In industry, inspection of manufacturing floors is handled by humans. The drawback of using humans for this repetitive task is that collected data can be highly prone to bias due to small sample size and industrial engineers can miss relevant details during the cycle time analysis. Calculations often misinterpret the real factory situation. This research aims at finding an automatic computer-vision-based system for manual inspection. Some industries are trying to use wearable sensors, so that they can monitor worker activities.

This project is developed to leverage 3D printing to fabricate personnel protective equipment and other products that can help us navigate the COVID 19 pandemic. 3D printing can be used to quickly fabricate a design idea, but it is a slow process, and there is some inherent porosity, so using this process to make masks is problematic, and other products may prematurely fail. We can use the 3D printed parts for proof of concept, and as patterns to fabricate low volume molds.

New opportunities lead to new challenges. The additive Manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing process has created new opportunities as it has reduced advanced process planning times. However, this is not true for new multi-degree of freedom machines being introduced to fabricate complex metallic components. Research to facilitate AM CAD/CAM needs to be performed, and this research project focuses on developing advanced process planning solutions for bead based deposition systems. This research will support machine tool builders developing new AM equipment, and their customers.

From 2014-2018, Krown Corporation, a pioneer in corrosion treatment, partnered with University of Windsor Faculty of Engineering researchers to conduct a comprehensive assessment on how to measure and assess the degree of corrosion on a vehicle, so that it may be communicated to the vehicle owner.

E-commerce has become one major marketing channel for many firms in Canada and world-wide and has increased dramatically in recent years. As firms migrate from traditional physical retail channels to combined physical and virtual channels, the shift brings new significant challenges to supply chain and logistics management. Blockchain is able to maintain authoritative records in a fully decentralized, secure, and trustless manner and far-reaching implications in supply chain management. Blockchain technology will revolutionize several aspects of supply chains; financial and non-financial.

Additive Manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing, has captured the public’s imagination, but it is not a ‘done in one’ process for metallic components, although this is the perception. It is a relatively new manufacturing process which is increasing its presence in the manufacturing domain. Advanced design and manufacturing software solutions need to be developed to leverage the process potentials for machine tool or robotic-based systems, which is the focus of this project.

Sustainable public transfer systems are getting a lot of attention, and many organizations are transforming their fleets into systems that rely on alternative fuels; the Electric Vehicle (EV) being most popular. The environmental, geopolitical and financial advantages of EV vehicles are well studied; however, security of these systems is not given full attention. The most common method of recharging EVs is to use exchange or recharge stations.

Softab Technologies is a fast-growing company in Windsor, Ontario that is developing new formulations and methods to provide nutraceuticals: vitamins, natural extracts, and minerals in a revolutionary new form of chewable and dissolvable gel. They are working with a research team in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Windsor to refine the formulation and make it flexible for utilizing a number of different ingredients so that it can be customized and tailored to specific ingredients.

Rain water penetration can cause severe damage to building materials and facilitates the growth of mould, endangering the health of the occupants of the building. This Mitacs project will determine the water penetration resistance of various clay brick veneers used in various buildings. This research will also provide very important test data that may allow engineers and builders to use much lighter clay bricks (clay bricks with large voids) as the brick veneer. Use of lighter bricks translates to less carbon footprint and hence, is a sustainable choice.