Grant: Extend Innovation Enhancement Grants

The Mohawk College Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) was established in 2013. AMIC's mission is to explore and advance the adoption of Additive Manufacturing, (also known as 3D printing) across Ontario. As the first post-secondary institution in Ontario, to offer metal additive manufacturing, AMIC is uniquely positioned to support small- and medium-sized enterprises in the exploration of this new paradigm of advanced manufacturing. The use of additive manufacturing technologies provides manufacturers with numerous benefits including on-demand production, minimized waste/by-products, reduced up-front/start-up costs, rapid turnaround time, efficient materials testing, and more. However, adoption rates in Canada are low (at less than 6%), which results in missed opportunities for the Ontario manufacturing sector. A whitepaper from Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) found two emerging themes, it identified needs: "to grow the market/applications, by sector and clusters" and "to develop the people in [the sector], both customers and suppliers". The report also highlighted the need for training to support additive manufacturing. IE Extend funding will enable AMIC to address NGen's findings by working with approximately 30 partners each year to demonstrate industry specific applications of additive manufacturing and develop new materials for new use cases through applied research projects. The students and industry partners who participate in these projects will gain new knowledge and skills that will support further the adoption of additive manufacturing in Ontario. AMIC will also use IE Extend funding to host symposia and workshops to further deliver its message about the positive impact additive manufacturing can have on the Canadian economy.