Helping Canada thrive in the competitive global industry of advanced manufacturing.
Composite materials are the future of manufacturing, contributing to stronger, safer and cleaner products in virtually every industry. The Composites Knowledge Network is ensuring Canada is a global leader in this competitive field.
Twenty countries account for 85 percent of total manufacturing output worldwide, but only 11 can claim advanced manufacturing capability. Canada is one.
Advanced manufacturing is a priority in Canada with good reason. The industry is larger than oil and gas, mining, or agriculture, employing nearly two million Canadians, accounting for $199 billion of our GDP, and representing over $350 billion in annual export value Statistics Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Canada ranks third in the world in aerospace and eighth in automotive manufacturing, two sectors that impact over a thousand companies throughout the supply chain.
Over 750 Canadian companies use composite materials as a key component of their business. This segment represents over 25,000 jobs, contributing upwards of $9 billion to the Canadian economy.
Composites consist of two or more materials with different mechanical, physical or chemical properties. Advanced manufacturing processes are required to develop them, and the result is stronger, safer, lighter, cleaner and cheaper than its constituent parts. After decades of technical and commercial development, composite materials are entering mass production globally, in virtually every sector of manufacturing, including health, transportation, agriculture, construction equipment, mining, robotics and aeronautics.
The majority of Canadian companies involved in composites are small or medium-sized businesses. They are the lifeblood of the Canadian economy, but composites manufacturing is costly and dependent on access to state-of- the-art knowledge and equipment.
Housed at UBC, and led by professors and researchers from UBC Applied Science, the Composites Knowledge Network is helping advance Canada’s world-class knowledge on composite materials, to benefit small businesses and the broader Canadian economy. Is it a national network through which Canada can efficiently translate its scientific research breakthroughs into practical applications.
The CKN hosts regular events, seminars and workshops for members to share knowledge and learn from experts in the composites field. Its Knowledge in Practice Centre is a one-of-a-kind online repository of best practices and the latest thinking in composites research and applications. With members across the country, the Network aims to increase collaboration across disciplines and sectors, enhance uptake of composites technologies in new sectors, and reduce the barriers Canadian businesses face in accessing composites manufacturing knowledge.
As Canada’s top-ranked research university in advanced manufacturing, UBC has invested deeply in research, education and operational funding for composites and advanced materials manufacturing over the past few years. The university launched a new undergraduate program in advanced manufacturing in fall 2019, and also houses the Material and Manufacturing Research Institute.
It’s the ideal home for the Composites Knowledge Network, embracing and enhancing its bold vision to bring innovative ideas to life for the benefit of Canadians.