Back in 2004, the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab was established in a tiny but valuable 150-square-foot space in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering. Twenty years later, it is the largest metal additive manufacturing academic research lab in Canada, housing over $25 million in infrastructure and is one of the best university-based research facilities in the world.
In the fall of 2023, MSAM opened a brand-new 15,000-square-foot location in the heart of downtown Kitchener to enable both industry and students to access the best equipment and expertise to create additive manufactured products. Plus, the lab provides training programs to help create a workforce of advanced manufacturing professionals.
MME professors Dr. Mihaela Vlasea and Dr. Ehsan Toyserkani co-lead the lab, and the facility has attracted top research talent to put Waterloo in a top spot for scholarly discoveries in additive manufacturing.
“The team at MSAM has strategically aimed for innovation while developing the next generation of metal AM technologies — another way of saying 3D printed products. We excel in novel material adoption and development, as well as creating innovative quality assurance algorithms and software solutions to enhance the resilience and sustainability of part production.”
Many students who have done research in MSAM have gone on to establish their own additive manufacturing companies, worked at some of the top additive manufacturing companies, or become professors at some of the top universities in North America.
Head over to From small lab to global additive manufacturing powerhouse for the rest of the story.