FedDev Ontario invests $8.2M in additive manufacturing consortium
by CM Staff
The project will support more than 90 businesses to commercialize nearly 30 advanced manufacturing technologies, create and maintain over 275 jobs and provide training and outreach opportunities for about 1,500 students.
WATERLOO — On Jul. 7, Bardish Chagger, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Youth and MP for Waterloo, on behalf of Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, announced a FedDev Ontario investment of $8.2 million for the University of Waterloo to build and establish the Additive Manufacturing Alliance (AMA).
The Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab, housed at the University of Waterloo, is a Canadian academic research and development facility for next-generation metal additive manufacturing. The MSAM is a space for companies to adopt new technologies and innovative products, while also advancing technology through ongoing research.
A collaboration between post-secondary institutions and major industry partners, the AMA hopes to help businesses across southern Ontario overcome barriers to adopting cutting-edge advanced manufacturing technologies.
Providing access to the MSAM’s specialized metal 3D printing equipment and expertise, the AMA intends to help companies grow and move their technologies from prototype to production-ready. It will also facilitate industry connections to integrate businesses into established supply chains and develop a talent pool of next generation additive manufacturing workers through training and upskilling.
The project will support more than 90 businesses to commercialize nearly 30 advanced manufacturing technologies, create and maintain over 275 jobs and provide training and outreach opportunities for about 1,500 students, research associates and industry personnel. It will also expand MSAM’s geographical reach beyond Kitchener-Waterloo and the Greater Toronto Area, with new participating companies from across southwestern Ontario.
“With its cutting-edge research facility and world-class expertise, the University of Waterloo has become a global leader in additive manufacturing. Through collaboration, the new Additive Manufacturing Alliance will help businesses accelerate growth by adopting advanced manufacturing technologies into their operations and creating good jobs in our community, while also providing training and upskilling opportunities to prepare workers for the manufacturing jobs of tomorrow.” said Bardish Chagger, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and MP for Waterloo.
“The manufacturing sector is at the heart of many well-paying jobs in communities across Canada. While we work to finish the fight against the global pandemic, we are also focused on the future, and on embracing next-generation technologies to build forward. The investment in the University of Waterloo’s AMA will help to create and maintain over 275 jobs, and through training opportunities, will help the workers of tomorrow succeed.” said Mélanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages.
