NSERC Industrial Research Chair at Colleges in the Field of Manufacturing Aerospace Components from Composite Materials

PROJECT COST:

1 750 000 $

PRIMA CONTRIBUTION:

350 000 $

PROJECT DETAILS:

This project aims to address the current needs of Canadian aerospace manufacturers specializing in the production of composite components. These needs were identified in collaboration with several small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and prime contractors, including Bombardier Aerostructures and Engineering Services, Hutchinson Aeronautics and Industry Canada, SphèreCo, Texonic, Lubricor, Génik, and PCM Innovation. The first need is technological and concerns the development of efficient manufacturing processes to increase productivity, strengthen the global competitiveness of the local industry, and thereby bring the manufacturing of composite parts back to Canada. The second need is access to more highly skilled personnel, primarily technicians, of whom the industry is currently experiencing a shortage. The third need is local access to suppliers specializing in aerospace composites.
Cégep Édouard-Montpetit is the largest French-language Cégep in Quebec, comprising two campuses: Longueuil and the École nationale d’aérotechnique (ÉNA). The ÉNA is one of the world’s leading institutions for aerospace education. The CTA is the Cégep’s college-level technology transfer center specializing in aerospace. The chair, a previous project, enabled 800 students and more than a dozen Cégep faculty members to gain specialized experience in aerospace composites. It also contributed to the development of local expertise in composite materials within the Canadian aerospace sector, which employs approximately 8,700 qualified specialists across 400 companies. These benefits will be sustained and expanded through this project.