Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

This project aims to deliver an ice skate sharpening prototype which will include an additional automated deburring step to the current sharpening process. In this deburring process, the skate blade edge can easily become dulled, rolled over and damaged when done incorrectly if the operator has used poor technique, or simply by using poorly maintained tools. Also, running the deburring stone over the freshly sharpened skate blade is a common source of small cuts to the hand/fingers which is historically a safety concern among retailers. These concerns make it important to address the failure modes of this manual process and provide retailers with an automated solution to increase the quality of the skate sharpening service while doing so in a safe manner. In this research project we would develop a new concept for an automated deburring process and create a working prototype. There is no machine like this available on the market. By using precision metrology measurements and 3D surface maps, we can quantitatively prove how automating this process will increase quality, require less training for new staff, and provide a more repeatable and positive skating experience to the customer.