University of Waterloo receives $5M for sustainable metal Additive Manufacturing consortium
February 25, 2025
The University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, has received a $5 million investment to support the creation of the Consortium for Sustainable Scale-up in Metal Additive Manufacturing (CSS-MAM).
The Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab spans around 1,400 m2 and is equipped with more than $25 million of cutting-edge equipment. MSAM leads innovation in advanced manufacturing, developing the next generation of sustainable Additive Manufacturing technologies for industries worldwide.
The lab’s growth and expansion provide industry and students with access to top-tier expertise and equipment, enabling the comprehensive development iteration, and validation of additively manufactured products from raw materials to finished goods by applying advanced scientific discoveries to industrial contexts.
“To protect our local economies and increase the capacity of local supply chains, we need to support homegrown solutions that drive innovation, create good-paying jobs for Canadians, and tackle climate change,” said The Honourable Ruby Sahota, Minister of Democratic Institutions and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. “Today’s investment highlights the Government of Canada’s continued commitment to driving innovation and sustainable growth across key sectors, ensuring that Canadian solutions lead the way.”
Under the leadership of Drs Ehsan Toyserkani and Mihaela Vlasea, co-directors of MSAM, the CCS-MAM will build on the lab’s tremendous success and concentrate on three main areas: clean economic growth, accelerating scale-up of partner industries’ production and training.
“The MSAM laboratory is a remarkable facility that brings together world-class infrastructure and cutting-edge equipment, expertise, intellectual properties, and partners to support the advanced manufacturing sector across Canada,” Toyserkani shared. “This funding will not only support the creation of the CSS-MAM, but will address Ontario’s advanced manufacturing sector’s need for clean and sustainable economic growth.”
The MSAM Lab is pioneering technologies of the future. It revolutionises both large and small-scale advanced manufacturing while promoting sustainability. By adopting economically and environmentally sustainable materials and minimising waste through precise material deposition, the lab enhances clean technology and responsible production, reducing excess consumption and energy use.
“Through the CSS-MAM, focus will be placed on increasing industry competitiveness and productivity, while simultaneously minimising waste and CO2,” Vlasea stated. “This will be accomplished by optimising AM processes and productivity, encouraging the adoption of large-scale AM tech, adding artificial intelligence-driven quality assurance platforms, developing material reuse strategies, and part lifecycle analysis.”
The funding will also help create a mix of online and in-person advanced industry training programmes. The curriculum will focus on facilitating upskilling to address the significant need for skilled engineers in the Canadian workforce and the high demand for professionals needed in the AM sector.
“Thank you to our partners at FedDev for this significant investment. The creation of CSS-MAM will allow the University of Waterloo to leverage our talent and proven track record of industry partnerships to support R&D for even more startups and small and medium enterprises,” Charmaine Dean, vice-president, Research and International, shared. “Importantly, it allows for direct industry access to advanced facilities to achieve agile solutions. It also supports industry-focused training for the skilled workforce of tomorrow. By advancing the scale-up of domestic sustainable supply-chain clusters, CSS-MAM envisions a green and prosperous future for the economies of southern Ontario and Canada.”
