Lincoln Laser Solutions (2023-2024)
A University of Windsor Engineering Partnership Catalyst project ($10,000) characterized laser additive manufacturing by directed energy deposition at Lincoln Laser Solutions Inc., toward a Maintenance 4.0 digital twin. Related lab research on in-situ monitoring of laser-cladding coatings is reported in The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (2024).
Contract Glaziers (2019)
Contract Glaziers Inc. needed a way to handle large prefabricated curtain-wall panels: load and unload them, protect them in transit, lift them, rotate them from horizontal to vertical, and support installation. The project designed a reinforced fixation and enclosure system that could handle two panels at once, for speed and for worker safety. Support was an NSERC Engage grant ($25,000) and a follow-on contract ($10,000).
Ramstar Carbide Tooling (2011-2017)
Ramstar manufactures carbide, PCD, and CBN inserts and multitask tooling for the aerospace, automotive, and mould-and-die industries. The collaboration covered computer-aided process planning, inspection planning, production scheduling, and a cellular layout aimed at material-handling cost.
Support across the collaboration included a FedDev Ontario Applied Research and Commercialization project on flexible setup and process design ($80,000, 2011-2013), Auto21 Connect Canada projects on process planning and inspection planning ($10,000 each, 2013 and 2014), an Ontario Centres of Excellence project on integrated process planning and machine scheduling for cutting inserts ($40,000, 2015-2016), and a University of Windsor match for the cellular layout study ($5,000, with $10,000 in industry research support, 2015-2017).
M2M Access (2017)
A Mitacs internship ($15,000) developed a machine-to-machine embedded digital control system for monitoring and inspection of remote assets: water level for fire prevention, remote generators, and climate in severe or distant industrial sites. The package combined low-power sensing with the lab’s work on maintenance, layout, and design for assembly.
Windsor Cardiac Centre (2014)
Windsor Cardiac Centre works in prevention and cardiovascular risk management. An Auto21 Connect Canada project ($10,000) studied outpatient cardiology workflow, with the aim of cutting patient wait time and cost. Layout and flow were approached with mathematical programming and metaheuristics.
Devolder Farms (2013)
Devolder Farms Inc., in Chatham, Ontario, stores harvested grain in bins that have to stay level if the grain is to keep its quality. Commercial spreaders were not meeting that leveling requirement. With an NSERC Engage grant ($25,000) and a visiting researcher from France, the lab developed a mechanized grain spreader and leveler for in-bin drying silos, combining several design methods into one procedure. The project ran about six months.