Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 1

Active Playground Equipment Inc in Sarnia, ON offers one of the largest selections of outdoor fitness equipment in Canada. Theydesign, manufacture and install turnkey outdoor fitness equipment in parks, schools, and other facilities. Active Playground isplanning to aggressively expand their market by developing their third-generation model that will incorporate significant features,including adjustable resistance, galvanized finish, molded rubber grips and electronic device holders.These hybrid models require additional protective coatings to ensure their safety and longevity in harsh outdoor environments.Accordingly, a fast, reliable and cost-effective technique to determine the required coating thickness, composition and applicationonto the substrate (metals and wood-based materials) and, ultimately, estimating its useful lifespan is of vital importance, if thecompany is going to be successful.Active Playground has partnered with Dr. Karimi and research students at Lambton College to develop simple, cost-effective,reliable and quantitative, accelerated test methods for selection and quantification of various protective coatings. The results of theproject will help the company to make sound technical and business decisions on developing and launching new products andthey will be in a strong position to objectively evaluate the suitability of different types of natural woods, metals, alloys and theircorresponding coatings and films subjected to harsh outside environments. It is anticipated that by the end o this applied researchproject, the team from the company would possess the necessary tools and expertise to effectively and efficiently determine thesuitability of a wide range of materials and coating for their products.