Vanguard Magazine

s shIPBuILdIng 26 APRIL/MAY 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com by marcello sukhdeo Shipbuilding event: Technologies that will drive shipbuilding in the future a t the recently held Shipbuild- ing Technology Forum, about 150 personnel from the military, government, defence and ma- rine sectors participated in an innovative knowledge exchange program about tech- nologies of the future. The one-day event, held on March 2, 2017 at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, was the third such annual event that was organized by Vanguard to high- light and showcase new technologies that could offer vital solutions to the shipbuild- ing industry in Canada. Over the years, Vanguard has used this forum to help "promote the debate and discussion with leaders in government and industry about technological advancements and opportunities in Canada's new classes of vessels," Terri Pavelic, Editor-in-Chief of Vanguard said during the opening remarks, setting the stage for the conference. Francois Cordeau, Vice-President of En- gineering at the National Research Coun- cil (NRC), said during the opening key- note that the NRC has been involved in Arctic technologies for over 60 years, and that many projects that they have taken on have had a direct impact in the shipbuild- ing sector. He went on to describe how the NRC has been commissioned by Transport Canada to look for clean technologies like photovoltaic – since solar power is becom- ing the cheaper power to use for the first time – to generate clean energy in provid- ing power for auxiliary uses such as light- ing and communication. The NRC is also actively engaged in Ad- ditive Manufacturing (AM) in metal power and wire applications areas and the use of laser technology to further this technique, so as to lower the overall manufacturing and repair costs in shipbuilding. This was an apt introduction to the panel on Additive Manufacturing in which Philippe Dupuis, President of Precision 3D, talked about cold spray technology and how it can restore parts that were damaged during nor- mal use or even during manufacturing. "It is more expensive to replace a part than in repairing it," he said. With cold spray "you can restore and coat areas that were damaged at a far lower cost," Dupuis added. Another area of AM is 3D printing, which is expected to double in the next three years. Garry Warren, Vice President of the Industrial Development Construc- tion & Equipment Division of JD Irving Ltd., talked about the three pillars for the adoption of Additive Manufacturing: re- search and development, workforce de- velopment and commercialization. He also pointed out that they are working on launching a Centre of Excellence to "ensure the future of manufacturing in Atlantic Canada through innovation and technology" along with the three pillars. This will help local manufacturers to have access to training and the facility to stay current with emerging technology, the re- gion to be recognized as an expert in the use of 3D metal printing and to empower SMEs to produce the next generation of parts and materials. Dr. Mohsen Mohammadi, Assistant Pro- fessor and Director of the Cognitive Per- formance Optimization Lab at the Uni- versity of New Brunswick, shared his latest research on the different types of 3D print- ing and demonstrated the use of laser and powder combination in 3D printing. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) was another topic that was covered during the confer- ence. Andrew Kendrick, Vice President of Operations at VARD Canada, spoke about the challenges of LNG and how Canada can benefit from it. LNG provides a competitive advantage for Canadian ports, while provid- ing cost reductions for operators and end users. It also provides opportunities for ship- yards and suppliers to grow their businesses, and results in cleaner air for all. Kendrick reminded the audience that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee has set a global sulphur cap that requires all ships to use fuels with a maximum 0.5 per cent sulphur content as of January 1, 2020. "As we draw closer to the 2020 sulphur limit that will take effect globally, ship owners have to make a deci- sion really fast," Kendrick said, to go with a cleaner fuel like LNG. "We are very close to having a take-off in LNG," he added. "Trust is the keyword in marine safety," Jeffery Hutchinson, Deputy Commissioner for Strategy and Shipbuilding at the Cana- dian Coast Guard, told the audience during the luncheon keynote. "We aim to have the safest system in the world, it is our heart and soul," he added. To get to this point

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