The INNOV – Advanced Materials center in Caraquet now has a new advanced manufacturing capability: a large format robotic additive manufacturing platform developed around a KUKA KR120 R3900 industrial robot.
Unveiled on September 1 in the presence of, among others, René Cormier, Senator from New Brunswick, Pierre Zundel, President and CEO of the CCNB; Josée Landry, Director of INNOV; Sébastien Vaudreuil, Lead Researcher for Business Development at INNOV; and Maxime Saulnier, Project Manager. Maxime manages the operations of this new facility, which opens up numerous possibilities for prototyping, manufacturing, and materials development.
Beyond the arrival of new equipment, this is above all about providing new capabilities to companies that want to experiment and accelerate their innovation projects.
Unlike 3D printing systems, which are generally associated with the production of small parts, this platform allows users to work on large components and prototypes.
The system is based on a six-axis industrial robot capable of controlled material deposition. It can be used for industrial prototyping, materials testing, and the development and validation of new manufacturing processes.
But additive manufacturing is only one aspect of its capabilities.
After printing, the parts can also be machined using the same system, making it possible to combine different manufacturing and finishing steps while minimizing the number of interventions required between operations.
For a company, this approach makes it possible, in particular, to test different geometries, materials, or manufacturing methods more quickly before considering larger-scale production.
The INNOV teams have already begun to push the platform’s limits.
Among the first projects carried out in Caraquet was the printing of prototype parts using a composite material consisting of 60% wood flour.
This experiment illustrates another benefit of large-scale additive manufacturing: the ability to work with new materials and explore ways to make use of local resources.
Composite materials, bio-based materials, deposition parameters, new geometries, and manufacturing processes: the platform thus serves as both a tool for producing prototypes and an environment for applied research and industrial experimentation.
For INNOV, the goal is not simply to have yet another technology.
The platform should enable companies to test an idea without having to immediately invest in their own industrial infrastructure.
Depending on the nature of a project, INNOV’s teams can assist a company with the following, among other things:
In fact, the equipment’s technical specifications list prototyping, additive manufacturing of large-format parts, materials testing, and the validation of robotic processes among its main applications.
This new infrastructure thus strengthens the capabilities of the Advanced Materials Center in Caraquet and, more broadly, the applied research services offered by the CCNB’s INNOV centers to businesses in New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada.
Representing an investment of approximately $500,000, the project was made possible thanks to support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), RechercheNB, and the CCNB.
The British company Rapid Fusion also assisted the INNOV teams with the integration, installation, and commissioning of the platform.
The unveiling provided an opportunity not only to showcase this new capability, but also to highlight the role that applied research can play in bringing together technology companies that would otherwise find it difficult to experiment with or integrate these technologies on their own.
Would you like to assess the feasibility of a part, test a material, or explore the possibilities of large-format additive manufacturing?
Learn about the features and applications of the KUKA KR120 R3900 industrial robot and discuss your project with our team.
