Development of a Process for the Repair and Recommissioning of Industrial Components Fabricated from Nickel Alloys

PROJECT COST:

827 611 $

PRIMA CONTRIBUTION:

500 000 $

PROJECT DETAILS:

For decades, many damaged industrial components have been routinely discarded. However, today’s global challenges — including the limited availability of critical and strategic materials like nickel (Ni) — combined with an increasing number of legacy components, underscore the need for commercially viable repair solutions.

This project aims to develop a fully automated, Industry 5.0-compatible process to reactivate damaged parts (e.g., due to corrosion or wear) using cold spray deposition of nickel and its alloys. The scope of the work includes:

Developing innovative surface preparation methods
Optimizing deposition parameters for Ni-based superalloys
Creating a localized, in-situ thermal treatment to restore required structural properties
Designing a robotic surface finishing solution within the same cell
Ensuring the know-how gained is transferable to other materials and applicable across multiple advanced industrial sectors

Expected Outcomes:

Promoting the circular economy and sustainability by enabling the recommissioning of critical components for strategic local industries (e.g., aerospace, energy)
Eliminating harmful repair processes
Job creation, with an expected increase from 40 to 50 employees over two years
25% revenue growth for Polycontrols
Enhanced Quebec expertise in additive manufacturing and hybrid process development