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Smart Manufacturing

Transforming Industrial Processes

UBC is at the forefront of Smart Manufacturing, driving innovation in additive manufacturing, advanced materials processing, automation, and robotics.

Through industry partnerships with global leaders such as Toyota, Rio Tinto, Google, and the FraunhoferInstitutes, UBC researchers are advancing metal processing technologies for high-performance, lightweight applications in aerospace and automotive sectors.

UBC’s expertise spans electron beam-based additive manufacturing, titanium alloy casting, and precision die-casting of aluminum parts, supported by cutting-edge computational modelling.

In manufacturing automation, UBC is pioneering AI-powered self-driving laboratories, digital twin modelling for CNC machines, deep reinforcement learning for industrial process optimization, and robotic systems for micro-cutting, modular construction, and clean energy applications.

Spinoff Ventures

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Sarcomere Dynamics

Development of an agnostic, advanced, lightweight robotic hands with near-human dexterity, enhancing automation in manufacturing and industrial applications.

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Telescope Innovations

Creating intelligent automation platforms that accelerate chemical process development, reducing R&D and manufacturing costs in the pharmaceutical, critical minerals, and chemical industries.

Centres of Research Excellence

Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Cluster

Dedicated to advancing innovative materials and manufacturing technologies, the institute focuses on developing sustainable, high-performance materials and efficient manufacturing processes to meet the evolving needs of multiple industries.

Manufacturing Process Automation and Robotics

With a focus on advanced machining, additive manufacturing, CNC digital twins, CAD/CAM, self-driving laboratories, and robotics, research applications support a diverse applications such as automation, medical interventions and modular housing.

Centre for Metallurgical Process Engineering

With research on high-performance metal alloys, the group focuses on on electron beam-based additive manufacturing, plasma-based melting, and casting of titanium and aluminum alloys, along with advanced die-casting techniques, process modeling, and materials characterization to optimize manufacturing processes and material performance.

Industry Partners

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Explore Other Areas

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Innovative Materials

UBC is at the cutting edge of innovative materials research, with a focus on advancing composite technologies, nanomaterials, bioproducts, and polymer circularity.

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Industrial Decarbonization

UBC is a global leader in industrial decarbonization, driving research and innovation in clean energy, battery storage, hydrogen and fuel cells, and carbon capture technologies.

Partner with UBC Applied Science

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Why Partner With Us?

Take advantage of our expertise, infrastructure and talent to gain a competitive edge, make a difference in your industry and contribute to a better world.

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Partnerships in Action

Our case studies show how we collaborate with our entrepreneurial partners to advance ideas into reality. Read about our industry partnerships.

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Research Centres + Institutes

Our multidisciplinary expertise is creating innovations that make the world a better place. Partner with us and gain access to our world-class infrastructure and expertise.

Let's work together

Join us. Bring research and innovation insight to your biggest challenges. We work with industry, non-profit and government partners to accelerate solutions for the future.

Contact Us

UBC is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm people (Musqueam; which means 'People of the River Grass') and Syilx Okanagan Nation. The land has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam and Syilx peoples, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next.

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