Chairholders

Profile

Bernard Tougas

Centre de métallurgie du Québec
Cégep de Trois-Rivières

Chair title

NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in the Development of metal powders for advanced manufacturing processes and applications

Chair program

Industrial Research Chair for Colleges

Role

Chairholder since 2019

Summary

The NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in the Development of Metal Powders at the Quebec Metallurgy Centre (CMQ) is committed to assisting in the development of this industry by proposing innovative and realistic technological advances. In operation for over 30 years, the CMQ has supported the development of several hundreds of businesses. With its experience and its equipment fleet unique to Canada, the CMQ is the ideal collaborator to develop concrete research and development activities with these businesses, while facilitating the implementation of their findings into the production process. Moreover, the recent addition of a gas atomizer and a plasma atomizer/spheroidizer for the development of alloys (aluminum, steel, carbides, cobalt, nickel, titanium, etc) will enable the CMQ to become a vital hub for the development of metal powder in Canada.

Chairholder Bernard Tougas has been working for 10 years on the development of advanced alloys and, for the last 15 years, on research projects related to powder metallurgy. He received his doctorate in engineering materials and metallurgy from Laval University in 2013. His thesis addressed the characterization of the diffusion of nickel into steel parts and its impact on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the parts produced by powder metallurgy. In 2012, the quality of his work merited him the Howard I. Sanderow Outstanding Technical Paper Award of the American Metal Powder Industries Federation (MPIF).

The work of the Chair focuses on four (4) main areas, namely:

1. the development of aluminum powders for additive manufacturing;
2. the optimization of high performance alloys for additive manufacturing used in aeronautical applications;
3. the development of high heat and corrosion resistant powders;
4. the development of tool steel powders and nickel allows for additive manufacturing and repair welding;

The innovation arising from the Chair Program will directly benefit Canadian companies working in powder metallurgy and in the additive manufacturing sector. Moreover, one of the Chair’s key objectives is to train groups of companies at various stages of the supply chain to participate in various research projects, which will create a synergy and foster the development of each one of them.

Because the CMQ trains Cégep de Trois-Rivières metallurgical engineering students, the Chair Program will also contribute to training skilled labour in state-of-the-art technology. This highly skilled personnel is in great demand today and is well paid by companies in this field; it will contribute to the overall vitality of Canadian society.

Partners

• Tekna Systèmes Plasma
• Hydro-Québec
• P4Bus Systems
• 5N Plus
• General Dynamics OTS
• Precision ADM
• Expanse Microtechnologies
• SphèreCo Technologies
• RIDD
• Polycontrols

Contact information

Centre de métallurgie du Québec
Cégep de Trois-Rivières

Email: bernard.tougas@cegeptr.qc.ca

Website:
http:// www.cmqtr.qc.ca