Georgian officially opens the Magna Mechatronics Lab at the Barrie Campus

Georgian and Magna International Inc. officially opened the Magna Mechatronics Lab at the Barrie Campus on June 23. The event celebrated Magna’s significant investment in Georgian and our students, showed off the new space and highlighted our Electromechanical Engineering Technology – Mechatronics program. Everyone was treated to hands-on demonstrations using the new technology and equipment in the lab.

Two white males in business attire standing in a hallway beside a wall that has a sign saying Magna Mechatronics Lab
Kevin Weaver, Georgian CEO and President (left), and Steve Henry, Director of Apprenticeships and Training at Magna, outside the new Magna Mechatronics Lab.
an older white male with glasses shaking hands with a young white male.
Kyle Lepinski, a student in the Electromechanical Engineering Technology – Mechatronics program, presents Steve Henry with a robot arm created in Georgian’s Maker Space.

This lab is all about industry 4.0 – the new phase of the industrial revolution focusing on interconnectivity, automation, machine-learning and real-time data. What students learn here and take into their employment will help Magna and other companies create a better-connected ecosystem for manufacturing and supply chain management.

In the years ahead, hundreds, eventually thousands, of students will learn in this lab and students in many other engineering, computer and environmental technology programs will take courses in this space as well.

A white male wearing a blue t-shirt talking to an older white male. They're beside some electronic equipment.
Kyle Anderson, an Academic Program Technologist, demonstrates Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) for Peter B. Moore. 3D printing can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer control, with material being added together, typically layer by layer.
Two males in blue t-shirts explaining mechatronics equipment to a female.
Students will have the opportunity to train on this pick and place station as well as a measuring station. A typical lab configuration (in-lab gantry system) equipped with power, pneumatics and network cables, allows for maximum flexibility. The measuring station determines if the pieces are upside down or not. Those not placed on the belt will be shunted off the belt. This unit introduces pneumatic components and measuring sensors.
mechatronic equipment
Some of the CNC equipment students will learn on.
A young white male wearing a t-shirt working on some equipment at a table
Students must be comfortable installing, troubleshooting and experimenting with issues that arise, mostly on the mechanical side of the mechatronics system. Kyle Lepinski demonstrates some of the assembling and disassembling techniques.

Magna is an employer of choice here in Central Ontario and Georgian is committed to producing future-ready grads who can support their workforce and become leaders in this evolving global industry. We are united in our commitment to support the next generation of highly skilled workers and helping to create new economic growth in Barrie, Simcoe County and beyond.

– Kevin Weaver, CEO and President, Georgian College

With Magna’s generous support, our graduates will be ready – to build interoperable systems, intelligent automation, and network systems and sensors, while bringing an understanding of cyber security, artificial intelligence and big data.

Students are developing the skills and knowledge to build, troubleshoot and support the next generation of industrial systems for employers like Magna and many others. Mechatronics students also prepare for industry-recognized Siemens certification. This comprehensive certification gives Georgian students another advantage employers are seeking.

I was interested in pursuing an education in engineering and when I heard about this Mechatronics program at Georgian, I knew I could study in a field I love and coming back to my hometown was just a bonus.

– Kyle Lepinski, Electromechanical Engineering Technology – Mechatronics student
electronic equipment
This level 2 trainer enhances student learning by introducing the storing aspect necessary within a mechanical assembly conveyor system.

A cool overview of the whole lab!

MAGNA MAKES $1M INVESTMENT IN GEORGIAN

On Nov. 10, 2020, Magna – a Canadian mobility tech company with comprehensive global presence – made a $1 million investment in Georgian to help bridge the skills gap, drive change in the field of mechatronics, and prepare students for industry 4.0 opportunities. The five-year, multi-faceted agreement led to the creation of a new, state-of-the-art facility and new scholarship opportunities for both future and current Georgian students. A major part of the investment is the new Magna Mechatronics Lab. This innovative space will be home to students in a variety of programs, particularly those in the Electromechanical Engineering Technology – Mechatronics three-year advanced diploma program.
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