Adept Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADEP), a leading provider of intelligent robots, autonomous mobile solutions and services, today announced that it was awarded an Innovation Award at the CFIA Rennes 2014 exhibition for its Adept "SoftPIC" food gripper. CFIA Rennes 2014, a regional exhibition for the food-processing industry, was held February 11-13, 2014, at Parc Expo Rennes Airport in Rennes, France.
"We are honored to have won an Innovation Award for our patented SoftPIC gripper," said Bruno Adam, director of Adept Technology France.
"Adept SoftPIC grippers are an important element in our portfolio of state-of-the-art food-focused tools, which are designed to significantly enhance food processors' efficiency and yields. These unique grippers enable gentle, hygienic food handling in a very fast automated production environment. And SoftPIC grippers come in several models, which can be swapped out in less than two minutes, to accommodate lines that package multiple products or handle more than one packaging size."
Designed for use with Adept "Quattro" and "Cobra" robots, Adept SoftPIC grippers and graspers enable fast, accurate and hygienic transfer of product in both primary and secondary food packaging operations. Made of soft silicone approved for use in the food industry, SoftPIC grippers conform to the shape of the product or package, helping the system achieve gentle handling at high speeds even when processing randomly presented, non-rigid, wet and irregularly shaped food products. Primary packaging applications include processing raw protein, fruits and vegetables, and bakery items. Secondary packaging applications include configuring bags, pouches, containers and clam shells in a variety of patterns.
The Innovation Awards have been a main feature of the CFIA exhibition for the past 17 years. The awards feature four categories and honor the top products, equipment and services from exhibiting companies and represented brands. The Adept SoftPIC gripper won an Innovation Award in the "Packaging" category, where it was selected from a field of 18 entries.
