Canadian Plastics

ATS Automation gets $20 million order for COVID-19 vaccine syringe manufacturing line

Canadian Plastics   

Robots & Automation COVID-19

The Cambridge, Ont.-based manufacturer is developing the systems for a program related to the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed initiative.

ATS Automation Tooling Systems has received a $20 million order from a medical device manufacturer to design, build, and deliver several automated safety syringe manufacturing systems to meet potential demand related to COVID-19 vaccine production.

The Cambridge, Ont.-based manufacturer, which specializes in custom and repeat automation in a range of industries including life sciences, is developing the systems for a program related to the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed initiative, which seeks to increase the ability to produce safety needles and syringes in the U.S.

The automated systems will feature ATS’ new Symphoni digital manufacturing technology, which adds to the productivity of automated assembly processes by eliminating non-value-added production time.

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In a statement, ATS said the high degree of standardization, modular building blocks and plug-and-play nature means Symphoni systems are multi-purpose production assets, and have the flexibility to adapt to new products and new processes.

Symphoni systems are 100 per cent programmable, so all movements are precisely mapped out and synchronized through a technique known as electronic gearing, resulting in a “symphony of motion.” It meets the manufacturing demands of high-volume consumables such as syringes because it assembles them at very high rates in a compact footprint while assuring compliance to the medical device industry’s rigid quality standards.

“Our teams remain focused on helping manufacturers address the critical need for medical equipment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said ATS CEO Andrew Hider in the statement.

The program will be completed over the next 10 months.

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