TIMMINS, ON: As part of Northern College’s Applied Research, Entrepreneurship and Innovation (AREI) department, a group of second-year Mechanical Engineering Technician students from the Timmins Campus had the opportunity to engage in a research project with an industry partner, The Bucket Shop.

This research project, aligned with the course curriculum, engaged an entire class in solving a particular problem. The Bucket Shop was looking to incorporate 3D scanning capabilities into their suite of offerings. Fundamentally, the 3D scanner would be used as a technology tool to do the work that now uses human resources, resulting in significant accuracy improvements and the precision required to create drawings and products with structural integrity.

“The AREI department has worked with the Bucket Shop for the past year to create a system that would function for them and provide an experiential learning experience for our students,” said Amy McKillip, Manager of Applied Research, Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Northern College. “This offers a win-win situation where our students develop highly qualified skills and the industry has the benefit of the intellectual property and the discoveries that we find in our research.”

The group of 10 students were tasked to assess the success rate of using 3D scanning technology and develop a standard operating procedure. They researched different aspects of the process and evaluated the efficiency of the new method. The research was recently concluded and the outcomes of the project were shared at The Bucket Shop’s facility.

While the students are helping improve processes, the Bucket Shop is also helping shape the workers of tomorrow. The Bucket Shop has enabled experiential learning for Northern College students and continues to be a staple in the economic growth of our community.

“We’re glad to be able to participate in this process together and give an insight into our manufacturing process,” said Curtis Westcott, General Manager of The Bucket Shop. “This is all about breaking down the barriers to job readiness. We’re always looking for mechanical engineers, which is exactly what these students have demonstrated for us.”

Northern College embraces collaborative partnerships with industry and community stakeholders and strives to deliver real-world solutions that stimulate social and economic growth in our region and beyond. This project is one of many cutting-edge College-industry partnerships that the AREI department has been part of that has benefited students from various programs.

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