About | Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence | UNB

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Transformative marine manufacturing

About the Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence

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MAMCE ensures the adoption of additive manufacturing in the industrial marine sector of Canada. We develop methods, procedures and effective workforce training systems.

We work with certification organizations to guarantee designs and parts developed for commercial use.

We are based at the University of New Brunswick, in the Faculty of Engineering.

Our mission

MAMCE ensures the adoption of additive manufacturing in the industrial marine sector of Canada. We develop methods, procedures and effective workforce training systems.

We work with certification organizations to guarantee designs and parts developed for commercial use.

Structure

Our structure design is based on ISED requirements for ITB obligations.

Our content is 100% Canadian and we are involved in bids to design the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) and for its service maintenance and repairs.

Additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, will revolutionize marine manufacturing in Canada. With this technology, Canadian fabricators can create new components on demand, simplify cumbersome supply chains and address the unique challenges of the marine sector. These challenges include:

  • corrosion
  • isolated systems (ships)
  • time-sensitive access to complex and critical spare parts (offshore oil and gas)

The process being pioneered at the Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence will dramatically change how ships are made. 3D printing provides the freedom to design more complex shapes with fewer independent parts, as well as the ability to combine assemblies into a single part.

Research will be led by Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi at UNB, with the 3D metal printing performed at an industrial fabrication and machine shop in Saint John, N.B.

Research and development topics include:

  • Enhanced corrosion protection 
  • Hybrid printing 
  • Smart parts 
  • Blast resistance 

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Partnerships

Membership is available to organizations interested in the marine industry, naval technology and marine manufacturing that want to participate in research projects that will advance the adoption of additive manufacturing.

MAMCE attracted $12 million in research funding, from industrial, federal and provincial organizations.

Industry funding partners

  • Lockheed Martin
  • Irving Shipbuilding Inc.

Commercialization partner

  • Custom Fabricators & Machinists

Training partners

  • New Brunswick Community College (NBCC)
  • Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB)
  • Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC)

Key collaborators

University of New Brunswick 

UNB is the main proponent of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Atlantic Innovation Foundation (AIF) project. UNB also hosts the Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence. 

Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi is the overall project lead. He collaborates with four other UNB researchers throughout the project to conduct high-level research and development activities.

UNB hosts the characterization, testing and simulation equipment. The hired HQPs will execute their responsibilities at UNB.

Community colleges

The New Brunswick Community College (NBCC/CCNB) along with the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) serves the role of training the workforce.

A new curriculum focused on additive manufacturing is developed by these organizations. They also participate in research along with researchers at UNB. 

NSCC has a Renishaw AM250 3D metal printer that improves our collaborative resources.

Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN)

MUN hosts a full corrosion facility including H2S and CO2 related corrosion equipment. This needs a proper ventilation system at the Department of Mechanical Engineering. 

Dr. Ali Nasiri, an expert in corrosion and harsh environment protection, manages this facility.

Our corrosion tests will be performed at MUN.

University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI)

UPEI recently established a newly developed School of Sustainable Design Engineering and focuses on 3D metal printing. 

UPEI has two metal 3D printers (EOS M100) through CFI. They work actively with the aerospace sector.

Dr. Sadegh Babaii, an expert in multiscale modelling, is a close collaborator of Dr. Mohammadi. They work on designing micro-lattices using metal 3D printing.

University of Saskatchewan (USask)

UASask hosts a complete impact and shock loading facility with the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar, located in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Dr. Akindele Odeshi, an expert in impact and blast protection of materials, manages this facility.

Impact tests, including high strain rate compression and shear tests, are performed at USask.

McMaster University

McMaster hosts the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

McMaster has the only 300 KeV TEM in the country. MAMCE benefits from the extreme capabilities of this machine and collaboration with their scientists.

TEM and XRD analysis are performed here.