Manitoba Aerospace Week

Oyedela Ola (P. Eng) and laser technician Justin Grehen set up hybrid laser trials on aerospace materials at the Centre for Aerospace Technology and Training, a collaboration between Red River College School of Transportation, Aviation and Manufacturing and StandardAero. Photo by Darcy Finley for the Winnipeg Free Press Red River College's CATT Centre at forefront of robotic welding technology I By Todd Lewys For the Free Press t's an acronym that sounds futuristic and mysterious all at once – the CATT Centre. And while its home could be cities such as Boston, New York – even Toronto or Ottawa – the Centre for Aerospace, Technology and Training calls Winnipeg home. Not only that, but the centre is intimately involved in developing new laser welding techniques aimed at making aircraft more efficient from their engines on out. "We've actually formed an independent campus with Standard Aero – it's also supported by Western Diversification, the province of Manitoba and the federal government's Technology Access Centre Program (TAC), which supports salaries and research internships – that's devoted to developing new processes for the repair of aircraft engines," said Fred Doern, chair, Applied Research, School of Transportation and Aviation Management. "It's used half the time by the college, and half the time by Standard Aero." Over the past 18 months, CATT's Oyedele Ola has been working with engineers and operators at the centre to develop new welding processes for aerospace and other manufacturing. Some of the 16 Manitoba Aerospace Week September 9 - 13, 2013 processes that Ola and his team are coming up with are – in a word – amazing, said Doern. "One of the processes – hybrid welding, which is a combination of laser and GMAW (a.k.a. MIG) welding – allows for deeper penetration, and is being applied to aluminum alloys. It's an optimization process, and the beauty of it is that you can do rapid, long welding seams that reduce weight by 30 per cent, but that allow for the same structural strength," he explained. "It's a revolutionary technique being used for steel in European shipbuilding and auto industries, as well as in the aerospace industries, so bringing it to Winnipeg is very important." From there, the techniques get more futuristic. For example, a cold metal welding technique is being developed to maximize the uses of Inconel, a high nickel super alloy. To add to the futuristic feel, robots with machine vision systems are also being used to ensure the leading-edge welding techniques are applied in flawless fashion. "Almost all the devices here are cutting edge," said Doern. "Our job is to come up with new techniques, and to optimize them for different applications that can be used for automobiles, buses (locally at Motor Coach Industries and New Flyer) and aviation. The robotics/machine vision systems are used for part assembly and verification; their primary use is to ensure quality control is as high as possible." Further to that, robotics is used to get precise, repeatable welding paths. "At CATT, we're demonstrating high-end robotic welding, and have built a robotics training lab that's used as a training facility for western Canada," he said. "This past summer, we welcomed Baxter, a two-armed robot with vision system whose developer was formerly of MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Right now, it's a research system that we hope can be used with other robots to optimize quality and eliminate repetitive elements, so being involved in its development it is very exciting." Part of that involvement has students working in a variety of areas. "They're working hard at coming up with common language platforms, as well as programs for jigs and fixtures (which hold parts to do welding)," Doern said. "It's practical applied research for the college. We're excited about CATT – it's becoming recognized as one of the leading facilities in robotic welding in Canada. It's a great opportunity for the students, and the companies. It's catching a lot of attention, and has also earned the respect of our partners," said Doern. "We're ecstatic to be involved in all this, to say the least."

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