Last Monday, CVDM was present at the Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show (MMTS) at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. We attended the panel "From Design to Deployment: Scaling Additive Across Industrial Manufacturing," moderated by John F. Cigana of NGen, with Véronique Maheu of Polycontrols Technologies, Bob Hendrick of CAMufacturing, Nichelle Hubley of The Assembly, and Leif Tiltins of AON3D.
Timely, as NGen had just published its annual report on the Additive Manufacturing Demonstration Program, funded by the National Research Council of Canada.
The numbers speak for themselves: with a modest budget of $500,000, the program supported over 75 projects in one year, generating economic returns conservatively estimated at over $10 million annually across the direct and indirect supply chain.
What stands out most is the diversity of Canadian companies involved and the concrete nature of the results. Companies like Solaxis in Bromont, specializing in large-format industrial printing with certified aerospace-grade thermoplastics, or CMQ in Quebec, which tested a stainless steel impeller for demanding industrial conditions, show that advanced manufacturing innovation happens right here, in our own regions.
But the program spans all of Canada, from British Columbia to Newfoundland. It includes Precision ADM in Winnipeg, which translated its participation into over one million dollars in domestic and international sales over seven years, Polycontrols developing repair solutions for turbines and naval components, and LBM near Montreal, which obtained Transport Canada certification for a new generation of Braille signage for aircraft interiors.
What these stories share is the same dynamic: a well-targeted investment, the right technology partner, and a company that crosses a threshold it wouldn't have crossed alone.
We're no longer in the prototyping era. Additive manufacturing is redefining how products are designed, engineered and built. The next generation of products is conceived differently, with geometries previously impossible to achieve and engineering rethought from the ground up.
This technological renewal also has a direct impact on productivity and operating costs. Additive manufacturing makes it possible to produce on demand, one unit at a time, without placing large orders or managing costly inventories. A critical spare part, a custom component, a functional prototype: each can be produced at the exact moment the need arises. That's a concrete operational advantage for SMEs looking to reduce storage costs and gain agility.
We're witnessing a fascinating technological renewal. And what's encouraging is that Canadian SMEs are part of it, not just the large players.
Photo: CVDM
Source: NGen / National Research Council of Canada, 2026 Additive Manufacturing Demonstration Program Report
