ICAMP partnering on project for improving marijuana production

North Bay ON’s Canadore College has been awarded an applied research project by Trichromes Ltd to develop an automated curing system for the production of marijuana. The project will be undertaken by Canadore’s Innovation Centre for Advanced Manufacturing and Production (ICAMP) as companies and governments ramp up activities prior to marijuana’s legalization in 2018. An initial prototype of CureCap is expected by the fall, automating the so-called burping method for curing marijuana by releasing air from glass jars. ICAMP offers 1,235 sq-m of industrial lab and design space capable of helping small- and medium-sized enterprises conceptualize, design, prototype, test and manufacture products. Trichromes — named after the glandular hairs known as the main sites of cannabinoid and essential oil production of Cannabis sativa — is also tapping into other government programs. These include Ontario Centres of Excellence’s Voucher for Innovation and Productivity I program and the Innovative Manufacturing and Facilitation Program (IMFP) offered through Innovation Initiatives Ontario North (IION), co-located at Canadore. IMFP is funded by the Industrial Research Assistance Program.