CNC Fabrication Technician, Ryan Pannenbecker, discusses the benefits of the combined five-axis, mill-turn processes in the Mazak Integrex. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

At their Open House

RDP’s Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing celebrates funding towards assisted medical devices

Jun 2, 2022 | 11:27 AM

Red Deer Polytechnic’s (RDP) Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing – Technology Access Centre (CIM-TAC) held their Open House this week, sharing their engineering capabilities as well as updating the public on their national funding towards health care innovations.

The CIM-TAC collaborates with small and medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs to create solutions to various real-world manufacturing challenges.

“The Open House provided an opportunity for stakeholders and community members to come to CIM-TAC and gain a better understanding of the first-class innovation and opportunities that are available here,” says Jim Brinkhurst, RDP Interim President. “The prestigious grant funding that the CIM-TAC has received over recent years allows us to grow the knowledge, expertise and equipment available to support research and innovation – in central Alberta and beyond.”

On Wednesday, visitors gathered at the campus’ industrial research facility to view equipment demonstrations for 3D printing and scanning, augmented reality and more. CIM-TAC Manager Tonya Wolfe also discussed their plans for a $300,000 grant received in April by the federal Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

The funding was given over two years in an Applied Research and Technology Partnership (ARTP) grant to help businesses lower the cost of customizable assistive devices in the health care industry by promoting their growth and innovation in Alberta. The institution says it will be able to accelerate commercialization of these devices through the addition of engineers and technologists with specialties in mechanics, mechatronics and robotics, as well as students in engineering, business, and health sciences to assist on projects.

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CIM-TAC officials say the majority of medical devices used in the Canadian healthcare system are imported, while this project would allow the province to diversity its economy by adopting digital manufacturing.

Darryl Short of Karma Medical Products (KARMED) gave a keynote address at the Open House event about his collaboration with the CIM-TAC in the development of a system for hand and upper extremity therapy. The product assists patients in gaining flexibility, strength, and functional independence. CIM-TAC worked with KARMED on prototyping and in the scale-up stage.

Ryan Pannenbecker, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) fabrication technician at CIM-TAC, says he hopes the funding and the open house shows the province the diverse needs the institution can meet, having worked with businesses in the medical, agricultural, and consumer product industries.

“We’re here just highlighting the capability and capacity that we have here at the institution that very few people seem to know about,” he said.

Wolfe echoed that statement, encouraging businesses to visit the CIM-TAC for their local expertise in design for manufacturing, validation, and manufacturing optimization.

“We keep hearing that this is ‘Alberta’s best kept secret’ and we don’t want it to be a secret anymore,” she said. “The CIM-TAC is here to support companies to solve their manufacturing problems and use advance manufacturing technologies so they can have new products, solve problems in a different way, export, and commercialize and we want them to know that they can do that right here in Alberta.”

The CIM-TAC also received funding in 2020 by NSERC which Wolfe says has allowed the institution to hire additional staff that expanded their offerings in design engineering and material expertise.

She confirmed three intakes would he held for the funding. The first application deadline is June 24 and she expects to interact with around 25 companies over the next two years.