Federal money a 'game changer' for P.E.I. company

The government of Canada is putting up more than $3 million to help a P.E.I. company develop new aerospace technology.

The money will go toward the purchase of a Renishaw RenAm 500Q 3D printer, which will be used to design and print aerospace parts. Development of the new technology is expected to be ready for commercialization at the end of a three-year project.

"It's certainly a game changer for us,"said Tronosjet CEO Mark Coffin. "Itputs us with one of the most advanced, if not the most advanced manufacturing facility of the East Coast of Canada."

The research is expected to create 18 jobs. The money includes a $2.4 million loan from ACOA and an $870,000 grant from the National Research Council.

"It will allow us to create components that have fewer parts, that have stronger properties and lighter in the end," Coffin said.

Tronosjet set up in Slemon Park in 2004 with a focus on modifying and maintaining BAE 146 and Avro RJ aircraft.

"It allows us to tap markets that otherwise we wouldn't," Coffin said. "We never started this machine shop to be a traditional machine shop. We have great imaginations and this will suit us quite well."

More P.E.I. news