Adept Technology Announces New Low Cost Wafer Handling Equipment Front-End Module -- EFEM -- for Semiconductor Process Tools.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers LIVERMORE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 2003 New Adept Apex(TM) EFEM EFEM Equipment Front End Module Platform Reaches New Industry Cost Levels with Adept AWARD robot and Adept SmartServo Distributed Controls Architecture Adept Technology, Inc. (OTCBB OTCBB See OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB). :ADTK.OB), a leading manufacturer of flexible automation for the semiconductor, electronics, automotive, fiber optic, telecommunications, and life sciences industries, today announced its new low cost wafer-handling module for semiconductor process tools. The Adept Apex(TM) wafer handling platform combines Adept's new direct-drive AWARD(TM) wafer handling robot along with the Adept SmartServo(TM) distributed controls architecture to provide an automated wafer handling platform that is easier for equipment providers to integrate, support and adapt for future automation needs. The Adept Apex platform is capable of handling wafer sizes up to 300 mm, configurable with any combination of open cassette, SMIF SMIF Standard Mechanical Interface SMIF Stream-based Model Interchange Format SMIF Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (Duke University) SMIF Stanford Management Internship Fund SMIF SMAD4-Interacting Transcription Factor and FOUP FOUP Front Opening Unified Pod loadports. "The market is demanding a wafer handling platform that is lower cost, simpler to understand and support, but that can easily be adapted to meet a customer's unique requirements," said Charlie Duncheon. "We believe the Adept Apex EFEM platform meets all these needs with standard Adept robots and software and our easily expandable, FireWire(R)-based, controls architecture that allows plug-and-play addition of machine vision, digital and analog I/O (Input/Output) The transfer of data between the CPU and a peripheral device. Every transfer is an output from one device and an input to another. See PC input/output. I/O - Input/Output , and servo axis control." The Adept Apex EFEM wafer handling platform includes the Adept AWARD robot and supports vacuum and edge-grip end-effectors, thru-beam wafer mapping, wafer alignment, wafer ID and contamination controls in one tightly integrated SEMI compliant package. The highly flexible and powerful Adept SmartController(TM) provides direct interface to existing process tools via ASCII ASCII or American Standard Code for Information Interchange, a set of codes used to represent letters, numbers, a few symbols, and control characters. Originally designed for teletype operations, it has found wide application in computers. and GEM/SECS command interfaces and features additional functionality with Ethernet, integrated vision, DeviceNet, serial/Ethernet/IEEE 1394 communications, digital and analog I/O interfaces. The Adept AWARD(TM) robot has all amplifier electronics built into the base of the robot, greatly reducing wiring, and simplifying installation and maintenance. The Adept AWARD robot also employs direct drive motors and direct-coupled encoders that enable high performance servo control and eliminates performance degradation and reliability problems over the life of the robot. The robot's high-resolution absolute encoders eliminate homing on all axes and provide maintenance-free operation because encoder backup batteries are no longer required. The Adept SmartServo(TM) architecture is based on the high-speed IEEE-1394 serial bus (FireWire(R)) and offers simplified automation scalability because the controls components are mounted at the point-of-use rather than in a centralized cen·tral·ize v. cen·tral·ized, cen·tral·iz·ing, cen·tral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To draw into or toward a center; consolidate. 2. cabinet, resulting in less space usage, reduced cabling, improved reliability and cost. Adept Technology designs, manufactures and markets factory automation components and systems for the fiber optic, telecommunications, semiconductor, automotive, food and durable goods durable goods Goods, such as appliances and automobiles, that have a useful life over a number of periods. Firms that produce durable goods are often subject to wide fluctuations in sales and profits. Also called consumer durables. industries throughout the world. Adept's robots, controllers, and software products are used for small parts assembly, material handling and ultra precision process applications. Our intelligent automation product lines include industrial robots, configurable linear modules, flexible feeders, semiconductor process components, nanopositioners, machine controllers for robot mechanisms and other flexible automation equipment, machine vision, systems and software, application software, and simulation software Simulation software is based on the process of imitating a real phenomenon with a set of mathematical formulas. It is, essentially, a program that allows the user to observe an operation through simulation without actually running the program. . Founded in 1983, Adept is America's largest manufacturer of industrial robots. More information is available at www.adept.com. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results could vary for a number of reasons, including but not limited to, the potential delays associated with the development and introduction of new products or software releases; rapid technological change within the company's industry; and the potential that our new or existing products may contain defects, errors or performance problems. For a discussion of additional risk factors relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc Adept's business, see Adept's annual report on Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2002, as amended, and Adept's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q Form 10-Q See 10-Q. for the quarters ended September 28, 2002, as amended, December 28, 2002, as amended, and March 29, 2003, including the discussion in Management's Discussion and Analysis Management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) A report from management to shareholders that accompanies the firm's financial statements in the annual report. It explains the period's financial results and enables management to discuss topics that may not be apparent in the financial of Financial Condition and Results of Operations contained therein. The Adept logo is a registered trademark of Adept Technology, Inc. Adept, Adept Apex, Adept AWARD, Adept SmartServo and Adept SmartController are trademarks of Adept Technology. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies. |
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