Image: Niagara College Research & Innovation
The Challenge
MTechHub is an association of 400 Canadian Manufacturing SMEs created by Burlington-based software development company Seradex. Their aim is to overcome common industry business challenges through the use and adoption of digital technologies. They came to the Research & Innovation division to develop an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor solution that would measure equipment voltage in an attempt to mitigate long-term repair costs and reduce energy consumption.
The project is funded by the Niagara College-led Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI). The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) contributes.
The Results
The Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (WAMIC) and the Digital Technology Solutions teams were able to identify wireless voltage sensors already in the market that could be retrofitted to existing equipment. For testing purposes, WAMIC’s 3D printers were outfitted with numerous sensors to get an idea of what voltage levels would look like. A comparison was also conducted to determine the accuracy and setup ease for different brands of sensors.
This project is funded by the Niagara College-led Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) through Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) contributions.
Source: Niagara College Research & Innovation’s Walker Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre