Syngenta’s ATLAS Robot Aims to Alleviate Tank-Mix Compatibility Challenges
Syngenta is advancing product development and customer support with its proprietary ATLAS (Application Technology Laboratory Automation System) robot, a first-of-its-kind system developed and refined in-house to deliver consistency and accuracy in tank-mix compatibility testing. This automated testing platform is designed to deliver faster, more objective, and more reliable insights to ensure products meet or exceed customer handling and use expectations.
Before products are made available to the market, ATLAS conducts extensive tank-mix compatibility testing, processing 500 to 600 combinations per month — a workload that could take up to six months to complete manually. The robot can go through the entire compatibility process, from sample preparation and mixture imagery to full sample analysis. By removing variability associated with manual assessments, ATLAS produces consistent, repeatable results that help guide product development, stewardship, and technical recommendations.
“ATLAS underscores our commitment to innovation across every stage of the R&D process, including advancements in application technology,” says Carson Cashwell, Market Manager for Ornamentals at Syngenta. “With this streamlined process, our customers can now make more confident application decisions based on actionable, objective insights.”
In addition to pre-launch testing, ATLAS plays a critical role when customers encounter unexpected tank-mix challenges. When issues are reported but not easily replicated, the system can use customer-supplied water sources or adjuvants to recreate specific application conditions in a controlled environment. It can quickly assess issues around sedimentation, nozzle plugging, mixing orders, and more. This allows Syngenta to better understand what is happening within the spray tank while building a historical testing database to support faster, data-driven troubleshooting.
“The ATLAS system is part of the broader Syngenta innovation ecosystem focused on integrating research, technology, and real-world insights to support our customers across markets,” says Mark Coffelt, Ph.D., Head of Technical Services for Syngenta Professional Solutions in North America. “It reinforces the Syngenta commitment to delivering science-backed solutions that help customers work more efficiently.
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