04-20-2007
PRESS RELEASE
Boucherville, April 20th, 2007 – Maetta is pleased to announce the participation of Natural Resources Canada in a field trial project of its innovative system for shaping materials. Maetta, who specializes in the development and manufacturing of complex parts, has developed a system for prototyping and manufacturing metallic and ceramic parts based on powder injection molding. This is the third version of the system Maetta has been working on for three years. Natural Resources Canada supports the project with a 95 000 $ contribution through the Industry Energy Research Program. This contribution will enable Maetta to perform the scaling and testing of the system. Powder injection molding allows for an optimal use of raw material in that only the quantity required to shape a part is injected into the mold. This can lead to majorreductions in the use of raw material when compared to conventional manufacturing processes.
For Mathieu Boisclair, President of Maetta, the economy of raw material can be substantial although the company is for now mostly targeting small parts. M. Boisclair explains: “ We have selected a sample of parts that we currently prototype or manufacture for clients in order to make a comparative analysis of the raw material required to make the parts using the conventional processes and using the Maetta System. The results are astonishing. Generally speaking, the Maetta System uses 25% to 70% less raw material for the production of the same part. Specifically, the annual production of a part for which Maetta has a obtained a manufacturing contract will only require 200 kg of raw material compared to 2,6 tons using the traditional machining process”.
With the help of experts from Natural Resources Canada, Maetta was able to estimate the energy savings and the reduction in the emissions of pollutants that an increased use of its system could generate. For Mathieu Boisclair, the more efficient use of raw material is only one aspect of the environmental advantages the technology makes possible. “ In some cases, the use of metallic powder opens the way for re-engineering the material used for producing a part in order to avoid using contaminants while maintaining the final mechanical properties.”
Based on expertise and infrastructure in powder materials in Québec, Maetta is working on techniques that would allow the use of recycled materials and the recycling of the finished parts at the end of their life cycle. In the medium term, Maetta wishes to offer a manufacturing process for shaping metallic and ceramic materials that meets the fundamentals of sustainable development.
Maetta specializes in net-shaping manufacturing of metallic and ceramic parts. The prototyping and manufacturing technology developed by Maetta is applicable to all industries.
