As governments, industry and academia work collectively to strengthen Canada's economy, RRC Polytech's Price Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics is proud to launch the Centre for Automation and Manufacturing Technology Transfer (CAMTT) - a vital solution designed to drive technology adoption across the sector while training the workforce of tomorrow.
Serving as a hub to connect business and industry with applied research, innovation, technology transfer and talent, CAMTT will strengthen our workforce and economy by helping small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Manitoba address productivity through automation, Artificial Intelligence, robotics and mechatronics. By leading collaborative projects as they upskill and reskill in their careers, students at the Price Institute will gain valuable experience solving real-world challenges.
"The Centre for Automation and Manufacturing Technology Transfer (CAMTT) is a collaborative workspace where industry and academic partners can work together to bridge gaps by accelerating the acquisition and adoption of existing and emerging technology," said Fred Meier, President and CEO, RRC Polytech. "Our students will not only be honing their skills by leading applied research projects - their insight, energy and expertise will lead to innovative solutions that support Manitoba businesses in today's competitive global market."
CAMTT is the first of its kind in Manitoba and its new working space can connect faculty, students and partners anywhere in the world. Manufacturers-in-residence will effectively guide teams dedicated to each venture as they experiment to perfect new concepts and processes, under a shared vision.
An initial success story is already in use on the production line of a local manufacturing leader, and the namesake of the Price Institute. In CAMTT's inaugural project, a student-led team worked with the Electronics Division of Price Industries to automate a time-consuming manual inspection process. Together, they created a Trainable Automatic Vision System (TAVS) that combines hardware including a camera to capture images of printed circuit boards (PCBs) with trainable software that uses AI to predict and validate if the PCBs pass Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) metrics of production.
"The students did a great job to get a working test fixture completed, testing accurately and deployed into our production line," said Mike Nicholson, C.E.T. General Manager, Price Electronics. "We look forward to our next project at CAMTT as we continue integrating components that optimize cost, time, quality, and efficiency."
Partners can expect extensive cost-effective collaborative projects that leverage all of RRC Polytech's research facilities and resources, including funding through the Digital Technology Transformation Initiative, and are positioned for success by maximizing emerging technologies, state-of-the-art equipment and outside-the-box thinking to tackle specific challenges.
"CAMTT takes an interdisciplinary approach to system, product, and solution development helping manufacturers harness emerging technology to reduce their labor market challenges, while training their future workforce," said Dr. Vikram Banthia, Director of RRC Polytech's Price Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics. "Partner with us to leverage our technology, innovation, expertise, assets and talent and take your project from idea to reality."
