Innovation Profile: Conestoga College

An Automatic Choice for COM DEV International

In the high-end business of designing and manufacturing leading-edge electronics for spacecraft and telecommunications, precision manufacturing is crucial.

That's why Cambridge, Ontario-based COM DEV International has turned to Conestoga College and students in its Mechanical Systems Engineering program to help create an automated solution to a labour-intensive process. The company is a world leader in its field, supplying hardware to more than 700 spacecraft, including 80% of the commercial communications satellites that have been launched.

"In the machining of a specific part, it is inevitable that raised material or burrs are created on the surfaces of premium aluminums and metals," says Greg Healy, General Manager of Space Electronics & Instruments at COM DEV. "When a high-powered radio-frequency signal passes through these parts, these types of imperfections might impact performance."

As a result, COM DEV and Conestoga worked on a robotic deburring solution. Students have executed a feasibility study, prepared a process design and manufacturing cost study, conducted initial testing of ceramic deburring tools, and developed a preliminary design for an automated robotic deburring cell.

Funded by COM DEV and the Ontario Centres of Excellence Connections program, the project has met COM DEV's rigorous technical requirements and is continuing through proof-of-concept studies.

"We rely on Conestoga and its technologist training programs for 'here and now' solutions and we offer students opportunities for high quality jobs," adds Greg Healy. "Fourteen percent of our employees are Conestoga graduates."

A component just added to the partnership demonstrates both partners' desire to continue expanding their collaboration. The goal of this secondary project is to automate the visual inspection of metal reeds that are central to signal-switching in space and telecommunications technologies. The project will involve networking a robot with a camera to a laptop with vision system software. The robot will be programmed to turn and display the reeds to the camera. The resulting detailed images will be compared to strict standards before each part can pass inspection.

COM DEV is part of a growing hub of more than 200 wireless and RFID (radio-frequency identification) companies within the third largest ICT cluster in North America. Toronto Region ranks fourth in North America for scientific impact on the subject of wireless and RFID technologies, based on the number of citations for each published, academic article.

COM DEV International awarded Premier of Ontario's Catalyst Award for Company with the Best Innovation, May 18, 2010 

 

College R&D Innovation Profile

Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation (CONII) Innovation Profile