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Solutions for Real-World Manufacturing Challenges Solutions for Real-World Manufacturing Challenges

McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI)

Nearly every industry is experiencing technological disruption. In manufacturing, developing new tooling and processes to meet shifting demands allows our partners to stay ahead of the disruption curve, and we're proud to help them do it. Since 1999, we've been a strategic partner to industry, applying our world-class expertise and cutting-edge facilities to solving manufacturers’ challenges — honing processes to maximize productivity and quality while reducing cost and facilitating product innovation.

For prospective researchers excited about the future of manufacturing, the MMRI is a leading institute, spanning many manufacturing processes, where you can grow your experience and career in advanced manufacturing.

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The McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute (MMRI) is focused on finding solutions to the challenges faced by today’s manufacturing industry and optimizing every facet of the machining process.

Dr. Stephen Veldhuis, director for the MMRI’s 15,000-sq.-ft. facility, leads a core group of technical experts. Renowned faculty members from various disciplines combine their expertise to conduct applied research and educate both students and professionals.

By facilitating multi-sector relationships, we help the manufacturing sector grow, stimulating our region’s industrial community, increasing economic activity, and creating great jobs in the sector. MMRI is a key member of the Advanced Manufacturing Consortium, Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONOMI), and Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster.

Learn more about the MMRI

How does the MMRI help Ontario’s manufacturers? Institute Director, Stephen Veldhuis explains.

Video: 

MMRI Outcomes

  •  Improved performance of manufacturing processes

  • Increased technical expertise of students in manufacturing

  • Opportunities for employees of industry partners to increase their knowledge and expertise

  • Stronger cross-sector collaboration, connecting industry, government and the university

Proud Member of OAMC: The Ontario Advanced Manufacturing Consortium

The partnership between the Advanced Manufacturing Consortium and our research facility is helping to create and build industry adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies. This partnership will create jobs and strengthen the province’s reputation as a leading manufacturing region. The partnership includes; McMaster University, University of Waterloo, and Western University.

If you would like to learn more about OAMC please look at their website here:

OAMC Website 

 

MMRI News

McMaster Engineering to receive $1.425M from SONAMI

July 15, 2019

The Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) combines the resources and expertise of its members and matches them to the needs of smaller manufacturers. 

Steel company earns millions with ‘magic’ drill thanks to McMaster partnership

Prior to enlisting the R&D help of McMaster’s faculty and student engineers, vRSC’s $50 carbide drills would last for roughly 500 drilled holes before breaking. By project’s end, that number rose to a staggering 10,000 holes drilled per tool, says a happy Andy Skrepnek, vRSC’s Director of Innovation.

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Events

Upcoming Events

A practical workshop on Cutting Tools for High Performance Machining Operations

February 7, 2020, 9 am to 4 pm, John Hodgins Engineering Building, Room A114, McMaster University

Looking to leverage the latest science developments in your day to day machining operations to:

  • Save costs in your operations

  • Improve your first time quality

  • Increase your productivity

  • Find solutions for machining of difficult-to-cut materials

We are passionate about sharing our knowledge and experience through our “High Performance Machining Operations” workshop series.

The cornerstone of all high quality cutting processes, Cutting Tools are extremely important to quality, cost and productivity. Join us at our upcoming workshop on Cutting Tools to learn how to choose the right tool and maximize the use of it by learning the fundamentals of:

Choosing the best geometry to:

  • Prevent tool damage
  • Achieve the highest surface quality
  • Perform at highest productivity
  • Better manage chips/swarf

 

Reducing tool wear by :

  • Understanding wear mechanisms
  • Learning how to measure tool wear
  • Finding the root causes
  • Learning preventative actions

 

Learning about different classes of tool materials/coatings:

  • Performance
  • Properties
  • Limitations
  • Characterization

 

Organizer and Instructor

Maryam Headshot

Maryam Aramesh

Professional Education Development Manager at the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute

Maryam obtained her Ph.D. from Polytechnique Montreal in Mechanical Engineering-Manufacturing. She has taught  “Manufacturing processes-Metal removal” for undergraduate students as a sessional faculty member at McMaster University. She has been at the MMRI since 2015, working on several academic and industrial projects related to machining processes.

Guest Lecturer

Jose Mario Paiva

Academic Research Manager at the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute

Jose holds a PhD from PUC-PR in Mechanical Engineering. He has been with the MMRI from 2017, assisting students with their research and industrial projects.

 

The cost of the workshop is 500 CAD and includes lunch and snacks during the breaks.

Space is limited, so register early!

For information about our other upcoming workshops in this series, please contact Maryam Aramesh at arameshm@mcmaster.ca

Register

Past Events

A practical workshop on Cutting Tools for High Performance Machining Operations

The first in our series of High Performance Machining Operations workshops

November 21, 2019, 9 am to 4 pm, John Hodgins Engineering Building, Room 109A, McMaster University

Looking to leverage the latest science developments in your day to day machining operations to:

  • Save costs in your operations

  • Improve your first time quality

  • Increase your productivity

  • Find solutions for machining of difficult-to-cut materials

We are passionate about sharing our knowledge and experience through our “High Performance Machining Operations” workshop series.

The cornerstone of all high quality cutting processes, Cutting Tools are extremely important to quality, cost and productivity. Join us at our upcoming workshop on Cutting Tools to learn how to choose the right tool and maximize the use of it by learning the fundamentals of:

Choosing the best geometry to:

  • Prevent tool damage
  • Achieve the highest surface quality
  • Perform at highest productivity
  • Better manage chips/swarf

 

Reducing tool wear by :

  • Understanding wear mechanisms
  • Learning how to measure tool wear
  • Finding the root causes
  • Learning preventative actions

 

Learning about different classes of tool materials/coatings:

  • Performance
  • Properties
  • Limitations
  • Characterization

 

Organizer and Instructor

Maryam Headshot

Maryam Aramesh

Professional Education Development Manager at the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute

Maryam obtained her Ph.D. from Polytechnique Montreal in Mechanical Engineering-Manufacturing. She has taught  “Manufacturing processes-Metal removal” for undergraduate students as a sessional faculty member at McMaster University. She has been at the MMRI since 2015, working on several academic and industrial projects related to machining processes.

Guest Lecturer

Jose Mario Paiva

Academic Research Manager at the McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute

Jose holds a PhD from PUC-PR in Mechanical Engineering. He has been with the MMRI from 2017, assisting students with their research and industrial projects.

 

The cost of the workshop is 500 CAD and includes lunch and snacks during the breaks.

Space is limited, so register early!

For information about our other upcoming workshops in this series, please contact Maryam Aramesh at arameshm@mcmaster.ca

Register

 

Atomic Force Microscopy Seminar

 

 

Atomic Force Microscopy Seminar

Material Property Assessment Workshop

Friday, May 3, 2019

Join us for a lecture on Material Property Assessment Techniques in the morning, followed by hands on demonstrations on our AFM, Nanoindenter, Tribometer and Scratch Tester.

Lecture: 10:00 am to noon (BSB 136 at McMaster University)

Hands-on Workshop: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the Material Property Assessment Laboratory (JHE 112 at McMaster University)

For more information and free registration click here

Highlights from the 7th Annual Manufacturing Form

What happens when you bring a group of industry leaders passionate about manufacturing into one room? For some, it becomes one of the highlights of the year.      

To read more about this event, please click here.

The seventh annual forum and open house on Thursday, May 2, 2019 was a success with over 250 industry representatives, researchers and students in attendance.

The keynote speakers Cameron Schuler, (chief commercialization officer and vice president of Industry Innovation at the Vector Institute), Irene Sterian, (president and CEO of ReMAP and director of Technology and Innovation Development at Celestica), and Jayson Myers, (CEO of Next Generatopn Manufacturing Canada) deiliverd engaging and impactful presentations cenetrd around Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Manufacturing. 

John Preston, associate dean, Research and External Relations for McMaster Engineering, reflected on this years open house saying;

"The MMRI Open House is one of the highlights of the year," says Preston. "It brings hundreds of people from industry to McMaster and is a great chance for us to introduce ourselves, what we can do and what industries problems are and celebrate past successes... Advanced manufacturing is one of those sectors that if you can succeed in it, it drives all kinds of other opportunities. We can actually see the fruits of our labour put into practice and make a difference."

 

Presentations From Our Guest Speakers

Here are the  speakers' slides from the 2019 Manufacturing Forum: 

Video: 

The 2018 forum has passed and we're planning for 2019

Our next McMaster Manufacturing Forum and Industry Open House will be hosted in Spring 2019. Have a look at highlights from this year’s Manufacturing Forum, hosted May 9, 2018.

With over 300 industry representatives, researchers and students in attendance, keynote speakers, Jayson Myers, CEO of Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, and Don McIntosh, Senior Fellow of Manufacturing Technology, Pratt and Whitney, shared their insights on the future of manufacturing in Canada.

“The Supercluster doesn’t begin and end in a local area,” Myers said. “What we’re really trying to do is leverage as much of the research and development; the knowledge and the technology assets that we have in this region for the benefit of manufacturers and the benefit of the Canadian economy as a whole.”

Read more highlights from the 2018 event

See highlights from 2018

Video: 

McMaster Manufacturing Forum, April 6, 2017

Overview

Video: 

Keynote Address

Video: 

Panel Discussion

Video: 

Presentation Slides

Keynote

Michael F. Zaeh, Prof. Dr.-Ing, TU Munich, Germany: Industry 4.0 Made Tangible -Tangible Things Within Industry 4.0

Expert Panel moderated by Dennis Darby, President & CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

 

Our Focus

The MMRI's focus is to develop intelligent solutions to issues faced by Canada's manufacturers in all steps of machining processes. Contact the MMRI today to learn how we can work together to improve quality, productivity and cost in your manufacturing processes.
 

Video: 

Industry collaboration is at the core of our research efforts. We can engage in short-term to multi-year technology transfer projects with our industry partners.

Government sponsored programs are available to facilitate University-Industry relationships through Ontario Centres for Excellence (OCE), National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and other programs. These groups offer grants to offset the cost of collaborative projects.

If you are interested in working with MMRI, please contact us at:

Phone: 905-525-9140 ext. 24258
Website: mmri.mcmaster.ca
 
MMRI - McMaster University
JHE 310
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON
L8S 4L7

 

We offer Technology Transfer Opportunities for:

  • Tooling Selection
  • Tool Path Development
  • Process Monitoring
  • Process Parameters
Tooling

Tooling

Tooling Selection

Tooling Selection

The MMRI can help you choose the correct tool for your process.

Tool Path Development

Tool Path Development

Improve your cycle times and push your machines to their full capability by utilizing the process simulation and optimization software: MACHpro.

Process Parameters

Process Parameters

We can tune your process parameters, such as feeds and speeds, to optimize your production.

Process Monitoring

Process Monitoring

With use of our software, MMRI-Monitoring,  you are able to track process production and production issues.

Technology Transfer

Technology Transfer

We have extensive experience in machining process optimization and  improvement.

Our Laboratories

The McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute consists of seven research labs. Each lab specializes in a unique branch of manufacturing.  

The MSL studies advanced machine tools and metal cutting. Research projects are strongly linked to industrial R&D of interest to manufacturing industries involved in machining. A major focus of the MSL is increasing efficiency and lifecycle of machine tools.

Visit the MSL webpage

The MFL is engaged in scientific and applied research on many aspects of sheet metal forming to further our understanding of material and process factors that allow or inhibit sheet materials to be formed into manufactured components.

Visit the MFL webpage

How can we manufacture very small components better? The MML is involved in a wide range of research that seeks to answer that question. Using our advanced equipment and instrumentation we investigate this with very high precision.

Visit the MML webpage

The CAPPA-D is involved in research, education and technology transfer in polymer processing and rheology. Projects involve formulation, conversion, and characterization of plastics, mathematical modeling of single and twin screw extrusion, co-extrusion, injection moulding, thermoforming, rotational moulding, film blowing, reactive extrusion, mixing, and coating.

Visit the CAPPA-D webpage

The RMAL is an extensively equipped research facility featuring collaborative robot arms, vision-guided robots, machine learning applications in robotics, machine vision systems, PC based open-architecture control systems, custom robotic hands and grippers, and a large selection of sensors and actuators for building prototype robotic systems.

Visit the RMAL webpage

The Thermal Processing Laboratory has the expertise and facilities to investigate approaches to thermal processing and offer R&D facilities and technology to the thermal processing industry. The lab is committed to developing and investigating the best solutions for Canadian industry, and assist industrial partners to solve immediate problems and help develop long-term R&D strategies.

Visit the TPL webpage

There’s a common saying “use the right tools for the job.” Do you ever hear use the right materials? Whenever we’re developing new products or performing failure analysis we need to understand the suitability of a chosen material and asses how it behaves under various conditions.

MPAL specializes in assessing these properties and behaviours by working very closely with industry and academia to select application-specific standard solutions to assessing materials. We also develop brand-new testing methods where established standards fall short of our partner’s needs.

Visit the MPAL Webpage

Our current work is focused on manufacturing and testing of advanced materials and devices using electrochemical techniques.  We have developed a State-Of-The-Art electrochemical and nanomaterials processing facility using funding from CFI/OIT grant “Electrochemical Science and Engineering Center” and other grants. Our projects are focused on electrodeposition of metals, alloys, polymers, quantum dots, oxides, hydroxides, carbon nanotubes, graphene, semiconductors, composites and other functional materials, manufacturing and testing of electrochemical energy storage and generation devices and corrosion studies.

Our Success Stories

We invite you to read about the MMRI’s past industry projects and see how we have found solutions to difficult real-world problems faced by Ontario manufacturers. Here are a few examples of the companies who have come to us with their advanced manufacturing problems and how we have helped to solve them.

Voestalpine Improving Tool Life

Voestalpine Improving Tool Life

Partner: Voestalpine is an international steel-based technology and capital goods group that is active in steel, automotive, railway systems, profilform and tool steel industries. Voestalpine is the leading supplier of tubular components and assemblies for automotive occupant restraint.

Challenge: Voestalpine wanted to develop the world’s best process for producing ultra-high-volume components here in Ontario.

Solution: The MMRI helped the local manufacturing facility with extensive forming experience to expand to machining. When this project is complete, it will be the world’s most competitive process for producing these parts.

Impact: Before the MMRI’s contribution, vRSC’s $50 carbide drills would last for roughly 500 drilled holes before breaking, but by the project’s end, that number rose to 10,000 holes drilled per tool. This innovation has brought in millions of dollars in new business and has meant adding five more automated production lines to vRSC’s Burlington facility. This drilling technology is now being adopted around the world.

Testimonial: “It’s a tremendous success, and especially unheard of because we’re drilling on a round surface is very tough material. This would be impossible to do without McMaster. Without having their expertise involved, we wouldn’t be competitive.” - Andy Skrepnek, vRSC’s Director of Innovation.

Read more here: https://www.ncinnovation.ca/blog/portfolio/vrsc-success-story

BioHex Dental Implant Testing Machine

BioHex Dental Implant Testing Machine

Partner: Biomedical Implant Technology Inc.

Challenge: The client developed a new style of dental implant called the BioHex Dental Implant. It is their hope that their dental implant can replace the industry standard, but it requires testing to determine its viability and usable life.

Solution: The MMRI team designed and developed a desktop machine capable of mimicking years of chewing in a controlled fashion. The machine can be run for hours or millions of chewing cycles and the dental implants can be easily monitored. 

Impact: Testing is still ongoing. The economic impact will not be known until the end of 2019.

Testimonial: “I would like to congratulate you and your team at McMaster Manufacturing Research Institute for the engineering design of the testing apparatus specific for our application in Implant Dentistry.

The chewing machine, the load cell and software are simple and robust. The applied load was adjustable and constant throughout the testing period. The design of the position measuring device is simple, accurate and reproducible. The data obtained was reliable and the conclusions drawn would be meaningful. Thanks again for meeting and exceeding our requirements.”
– Dr. Kwan, CEO of Biomedical Implant Technology Inc.

OS&B Hospital Drain Pipe Design

OS&B Hospital Drain Pipe Design

Partner: Oakville Stamping & Bending is a leading Manufacturer and Distributor of Plumbing Products. OS&B is Canada’s largest manufacturer and Distributor of Waste & Overflows, Traps, Lavatory Drains, Tubular Brass Fittings and various other plumbing parts.

Challenge: Ontario hospitals were looking for anti-microbial solutions to prevent the spread of bacteria from room to room through plumbing fixtures. The partner required support in “design for manufacturability” of a new “p-trap” design made from exotic anti-microbial material.

Solution: The MMRI performed an iterative design exercise and created a final prototype for collaborative testing with OS&B. A year-long research testing is being done within seven GTA hospitals on this product.

Impact: All parts are fabricated in Ontario, which means this design is bringing more work to Canadian machining and casting subcontractors. MMRI’s functionality improvements have meant positive projections for the economic future of OS&B.

Testimonial: “As it turns out, their research team ended up helping me develop an even more efficient detaching method from my original design. I don’t know what I would have done without McMaster,”
- Chris McLeod (R&D product designer for OS&B).

Read more here: https://www.ncinnovation.ca/blog/portfolio/plumbing-company-to-help-break-chain-of-deadly-hospital-outbreaks-thanks-to-sonami-partnership

NORLOK Hand-Held Clinching

NORLOK Hand-Held Clinching

Partner: NORLOK Technology Inc. is a trusted leader and innovator in sheet metal fastening, setting the standards in clinching technology.

Challenge: NORLOK asked the MMRI to provide a hand-held clinching device using pneumatic actuators. Clinching, also known as press joining, is a high-speed, mechanical fastening technique for point joining of sheet metal components. Clinching requires no consumables or pre-drilled holes and is performed in a single step, making it a clean, inexpensive and simple technique. 

Solution: By partnering with the MMRI, NORLOK was able to access extensive R&D resources to punch above their weight in developing a new product and access a new market.  

Impact: By partnering with the MMRI, NORLOK was able to reduce the research and development demands on their internal resources. This new development represents a niche market that NORLOK can now access. The potential sales from this new market segment are estimated at $150,000 to $200,000.

Services

Study with Us

Interested in pursuing a graduate-level degree in manufacturing engineering? McMaster’s Manufacturing Research Institute is one of the top facilities in Canada to learn and advance the knowledge, techniques and processes of the manufacturing sector. We have laboratories spanning many facets of the manufacturing process, from high-precision machining, materials development, prototyping, robotics, and more, that offer a spectrum of research opportunities.

By studying and working at the MMRI, you’ll be surrounded by leaders in manufacturing research and have opportunities to address industry problems faced by Ontario’s manufacturing sector. The MMRI ethos is that everyone contributes to industry projects and gets training to perform their own research on our industry-scale equipment.  This makes for a rich learning environment, requiring hands-on problem solving skills, safe working practices, precision when working around equipment and a passion for excellence.

To apply for a position at the MMRI please read the following instructions carefully:

Send an email to mmri-hr@mcmaster.ca that includes all of the information contained in the following sections. It is important that you look through each section in detail so that you don't miss anything.

 

Begin by using one of the following Subject lines to specify your interests:

  • Staff
  • Post Doc
  • Sabbatical
  • PhD Student
  • MASc Student
  • Intern (Co-op or Summer student)

In the body of your email please provide the following information using the format provided:

Program of Interest (subject line) and area of interest:

Funding status (Student with your own scholarship or require support):

Proposed Start Date:

Education: (in reverse chronological order)

Most recently completed degree

Program (Degree):

University:

Grade (example 3.8/4 or 8.9/10 etc.):

Class position (example 1st in class or top 5%):

List Research Projects and Hands on Experiences:

Extracurricular activities:

First degree completed

Program (Degree):

University:

Grade:

Class position:

List Research Projects and Hands on Experiences:

Extracurricular activities:

If you are from a non-English speaking country:

IELTS Score or TOEFL Score

Most recently completed job

Company:

Position:

Responsibilities (point form):

First job

Company:

Position:

Responsibilities (point form):

Summarize main research interests and related experiences in point form:

List of publications in reverse chronological order

Summary of other major contributions (Patents)

Highlights of interests and personal experiences

How did you hear about the MMRI?

3 References with contact details (Name, Position, Employer, Phone, E-mail)

Please attach supporting documentation such as your cover letter, your CV, research statement and informal grade summary to your email.  This is an informal stage in the review process so the documentation does not need to be official until we invite you to submit a full formal application. 

Contact Us

Stephen C. Veldhuis

Stephen C. Veldhuis

MMRI Director & Machining Systems, Micro Manufacturing, & Material Property Assessment Laboratories (MSL, MML & MPAL))

Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson

Centre for Advanced Polymer Processing and Design (CAPPA-D)

Mukesh K. Jain

Mukesh K. Jain

Metal Forming Laboratory (MFL)

Gary M. Bone

Gary M. Bone

Robotics and Manufacturing Automation Research (RMAL)

Mohamed S. Hamed

Mohamed S. Hamed

Thermal Processing Laboratory (TPL)

Igor Zhitomirsky

Igor Zhitomirsky

Electrochemical Manufacturing and Device Laboratory

Philip Koshy

Philip Koshy

Machining Processes

MMRI Administrator

Jennifer Photo

Jennifer Anderson

MMRI Administrator

High Performance Machining Workshops

Professional Education Development Manager
Maryam Aramesh
E-mail: arameshm@mcmaster.ca        
Phone: 905-525-9140 x 27800        

 

Machining Systems Laboratory

Program Manager   Project Manager   Research Engineer    Machining Team Leader 
Simon Oomen-Hurst   Steve Remilli   Brady Semple   Terry Wagg
Office: JHE 109A   Office: JHE 109A   Office:  JHE 109A    Office:   JHE 109A
E-mail: oomenhs@mcmaster.ca   E-mail: remills@mcmaster.ca    E-mail:  semplebg@mcmaster.ca    E-mail:  waggt@mcmaster.ca
Phone:  905-525-9140 x 27800   Phone: 905-525-9140 x 27800    Phone:  905-525-9140 x 27800    Phone:  905-525-9140 x 27800

 

Material Property Assessment Laboratory

Project Manager
            
Bipasha Bose
            
Office: JHE 112                  
E-mail: boseb@mcmaster.ca                  
Phone:  905-525-9140 x 26450