Grant: Alliance Grants

CANRIMT3 will produce the next generation of scientific research and industrial technologies in machining and digital manufacturing. The team will train over 70 postgraduate specialists in this field with deep multidisciplinary theoretical knowledge and strong hands-on skills, ideal to take up placement in Canada's advanced manufacturing and hi-tech industries and research institutes. Built upon the earlier successful collaboration, research, training, and technology transfer of the team, enabled by NSERC Strategic Networks CANRIMT1 and 2, CANRIMT3 unites 14 researchers from 6 Canadian universities with 21 industry partners under the common goals of: 1) Leading-edge research and innovation in advanced manufacturing, 2) World-class training and scientific leadership, and 3) Rapid technology transfer for economic, societal, and environmental benefits. The team will accomplish these by conducting research in 5 complementary themes: I. Digital machining and its integration with additive processes, II. Production machines and their digitalization, III. High performance tooling and processes, IV. Smart sensors, and machine/part metrology, and V. Digital twin-based optimization, monitoring, control, and diagnosis. The team will develop mathematical and data-driven models (i.e., 'digital twins') and integrate them with machine learning, to achieve practical and accurate simulation, monitoring, control, and optimization of complex machining operations. The research and training of CANRIMT3 will not only strengthen Canada's technological competitiveness, productivity, and economy, but will also contribute to environmental protection and climate change mitigation, by helping reduce energy consumption, material waste, and extending the lifecycle of capital equipment in high-end industrial manufacturing applications.