The Manitoba Aerospace Association, EnviroTREC and WestCaRD are hosting the Manitoba Aerospace Workshop on January 16 and 17 in Winnipeg. Representatives from the National Research Council Canada, the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec and small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be on hand to discuss the aerospace industry’s future in Manitoba. Topics will include priority technologies, funding recommendations and supply chain development. The workshop is aimed towards technology managers, technology practitioners and business planners from aerospace SMEs. It will also include relevant information for aerospace researchers from academia and government agencies.
Event Info:
January 16 -17, 2013 | 7:30 am – 4 pm both days (breakfast included)
Hilton Winnipeg Airport Suites | Winnipeg, MB
1800 Wellington Avenue
No cost to register.
To register, please contact alfonz.koncan@envirotrec.ca. Click here for more information.

Red River College (RRC) invites you to tour its Centre for Aerospace Technology and Training (CATT), an off-site industrial campus located at StandardAero.
Take this opportunity to tour RRC’s Industrial Campus operated in partnership with StandardAero. Located in Plant 5 at StandardAero, this facility highlights a number of new and emerging technologies, including laser welding; robotics and automation; plastic welding and X-ray tomography (2D/3D non-destructive inspection). CATT’s industry-leading equipment will also be on display, including a two-armed robot with 15-degree movement and a rapid-prototype 3D polymer printer.
RRC representatives will be on-hand to answer questions regarding CATT and how your company can take advantage of the facility’s digital technologies to improve your productivity.
Click here to register. Space is limited.
Tour Details
Date: December 6, 2012
Time: 9:00 am – 11:00 am
Location: StandardAero | 1885 Sargent Avenue | Winnipeg, MB | View map
This event is supported by the National Research Council Canada’s Digital Technology Adoption Pilot Program (DTAPP).

Manitoba’s next great innovation could be just around the corner – and now is your chance to witness it.
On Wednesday, November 28, Innovate Manitoba is holding PitchDay, a dynamic event where individuals with a business idea (students, researchers, budding or established entrepreneurs) present two-minute pitches to an expert panel of judges and an audience of Winnipeg’s entrepreneurial community. The panel, which includes entrepreneurs, investors and professional service providers, will judge each pitch based on commercial potential and presentation quality.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, PitchDay offers you a chance to connect with Manitoba businesses. Attendees will take in the presentations and enjoy a networking reception with entrepreneurs, capital providers, CEOs, VPs, directors, senior managers, service providers, entrepreneurial support professionals, academic faculty and students.
General admission is $15. For more information on PitchDay, and to register, click here.
Event details
Innovate Manitoba PitchDay
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Hotel Fort Garry | Winnipeg, MB
4:00 pm – 9:00 pm

While some buildings in Manitoba’s harsh climate perform well over time, others experience major problems ranging from high-energy bills to crumbling facades.  Researchers with Red River College (RRC) are aspiring to determine why.

With funding from Manitoba Hydro, RRC will test 20 commercial buildings throughout the Province over the next 16 months for air leakage, a critical factor in a building’s energy use, durability, air quality and comfort.
“It is a significant but essential step to better understand how air leakage affects Manitoba’s commercial buildings,” said Rob Spewak, RRC’s research manager.  “Manitoba Hydro’s support and assistance reinforces the importance of this issue.”
The need for airtightness in buildings was initially seen only as an energy issue, since excessive air leakage can significantly increase heating and cooling costs, but other significant problems can occur.
“Simply put, air leakage can carry large amounts of water vapour into a building’s envelope during Manitoba’s long heating season,” said Spewak. “This can lead to corrosion and rotting of components, destruction of masonry materials, mould growth, and more.”
In response to market demand and public sector green building policies, buildings are being constructed and retrofitted with evermore consideration towards energy efficiency and sustainability.
However, airtightness is rarely tested in these projects.
“We will test a subset of buildings pre- and post-retrofit to determine the feasibility of cost-effective air sealing strategies,” said Harry Schroeder, principal project proponent with Manitoba Hydro.  “This approach will provide valuable feedback on how to improve the design, construction, and operation of commercial buildings.”
While airtightness has been tested thoroughly in Manitoba homes, the province’s commercial buildings have hardly been touched.
“Over 30,000 homes in Manitoba have had their airtightness measured since 1979,” said Ken Klassen, RRC’s Centre for Applied Research in Sustainable Infrastructure (CARSI) research professional. “Meanwhile, less than a dozen commercial buildings have been tested in this province – all of relatively modest size.”
The main reason for this discrepancy is the ease at which homes can be tested, compared to large buildings.
“Testing homes is a pretty modest exercise and the equipment can easily be transported, even in a sub-compact car,” said Klassen.  “For large commercial buildings, the equipment is cumbersome and the testing process is more complex and time-consuming.”
The lack of large building airtightness testing is not unique to Manitoba.  Research conducted in 2011 by the Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation identified data for only 192 buildings worldwide.
Air leakage has been gaining notoriety in recent years, primarily in the US, but also in the UK where they have recently established mandatory air leakage testing requirements for most commercial building projects.
“While international research has been done, its relevance to our market is often limited as it is has generally been conducted in regions that are very different from Manitoba’s,” said Klassen.
The research will be conducted with significant RRC student involvement.
“It is an exciting opportunity for students to get hands-on applied research experience in an emerging area of building science, while also learning alongside nationally recognized green building scientists and experts,” said Spewak.
Along with funding and in-kind support from Manitoba Hydro, the project is receiving significant financial support through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council grant that RRC received to conduct research on improving the energy performance of buildings.
To get involved, or for more information on SITRG, please contact:
Rob Spewak
Research Manager, Applied Research & Commercialization, RRC
rspewak@rrc.ca | (204) 632-2357
For background information and photos, visit Air leakage testing of 363 Broadway.

Join Red River College (RRC) and the Industrial Technology Centre (ITC) at the Western Canadian Aviation Museum for a discussion about the latest in robotic systems technology from two leading equipment manufacturers, FANUC Robotics Canada and Lincoln Electric.
Why should Manitoba manufacturers automate and use robotics in their plants? What kind of return on investment can be realized? What has changed in the world of robotics that you might not be aware of? Did you know that many of the robots in operation in Western Canada are welding robots?
If you are considering automation or just want to learn more about robotics, this is the seminar for you. Representatives from FANUC Robotics Canada and Lincoln Electric will be on hand to answer these questions and to explore a number of successful robotic applications that are specifically geared for manufacturers in Manitoba.
FANUC will explore examples such as: robotics with integrated machine vision; CNC load/unload for batch production using vision; various aerospace applications; robotic fiberglass manufacturing; small-batch robotic painting; plastic injection moulding load/unload and post processing; picking/packing/palletizing; simulation CAD to path; successful implementation considerations.
Lincoln will explore answers to the following questions:

• What does it take to implement robotic welding?
• What applications are effective for good welding results (through robotic automation)?
• What are the best ways to work with low, medium and high part volumes?
• What tools are available to resolve tolerance issues on parts (touch sensing, seam tracking, vision)?
• What is the best approach to ROI calculation and risk management?

This seminar is supported by the National Research Council Canada’s Digital Technology Adoption Pilot Program (DTAPP).
Event details
Location: 2nd Floor, Western Canadian Aviation Museum | 958 Ferry Road | Winnipeg, MB
Date: Nov. 21, 2012
Time: 7:30 am – 8:00 am (Breakfast) | 8:00 am – 9:45 am (Seminar)
Click here to register online.

Innovation 2012, the 3rd annual Alliance for Commercialization of Canadian Technologies (ACCT) research and commercialization forum, is taking place from December 2-4, 2012 in Ottawa, Ontario.
The conference brings together global technology-transfer and industry-engagement practitioners from academia, industry, and government, connecting them with venture investors and intellectual-asset managers. Through interactive seminars, attendees will generate practical ideas and real-world solutions to stimulate Canada’s innovation performance.
For more information on Innovation 2012, and to register, visit www.innovationpartnership.ca. Early bird registration is available until November 11.
Event Details
Innovation 2012
December 2-4, 2012 | Ottawa Marriott Hotel | Ottawa, ON

Photo: Gerry Kopelow/Photographics Inc.

• Forming teams for your first BIM project
• Databases and software that can be utilized for BIM
• Starting your first BIM project
• Extracting pertinent data from the process
• Potential gains (productivity, quality, organizational, etc.)
• More…

Following these presentations, Rick Hiebert, RRC’s resident BIM expert with the School of Construction and Engineering Technology, will present on the current BIM instruction that is being provided to RRC students, and the currently-available and in-development training opportunities for industry professionals.
Date: November 7, 2012
Time: Registration from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. and Presentations from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.
Venue: Presentation Theatre, Second Floor, Winnipeg Convention Centre
Cost: $78.75 (including GST)*
Training Credit: 1.5 Structured/Core Hours designated by MAA
* A limited number of complementary registrations are available for RRC staff and students.
RRC Staff & Student Registration: Register here

Non-RRC Registration: Download this registration form and follow the instructions.
Registration deadline is Monday, November 5 at 5:00 p.m.
This event is designed for architects in small- to medium-sized organizations, but other design professionals, engineers, builders, contractors, developers, educators and students will also benefit from attending.
Along with the Manitoba Association of Architects, this event is brought to you by Red River College and its project supporters: the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program’s Digital Technology Adoption Pilot Program, the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council, and the Sustainable Infrastructure Technology Research Group.

 
 

3D isn’t just for blockbuster movies.
With several different applications, 3D scanning has the potential to be a viable technology for a wide range of manufacturers.
Rapidform’s Scott Green will be at the Industrial Technology Centre on November 6 to share the essential steps for processing 3D optical-scan data for inspection and reverse-engineering applications. Scott will discuss the benefits of 3D scanning and give an overview of available 3D-scanning technology and Rapidform software products. The presentation will also include detailed case studies and a look at future advances in these applications.
This is a free event. To register, or for more information, please email tech@itc.mb.ca by November 2.
Event Details
November 6, 2012 | 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Industrial Technology Centre | 200-78 Innovation Drive | Winnipeg, MB

UPDATE: Web Streaming Available
The room for this seminar is now full. However, due to popular demand, we will be piloting a live web-streaming video option. Any new registrants will be sent a link for viewing the presentation from any computer prior to the event.

Join Red River College and the University of Manitoba’s Dr. Barry Prentice on October 10 for an engaging discussion on the potential for modern airships to change transportation and shipping in Canada.

With almost three-quarters of Canada inaccessible by land, transportation and shipping to Northern communities is a challenge. Harsh conditions add to infrastructure and freight costs, while timely delivery is near impossible. Transport airships, a new generation of cargo-carrying aircraft, present a potential solution to Northern transportation gaps.

With over 30 years of experience in the transportation field, the University of Manitoba’s Dr. Barry Prentice Ph.D., MCIT has witnessed the positive impact that reliable infrastructure can have on a region. Barry will share how transport airships have evolved over the past century to become a viable option for businesses serving remote areas. Attendees will gain a better understanding of the technology behind modern transport airships and how, if properly implemented, they can change how we look at transportation and grow Northern Canada’s economy.
Register now to access the live web stream.
Dr. Prentice is a Professor of Supply Chain Management, at the I.H. Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba and the former Director (1996-2005) of the Transport Institute. His major research and teaching interests include logistics, transportation economics, urban transport and trade policy. Dr. Prentice holds a degree in economics from University of Western Ontario (1973) and graduate degrees in agricultural economics from University of Guelph (1979) and University of Manitoba (1986).
Dr. Prentice has authored or co-authored more than 250 research reports, journal articles and contributions to books. His scholarly work has been recognized for excellence in national paper competitions and awards. In 1999, National Transportation Week named him Manitoba Transportation Person of the Year. Through the Transport Institute, Dr. Prentice has organized national and international conferences on sustainable transportation (Railways and the Environment), supply chain logistics (Planes, Trains & Ships), agribusiness logistics (Fields on Wheels), the potential use of airships for northern transportation (Airships to the Arctic) and food trade between Canada and Mexico (La Cadena de Frio). In 1999 and 2003, he received University of Manitoba Outreach Awards. In 2009, Dr. Prentice was made an Honourary Life Member of the Canadian Transportation Research Forum.