Advanced Manufacturing (MOCK UP)

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Explore advanced manufacturing with Waterloo Engineering, where expertise in additive manufacturing advanced materials, robotics, mechatronics, Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things, and nanotech drives innovation. Our state-of-the-art facilities include one of the world's largest university-based additive manufacturing labs and specialized centers for cutting-edge research in sensing and connectivity. 

View our researchers and areas of expertise

Additive manufacturing

Commonly known as industrial 3D printing, additive manufacturing processes gradually build parts up by progressively adding layer upon layer of material based on three-dimensional computer designs.

Advanced materials

The field of advanced materials involves the development of new materials, modifications to existing materials and improvements to associated process technologies to obtain superior products.

Advanced robotics and mechatronics

Numerous engineering disciplines converge in the design, construction, operation and use of autonomous, or partly autonomous, machines capable of replicating human actions.

Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things

Also known as the fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0 involves automation and data exchange in manufacturing, using the IoT and other cutting-edge technologies to enable smart factories.

Nanotech manufacturing

Nanotech manufacturing, or nanomanufacturing, involves the production of improved materials, structures, devices and systems at the nanoscale using top-down or bottom-up approaches.

Product Design

Product design and development drives the economic success of most companies and depends on a deep understanding of stakeholder needs and the capability to safely, effectively and efficiently incorporate those needs in novel, competitive, robust and environmentally responsible product designs.

Explore Labs and Centres for Advanced Manufacturing

Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (MSAM)

A lab focused on next-generation additive manufacturing processes covering everything from the development of advanced materials to closed-loop control systems.

Precision Controls Laboratory

A lab conducting research on the design, modelling and control of precision motion delivery systems, with application in areas including high-speed machine tools, robotics and electronic manufacturing equipment.

Waterloo Management of Integrated Manufacturing Systems Research Group (WATMIMS)

A group conducting research in conjunction with industry partners on tools and techniques to aid in the management of integrated manufacturing and logistics systems.

News

From groundbreaking technology to real-world solutions, Waterloo Engineering’s 2025 Capstone Design symposia will highlight the ingenuity of final-year students. Running from March 12 to 26 in Engineering 7 (E7), the annual event offers a glimpse into the future through student-led innovations.

More than 1,500 students from 12 programs will present over 350 meticulously designed projects. New this year, the i-Capstone symposium will close the event on March 26, uniting students from all six Faculties at Waterloo. This interdisciplinary initiative fosters collaboration and reinforces the university’s leadership in work-integrated learning.

A University of Waterloo research team is close to commercializing its health-tech breakthrough — a painless skin patch that continuously monitors blood glucose and ketone levels in patients with Type 1 diabetes.

Leading the research is Dr. Mahla Poudineh, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The patches are smaller than the size of a band-aid and send real-time results to patients’ smartphones or health-care providers. 

A professor at Waterloo Engineering credits the “magic” that can happen when researchers with different expertise team up for the discovery of a new way to test male fertility.

Dr. Sushanta Mitra, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering, collaborated with Dr. Veronika Magdanz, a professor of systems design engineering, on the testing project.

Learn more about Advanced Manufacturing Research