What and how to apply intelligent software based technologies to our product.

Such technologies may include:
a. Autonomous / self-driving technology.
b. Telematics tools to digitally collect, store and analyze information to create value for the manufacturer and the customer.
c. Develop a robust on-board diagnostic system that would help us trouble shoot and diagnose issues remotely and reduce on-site service calls.

How would we create a business case for equipment electrification that factors in our industry specific challenges and opportunities.

a. Cold operating environment.
i. Challenge for energy storage as well as heat requirements for the operator.
b. Seasonal use of the equipment.
i. Opportunities for electricity production or storage in off season.
ii. Challenge to justify added cost of electrification.
c. Highly variable / unpredictable duty cycle based on weather events.
i. Challenge to size system for peak loads and variable operating speeds.
ii. Opportunity to reduce or eliminate idle time that is a detriment to current diesel engine technologies.
d. Maintain reliable and predictable performance, critical to the airport industry.
i. Challenge to get adoption of new technology.
ii. Challenge to implement regenerative braking technology on a truck / trailer applications to avoid jack knifing incidents
iii. Opportunity to improve reliability if idle time can be reduced or eliminated.

We would like assistance in developing a business case for the transition of heavy diesel vehicles to electric.

There are benefits environmentally. We believe there is an economic case to be made for Manitoba Hydro in creating a significant local market for power. Outside of the obvious economic hurdles of this equipment (cost and range) there are also a number of other hurdles that need to be identified and address – charging infrastructure and a significant amount of policy concerns such as fuel tax, NSC (PMVI, trip inspection, driver training) insurance, maintenance facilities, etc.

How can we improve the energy efficiency of electric buses so that we can increase the driving range of the bus with the same battery capacity?

There are many companies in the transportation industry working to improve high voltage battery capacity. However, what are the best practices in electric vehicule design to make the most efficient use of that energy? The existing New Flyer Xcelsior is a model of transit buses. It was designed more than 10 years ago for traditional propulsion and not optimized for more conservative energy usage as needed by electric propulsion with limited battery range.

The range of the electric buses needs to be increased, Battery chemistry is improving too slowly, fuel-fired Aux heaters are required so as to not limit range even further. It is important to ‘find’ or preserve every Watt of energy by designing a bus / bus body / bus systems that are very efficient and use the least energy possible. Ideally, if we could save enough energy we could eliminate the use of Diesel fired Auxiliary heaters.

Can we build a business case (best practices) in self-sovereign digital identity for the Heavy Equipment and Vehicle operational control? How can we build a system to safely auto-verify the personnel who have the credentials to operate the vehicle (trucks or other special vehicles) or the manufacturing facility/machine, while the identity data is secure?

The security of the right personnel to operate heavy vehicles and machines are crucial. We see incidents happen in this sector and there can be high damage. Currently, we do not have an industry standard in verifying the personnel before they can operate the vehicles and machines. For example, if a person gets into the vehicle or the operation facility, it is not difficult for them to do harm.

With growing data leak incidents, we are also interested in building a sustainable and secure system for this sector.

About Self-sovereign identity (SSI)
SSI is a model for managing digital identities in which an individual or business has sole ownership over the ability to control their accounts and personal data. Individuals with self-sovereign identity can store their data to their devices and provide it for verification and transactions without the need to rely upon a central repository of data. With self-sovereign identity, users have complete control over how their personal information is kept and used.

Can a technology be developed between RTM Lite and SMC, that can turn parts in 1 hour or less, not significantly increase the price of existing RTM Lite tooling with no resultant change in the end physical properties of the cured material? For example, how would the application of low level heat that our current RTM Lite mold construction can withstand affect cure times? If we doubled the injection pressure, in conjunction with low level heat, how does that affect part cure time?

Open Molded Fiberglass Parts – Historically, fiberglass parts required for heavy vehicles have been open molded requiring a 4-6 hour turn time per part. There is only a female mold required and since there is no pressure the molds are quite simple and inexpensive. These molds are designed to last for approximately 1000 parts before they have to be replaced. Any styrene generated is released directly to the workspace.
Resin Transfer Molding (RTM – Lite) is a low pressure, closed molding process which offers high-quality dimensional and surface finish composite moldings using liquid thermoset polymers reinforced with various forms of fiber reinforcements. The resin is injected at low pressure between a male and female mold and is allowed to cure. Typical part turn time is 2-3 hours per part and styrene is essentially trapped during the curing process. A typical mold will last for 1000-5000 parts.
SMC (Sheet Molding Compound) The SMC process is a high temperature process performed in a matched set of steel molds heated to over 350° (f), the SMC compound is laid in a measured volume in the heated mold with all of the needed, resin, catalyst, mineral fillers and reinforcement premixed into the compound in a previous compounding process, then the mold is forced closed under greater then 2000 psi of pressure squeezing the compound to fill the entire mold cavity rapidly curing within 1 to 3 minutes. The problem is that the volume of parts required by our industry does not justify the cost of molds that can withstand these temperatures and pressures. A SMC mold will last 100,000 parts which far exceeds most heavy equipment and vehicle manufacturer part design life requirements.

The Heavy Equipment and Vehicle Industry needs low volumes of a varying stream of parts per day, and the design life / number of parts made lifetime in a mold is short. If we can turn a part out of a mold in half the time of the current RTM lite process, it may eliminate the need for duplicate (and sometime triplicate) molds that are now required to meet production volume requirements.

How do radiator manufacturers pivot to support the electric vehicle sector? What are some specific cooling systems used in electric vehicles and the maintenance required on those systems?

Electric vehicle sales continue to grow in Manitoba. For radiator manufacturers, how to pivot their product line or manufacturing process to support this sector in Manitoba?

We’d be open to looking at any new form of heat exchanger service or manufacturing regardless of the sector.

West End Radiators offers a wide range of specialized manufacturing and repair services for heat exchangers for equipment in industries such as transportation, forestry, mining, agriculture and construction to name a few. Are there other industries with heat exchangers that may be a possible source of new business?