Created through a unique partnership between Western University, Fanshawe College, and the City of London, The Advanced Manufacturing Park is a 130-acre technology park located in the heart of Canada's largest manufacturing region, minutes from Highway 401. The Advanced Manufacturing Park aims to empower collaboration between leading edge research, manufacturing, entrepreneur and investment partners to rapidly generate high technology, manufacturing innovations and advanced solutions to ensure a repetitive and continuous competitive advantage for regional industry and economic growth.
Key features of the Advanced Manufacturing Park include:
- Zoned for full-scale manufacturing and large-scale research
- Many large industries nearby, including Hanwha, 3M Canada, Trojan Technologies, Cami Automotive, Toyota Manufacturing
- Growing list of contracts signed with leading, multinational manufacturers and advanced technology SMEs
- Convenient access to Toronto, Detroit, seven universities and 30% of Canada’s population within a two-hour drive
- Served by rail and an international airport
With ample room to grow and develop new technologies – particularly in the renewable energy and transportation sectors – this multi-functional, collaborative centre will provide small, medium, and large enterprises with flexible access to a globally unique array of facilities:
Fraunhofer Project Centre
The Fraunhofer Project Centre is North America’s first full-sized production environment for the development, testing, and validation of lightweight materials and advanced manufacturing processes, in partnership with Germany's Fraunhofer Society, Europe's largest applied research organization. The ability to develop materials with specific desirable properties, particularly those that are light-weight or have low life-cycle impact is highly valuable to manufacturers in automotive, aerospace, or renewable energy, among other industries. The primary focus of research at the Fraunhofer Project Centre will therefore be fibre composites for lightweight construction in various markets. Material and process research will be carried out in processing technologies such as Direct – Sheet Moulding Compounds (D-SMC), Long Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastics (LFT) and High Pressure Resin Transfer Moulding (HP RTM).
WindEEE Dome
The WindEEE (Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment) Dome is the world's first hexagonal wind tunnel that will allow scientists to address scientific, economic and societal challenges related to wind. This large scale structure (25 meters diameter for the inner dome and 40 meters diameter for the outer dome) has the capability of physically simulating high intensity wind systems, including tornados, downbursts and gust fronts that cannot be created in any existing wind tunnels. The floor of the WindEEE Dome can accommodate replicas of buildings, bridges and cityscapes, enabling engineers to test for structural soundness in a variety of wind conditions. The Dome also has the capability to test turbines used in wind farms to achieve maximum efficiency.
Catapult Centre for Technology Commercialization
The Catapult Centre for Technology Commercialization will support a variety of partner companies engaged in the collaborative projects in active development at the Fraunhofer Project Centre. With ongoing support from the project partners and London’s innovation community and infrastructure, these projects have the potential to develop into their own independent research centres and full-scale production plants at the adjacent serviced industrial land that is capable of supporting well over 1,000 long-term advanced manufacturing jobs. The Catapult Centre will allow the engagement and participation of multiple industry partners while ensuring the security of their IP and proprietary technology from competitive companies.