3-D printing research centre opens in New Brunswick

Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi, director of the Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, and graduate student Carter Baxter examine a 3-D printed metal component. (Image: Rob Blanchard/UNB)

The University of New Brunswick, in partnership with Custom Fabricators and Machinists (CFM) and community colleges in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, has opened the Marine Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence, a research centre for metal 3-D printing for the marine and defence industries.

The centre combines research, commercialization, and workforce development and training. It is the first facility in Canada to use metal 3-D printing to manufacture certified, custom parts for the marine sector.

The R&D aspects of the centre are led by Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi, director of the centre and associate professor of mechanical engineering at UNB. CFM partners on commercialization, while the New Brunswick Community College, Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, and the Nova Scotia Community College lead workforce development and training.

The centre is funded by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and Irving Shipbuilding Inc. Lockheed Martin is contributing $2.7 million as part of its industrial and regional benefits obligation to the Canadian government for its contract for the CP-140 Aurora Structural Life Extension Project. Irving Shipbuilding contributed $750,000 as part of its Value Proposition commitments under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).

“As the commercialization partner, CFM is pleased to be hosting the 3-D printing equipment at our facility, and we look forward to working with the community colleges to provide a hands-on classroom to train the next generation of skilled machinists and fabricators,” said David Saucy, vice president, Construction and Equipment division of J.D. Irving Ltd.