr. Edward Cyr, the inaugural recipient of a McCain Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Innovation at UNB recently joined Dr. Mohammadi and his team to work on the futuristic applications in 3D printing.
Coming from the University of Waterloo in 2017, he has already built a research program to investigate the role that artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing play in the evolution of printed materials such as advanced stainless steels and aluminum alloys. He expects that the results will have applications not only in the marine industry, but as well as the automotive, construction, and aircraft industries.
“I believe that investing in education is the way to bring society into the best possible future, and I look forward to being a part of UNB’s and New Brunswick’s continued leadership in innovation,” says Dr. Cyr.
