New high-speed meat handling robot to be launched at Pack Expo

Robot specialist, Adept Technology is launching a new high-speed device for the hygienic handling of meat and poultry products at next week’s Pack Expo show in Las Vegas.

The Adept Quattro(TM) s650HS robot is the only parallel robot available for meat and poultry processing which is approved for food use by the United States Department of Agriculture, claims the company.

Rush LaSelle, the company’s director of global sales and marketing said: "The new Adept Quattro s650HS sets an industry standard for the packaging industry in the areas of speed, flexibility and hygienic capabilities. It has been designed to give food packagers the highest possible speeds for raw-food handling, without compromising cleanliness and hygienic standards."

Higher product payloads

The Quattro is also available with a fixed platform option for more flexibility with higher payload products, he added. The device has a 6kg maximum payload.

Designed for high-speed manufacturing, packaging, material handling, and assembly applications, the Quattro differs from conventional parallel robots in that it features a four-arm kinematic in delta configuration with a rotational platform, said a company statement. “This unique design enables higher speeds, faster accelerations, and exceptional performance across the entire work envelope,” it said.

Powerful compact controls and embedded amplifiers are said to make installation easy while reducing workspace requirements. The Quattro’s speed and precision make it the perfect choice for flexible packaging, material handling, kitting, and assembly applications, claims Adept.

Improved productivity

Consistent speed across the work envelope is said to deliver improved productivity and reliability. This is achieved due to high-efficiency motors which deliver high performance with more torque per amp.

In addition to handling meat and poultry products, a company video shows the Quattro processing a wide range of other food products including fish, confectionary, snacks and bakery goods.

Pack Expo 2009 takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, Nevada, October 5-7.