Organic Material Testing Robot

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A&L Canada Laboratories Inc. is a London, Ontario-based company specializing in soil, plant tissue, feed, fertilizer, environmental and water testing for agricultural producers. A&L has been operating in London for 30 years and employs almost 80 employees in the lab. Building on its reputation of excellence in testing and quick turn-around times A&L has expanded its capabilities from 1,500 samples/day to over 5,000/day. To meet the increase in demand A&L purchased and modified an 'off the shelf' robot several years ago. Unfortunately the robot cannot meet current demands, is unreliable, and slow. A&L is collaborating with Fanshawe College and the School of Applied Science and Technology (AST) to design and build an industrial robot (prototype) that is capable of processing not only their current volume of soil tests, but one that will be able to accommodate up to 20,000 samples/day. During this first phase, faculty and students from AST will develop the robotic concept and configuration options, design and simulate to assess feasibility, suitability, and integrity. A final report will be provided to the partner allowing them to consider multiple options before moving on to the build phase. Results of this project are critical to A&L operations, without the development of this robot, they will be forced to divert business to U.S. partners as they will be unable to meet current demand needs. Through participation in this project, Fanshawe students will improve their understanding of business, technical, and manufacturing requirements, and be a part of the prototype development process in a client-facing role.