TraCLight conference encourages joint R&D efforts on lightweighting

Associate Professor Adrian Gerlich gives a tour of the University of Waterloo welding research facilities to TraCLight conference attendees.

The University of Waterloo recently hosted the TraCLight conference “Joining Technologies for Innovative Lightweight Design.” The one-day conference brought together more than 25 researchers and 50 industry experts to discuss trends in joining techniques, advances in laser welding of lightweight materials, challenges in lightweight design, and related strategies for using adhesives and composite construction.

TraCLight is short for Transatlantic Cluster for Lightweighting. This transatlantic arrangement, launched in January 2017, was developed to encourage international expansion and networking of German and North American companies and research centres. The Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR) at the University of Waterloo and Western University have both become involved in the initiative, and local companies have started to show interest in working with researchers on collaborative R&D projects.

TraCLight is focusing its energy on a few key areas of lightweighting development: additive manufacturing of metal components; joining techniques; integrated process optimization; automation; and digital manufacturing. It is encouraging companies in Canada, Germany, and the U.S. to engage with researchers to find innovative solutions to their lightweighting problems.

One such company that is at an early stage of discussions with TraCLight is Erwin Hymer Group North America Inc., a Canadian manufacturer of recreational vehicles. The company is reviewing its manufacturing processes to see how it can bring new lightweighting processes to its products while still maintaining the high-quality finishes that its customers expect. Management hopes that it might lead the company to doing more of its fabricating work in-house and streamline production.

“The transatlantic partnership provides a unique opportunity for Canadian and German researchers and industry reps to share strategies and identify opportunities for emerging new materials and processes,” said Adrian Gerlich, associate professor and NSERC/TransCanada Industrial Research Chair in Welding for Energy Infrastructure in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo. “I think most people saw something new here, and that will help stimulate more innovative designs in the future.”

If your company is interested in pursuing lightweighting in its product line, visit www.traclight-cluster.com to see how you can get involved.