Fanshawe Product Testing has partnered with Ballycorp Limited in a collaborative research project for the company. Ballycorp, a London company, designs and manufactures Ecofoot, an eco-friendly mounting hardware product used as footings to install HVAC or other equipment on flat roofs. The system consists of a mounting foot that sits on the roof and then mounting brackets that install into the feet. Equipment such as air conditioners can produce a significant amount of vibration, which can transmit as audible noise throughout the building to which they are mounted.
Vibration dampening may reduce these effects; however, it is often bolted on and not very compatible with some systems. In seismic situations, the vibration isolation can protect equipment, structures and piping from the movement. Ecofoot would like to have the vibration dampening integrated into their support posts to make installation easier for their customers.
With the support of the College’s Centre for Research and Innovation who assisted with the grant application process from the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) and financial support from Ballycorp, Fanshawe Product Testing and Ballycorp will create sound and vibration dampening materials for Ecofoot’s product to protect equipment and reduce vibration.
The teams will collaborate to research the best techniques and materials to use in the design and Ecofoot will design and construct the samples. Fanshawe Product Testing will develop a unique test fixture and test the samples to quantify the amount of vibration dampening achieved and validate different materials that could be used in the final design.
Product testing will take place at Fanshawe’s Advanced Business and Industry Solutions at 2555 Bonder Road and should be completed by April 2022. This collaborative research project is an excellent example of how Fanshawe Product Testing supports and responds to business and industry research and innovation needs.
About the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation
SONAMI is a network of colleges and one university, who, through their respective Research and Innovation Centres, are collaborating with small- and medium-sized companies to turn innovations into commercialized products. SONAMI leverages faculty, students and state-of-the-market equipment, together with funding from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, to support manufacturing in southern Ontario.