Federal government partners with aerospace firm in C$14M R&D project

Montreal, QC March 17, 2003 The federal government has announced it is making a C$5.6-million strategic investment as part of a $14-million project being undertaken by aerospace company PyroGenesis.

Funded through Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC), the investment is intended to help the company make the transition from an engineering job shop to a leading-edge research and development company with full-scale production capabilities.

PyroGenesis will carry out R&D to advance its vacuum plasma spray forming (VPSF) manufacturing process and to determine the viability of the novel VPSF technique as a method for producing superior quality components for the aerospace and defence sectors as well as other applications.

“With this repayable investment by Technology Partnerships Canada, PyroGenesis is positioned to become a world leader in advanced materials and manufacturing, and a key player in the Canadian aerospace and defence community,” says Dr Peter Tsantrizos, chairman and chief technology officer of PyroGenesis.

“The revolutionary manufacturing process being developed by PyroGenesis will have a significant impact on the aerospace and defence sector,” says Professor Javad Mostaghimi, director of the Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies at the University of Toronto. “We are proud to play a role in this project, and to substantially contribute to the research in advanced coating technologies.”

Technology Partnerships Canada makes conditionally repayable strategic investments in R&D activities across Canada that promote innovation, commercialization, sustainable development and increased private sector investment.