March 24, 2020

New York robot maker will produce up to 100 ventilators per day as coronavirus spreads

Source: Albany Business Review

Precision Valve & Automation in Colonie is ready to make up to 100 emergency ventilators a day to assist patients suffering from the coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases in New York swells to more than 25,000.

Chief executive Tony Hynes, whose company has spent 28 years building robots used to manufacture automobile dashboard screens, artificial hips and military weapons, is racing to resolve a shortage of 30,000 ventilators in New York state.

"When we heard the governor ask businesses to be creative and help, we took that as our marching orders," Hynes said. "We can build anything and make it work."

Late last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked companies for assistance making gowns, gloves, masks, beds and ventilators. Then, Cuomo pleaded with the federal government Tuesday asking for 20,000 ventilators in the next 14 days. They are desperately needed, he said, to help patients as the number of cases in New York continues to double every three days.

"If we don't have ventilators in 14 days, it does us no good," Cuomo said.

Read more: https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/news/2020/03/24/pva-ready-to-produce-ventilators-for-new-york.html?fbclid=IwAR3PCys3PRuRsJsBsfswFBaQ22sSiAAfruWAAPz1GYGMjR3JEHQ9D4B_kHA

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This is where I work. I knew the engineers were trying to do something, but I didn't know they had succeeded in a prototype. Normally, we make industrial robots. I'm a CNC programmer/machinist there.