THE SNAPSHOT
As Canada rethinks military readiness amid shifting U.S. relations, 网红黑料 is partnering with Defence Research and Development Canada to strengthen operational readiness 鈥攗sing advanced additive manufacturing to develop both critical submarine parts and the processes needed to produce them.
THE CHALLENGE
In the recent federal election, Canada鈥檚 major parties made military spending and renewal a theme in their campaigns to form government, making no secret that the country鈥檚 aging defence infrastructure needs investment.
Already in motion, the federal government committed to procuring up to 12 new submarines in September 2024 to replace the Royal Canadian Navy鈥檚 Victoria-class fleet scheduled for decommission in the mid-2030s.
The move is partly driven by the need to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic, where receding sea ice is opening shipping lanes and drawing increased international traffic. As the ice shifts, so too does the complexity of Canada鈥檚 geopolitical position, making operational readiness an increasing imperative.
But time is not on the Navy鈥檚 side. The first of the new submarines isn鈥檛 expected until 2035. Until then, Canada must keep its current fleet 鈥� built in the UK in the 1980s and acquired in the late 1990s 鈥� fit for duty.
HMCS Windsor out of the water for routine maintenance in Halifax. (Image courtesy Department of National Defence)
That鈥檚 no small task, says Cameron Munro, a defence scientist with Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) at Halifax鈥檚 Atlantic Research Centre.
鈥淥ne of the biggest hurdles for the Canadian Navy 鈥� and the military at large 鈥� is keeping our ships, submarines, and hardware operational for long periods. In Canada, we tend to use things beyond their original design life 鈥� 40 or even 50 years,鈥�
While the approach maximizes the value of costly military equipment, Munro notes that aging hardware inevitably leads to malfunctions 鈥� and repairs don鈥檛 always come easily.
If you need to replace a part on a submarine that was built 35 years ago, you may find that the manufacturer no longer exists
鈥淚f you need to replace a part on a submarine that was built 35 years ago, you may find that the manufacturer no longer exists.鈥�
When parts aren鈥檛 available, Munro says the Navy is forced to engage tool-and-die foundries that use time-consuming techniques to custom-build components from scratch. Making matters worse, the Navy鈥檚 one-off orders are often pushed to the back of the queue 鈥� overshadowed by high-volume, high-value commercial work.
鈥淭his kind of procurement can take years,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 not always an option when readiness is the priority.鈥�
THE SOLUTION
When traditional supply chains fall short, innovation needs to step in. At 网红黑料, materials engineer Dr. Paul Bishop has taken up the challenge by adapting advanced materials science and additive manufacturing techniques to meet the Navy鈥檚 needs.
Dr. Bishop in his additive manufacturing lab. (Cody Turner photos)
A highly specialized approach to 3D printing, the method can form the most intricate designs directly from metal powders.听 Given these capabilities, it is increasingly employed by leading-edge manufacturers to fabricate jet engine parts, surgical implants, spacecraft components, and many other items of exacting detail.听
Example of complex design afforded by additive manufacturing at 网红黑料 鈥� a hollow tube 3D printed with an internal lattice structure.
鈥溚旌诹� has designed and commissioned an exceptionally comprehensive suite of infrastructure for this technology 鈥� globally competitive and nationally unique,鈥� says Dr. Bishop.听 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the key reasons the Navy came to us.鈥�
The researcher is leading a partnership with DRDC and supported by NSERC, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and a consortium of industry partners to create the parts 鈥� and the additive manufacturing processes 鈥� necessary to keep naval vessels like the Victoria-class fleet mission ready.
Describing how an alloy is melted in a controlled atmosphere chamber prior to atomizing it into powder form.
Highly specialized, the defense-standard naval alloys used in Canada鈥檚 vessels have never been the subject of additive material research. Dr. Bishop and his team are the first to break them down to understand how to turn them into powder that can then be consolidated with lasers and other thermal processes to build replacements. 听
鈥淣o one 鈥� at least in the open literature 鈥� has done serious research into how these highly specific naval alloys respond to additive manufacturing,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the first fundamental piece of work we鈥檙e doing 鈥� determining which alloys can be printed and what the optimal manufacturing process looks like.鈥�
Systems that deliver metal powder to the laser focal point in the directed energy deposition system.
THE WORK
The project is placing 网红黑料 in a key role between DRDC and emerging additive material manufacturers taking root in Canada. These fabricators are resistant to take on Navy jobs that require extensive research and development but only yield a few parts. Large-scale production jobs are more profitable, making small-batch Navy contracts less attractive.
By doing the research to determine material compositions, design and manufacturing specifications, Dal can tee-up projects for fabricators, allowing them to produce the parts without the front-end investment of R&D.
Changing a setting for the gas sampling line that monitors the oxygen level during metal powder production.
鈥淥ur role at 网红黑料 is to develop the fundamental 鈥榬ecipes鈥� 鈥� what materials work, how to print them, and the processing parameters that yield products of a high metallurgical quality. Once we figure that out, companies take the research we develop in the lab and apply it at a larger, commercial scale.鈥�
Munro says Dal鈥檚 involvement provides the added benefit of allowing the Royal Canadian Navy to own the R&D that produces their parts. He says this is important as it allows them to avoid getting locked into a single supplier鈥檚 proprietary system and the ability to bring down time and cost by shopping contracts for new parts to multiple vendors.
THE IMPACT
听鈥淭his project isn鈥檛 just about making one or two components 鈥� it鈥檚 about building long-term industrial capacity in Canada,鈥� says Munro. 鈥淲e鈥檙e developing processes and proving they work, so the Navy can use them in the future without needing to start from scratch.鈥�
Programming the laser-directed energy deposition system for the production of samples from a naval alloy.
He says additive manufacturing will allow the military to change how it thinks about maintenance. Instead of stockpiling spare parts in anticipation of malfunctions, he says they will be able to produce components from processes developed at 网红黑料 on demand, reducing costs while ensuring the Navy has what it needs, when it needs it.
Dr. Bishop agrees, saying the project will empower the navy with much of the knowledge they need to confidently implement and operationalize additive manufacturing to meet ongoing maintenance challenges.
Laser directed energy deposition fabrication of rectangular bars that will be utilized to measure mechanical properties of the printed naval alloy.
鈥淭he real goal is to provide the Navy and the supporting industry partners with data that define reliable processes that can be used at scale 鈥� passing the baton so to speak, so they can then work together to implement the outcomes in Canada.鈥�
Ultimately, it鈥檚 about self-reliance, says Munro. 鈥淲e need to increase our ability to support Canada鈥檚 military platforms domestically. This collaboration between DRDC, 网红黑料, and industry is helping to build that capacity.鈥�