Additive manufacturing in Quebec
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The Carrefour québécois de la fabrication additive (CQFA)
Additive manufacturing (AM) represents an immense potential for Quebec. Its ecosystem is booming in the province. Many of our economy’s strategic sectors could further benefit from this technology, but this has yet to occur. The Livre Blanc sur la Fabrication additive au Québec [Whitepaper on additive manufacturing in Quebec], presented by PRIMA Québec and its partners, identifies a number of strategic orientations and measures that could potentially transform Quebec into a technological leader through AM. The Carrefour québécois de la fabrication additive (CQFA) is set to become a cornerstone in the achievement of this goal, and its platform will grow into a valuable strategic tool.
The CQFA receives financial support from three major partners. You can learn more by consulting the following news releases:
ADVANCED MATERIALS
The livre blanc sur la fabrication additive au Québec
Additive manufacturing is at the heart of the disruptive technologies that surround Industry 4.0 and underpin the digital transformation of industrial production. Its immense technological potential will produce unique product designs while reducing time‑to‑market and enhancing the quality of parts by leveraging flexible, adaptive and cost-effective manufacturing methods. From an economic sustainability standpoint, AM helps companies better manage their energy transition and the pressures exerted on resources. It also promotes personalized medicine in the context of an aging population.
In Quebec, the AM ecosystem is emerging in full force. The industrial offer is very real across various segments of the value chain. Firms, often of modest size, are exporting abroad while planning to further their investments to serve a diversified customer base. Key sectors of the Quebec economy–ground transportation equipment, aerospace, energy, healthcare, industrial equipment and tooling–are currently exploring and using these technologies. The R&D community has shown its unwavering commitment through collaborations that continue to grow in number and scope. The province also enjoys a competitive advantage in the field of advanced materials and is home to two of the world’s leading producers of AM metal powders.
The Livre blanc sur la fabrication additive au Québec is the result of a mobilization process initiated by PRIMA Québec and its partners, including Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation du Québec, the Centre québécois de recherche et de développement de l’aluminium (CQRDA), MEDTEQ, and P4BUS Systems Inc. The steering committee received the active participation of some thirty industrialists and organizations involved in collaborative research, technology adoption and skills development. Other stakeholders from the AM ecosystem were consulted through surveys.