METALTec industrial R&D group

"The Advanced Manufacturing program team made sure they understood our needs and suggested a phased approach that reflects industry best practices. Excellent communication and easy access to experts helped us achieve our goals […] Manac, as a Canadian company, is proud to be able to count on the NRC as a centre of expertise that promotes innovation in Canada."

"The NRC's expertise and access to state-of-the-art measurement and characterization equipment have allowed us to increase our level of competence and understanding of the in-service behaviour of aluminium alloys for the automotive sector. The NRC provides us with an additional asset to respond quickly to customer needs and supports our activities to consolidate and develop our markets in this area."

"The NRC has allowed us to validate and understand the effects of corrosion on dissimilar metal assemblies. Concrete results supported by clear explanations allowed us to develop new, lighter and less expensive designs while minimizing the risks raised at the beginning of the project."

METALTec is an industrial research and development group. It offers its participating companies the latest developments in the manufacture of metal products for the transport sector. METALTec catalyzes innovation by creating a research community with participants from across the value chain, from raw material suppliers to major vehicle manufacturers.

Its objective: to bring solutions to common industry problems through pre-competitive research projects. The results of these projects will enhance the capabilities of partner companies in the manufacturing, assembly and durability assessment of advanced components and several materials with specially adapted properties.

METALTec now has 29 active industrial participants, 9 partners and 8 academic collaborators who share the cost, risks and benefits of pre-competitive research projects estimated at $2.5M per year.

• Surface characterization and high throughput mechanical testing for laser-based powder bed fusion (LPBF) aluminium alloy
• Incremental cold projection manufacturing platform for structural aluminium
• Turbulent filling and rapid solidification in die casting: multiscale characterization and modelling
• Thermal management of 3D printed inserts for aluminium forming via topological optimization – testing and validation
• Harnessing the full potential of incremental sheet-forming through material characterization and adjusted simulation models
• Hot forming processes for complex aluminium components using multiple mechanisms
• Cyber-physical production system for durable assemblies of recycled aluminium alloys
• Harnessing the full potential of incremental sheet forming – Single interface and improved pre-processing numerical methodology
• Laser pretreatment as a substitute for chemistry solutions in adhesive bonding
• Generative artificial intelligence assisted characterization for metallic material
• Intelligent cobotic welding and robot perception of environment
• Application of highly adherent AA6061 and AA7075 powder deposits by laser-assisted cold spray on AA6061 aluminium extrusions
• Enhancing extrusion output while retaining class A surface finishes
• Development of small volume heat exchangers sealed by laser and friction stir welding
• Feasibility study on coaxial, wire-fed, laser additive manufacturing for fabrication and repair of steel components
• Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) anomaly detection for steel and aluminium components
• Design guideline for cast structural components under cyclic service
• In-line surface inspection of aluminium extrusion process: AI-based vision technologies
• Building finite element analysis surrogate models using advanced AI methods
• Conduction heating warm-stamping of Aa6xxx series: influence of initial temper, forming recipe and paint bake cycle (PBC) on final mechanical properties
• Evaluation of a real-time paint integrity monitoring sensor system
• Predicting hot tearing in semi-continuous casting of large ingots

• Gain access to unique technologies and confidential R&D results
• Be part of cutting-edge R&D projects at an affordable cost
• Make use of skills and expertise that align with your priorities
• Control, minimize and share the risks associated with new technology development
• Obtain comprehensive, reliable results you can adapt to your needs
• Expand your technical capabilities and become more competitive

All companies first sign a standard agreement and pay an annual membership fee that is fully invested in research projects. They get confidential results, a non-exclusive licence on the intellectual property generated and excellent networking opportunities!

R&D activities are developed according to the priorities of METALTec industrial participants based on shared problems and common areas of interest. Companies analyze and evaluate all proposals submitted to the group so that the most promising projects can be launched within the available research budget.

Projects are defined by participants once a year, and the NRC is responsible for preparing proposals. The NRC may also work to obtain co-funding for the benefit of its participants and thus conclude funding agreements with third-party organizations such as Natural Resources Canada, the Metal Transformation Research and Innovation Consortium (CRITM), the Centre québécois de recherche et de développement de l'aluminium (CQRDA), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), through its academic collaborators.

Results are delivered to participants on an ongoing basis at biannual technology transfer group meetings and technical sessions held via videoconference. The documents inherent to the projects are uploaded to an online platform which only participating companies can access.