SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 9, 2013) - Roth & Rau - Ortner, a factory automation specialist, and its partner MetraLabs Automation, Inc., a provider of freely navigating autonomous mobile robots, today introduced their jointly-developed mobile robot, SCOUT® at SEMICON West. SCOUT has been specially developed for the flexible and automated transportation of materials in semiconductor fabs and other clean production environments.
SCOUT navigates autonomously, without any kind of guidance system, and communicates via WiFi and operator GUI to issue new transport jobs and show important status information like its current position. The robot is cleanroom suitable up to ISO class 3 / US FED class 1 and has more than 5,000 km of autonomous navigation in clean rooms, which proves its reliability.
"Thanks to its compact size and reliable sensor technology, SCOUT can be used safely in areas where people and machines work closely together," explains Dr. Matthias Merten, CEO of MetraLabs Automation, Inc. "This makes SCOUT an ideal alternative in cases where a permanently installed transport system such as a rail or a conveyor system cannot be implemented or would be too expensive."
At SEMICON West, booth # 1831, South Hall, Roth & Rau - Ortner and MetraLabs will demonstrate SCOUT's reticle transportation application.
SCOUT is capable of transporting various materials and products between any point in the fab, taking measurements, providing tools and auxiliaries. Various attachments like mechanical manipulators (e.g. robot arms or linear axis) and transportation trays (e.g. for the transportation of four SMIF Pods or HA200 storage boxes) enable SCOUT to be adjusted to different conditions according to the desired use.
"SCOUT is an integral part of our "Missing Link" concept, which covers custom-tailored automation solutions for existing semiconductor fabs. These solutions are primarily directed at semi-automated production lines with high requirements for personnel because they can cut costs dramatically by minimizing downtime and freeing up manpower," says Dr. Karli Hantzschmann, Division Manager Automation of Roth & Rau - Ortner.
About Roth & Rau - Ortner:
Founded in 1998, Roth & Rau - Ortner specializes in products, solutions, and services in factory automation for clean production rooms, especially in semiconductor fabs. The company develops and implements customized solutions, which integrate smoothly into new or existing production environments. The global company employs 110 people at its sites in Dresden, Germany, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Last year the company generated a turnover of EUR 13,5 million. It operates as a full subsidiary of Roth & Rau AG and has been a member of the Meyer Burger Group since 2011.
About MetraLabs Automation:
MetraLabs Automation, Inc., located in San Diego, California, develops and markets freely navigating autonomous mobile robots for industrial automation. Target markets include semiconductor manufacturing, where MetraLabs' systems help lower human-caused contaminations and failures; pharmaceuticals, where autonomous mobile robots enable a consistent and scalable production scheme ranging from R&D to mass production facilities; the analytical industry, in which MetraLabs' robots increase traceability of sample management; and the automotive industry, where transportation and mobile handling systems help lower costs and optimize on-demand processes.
The technology of MetraLabs Automation is based on developments of the German company MetraLabs GmbH that has deployed more than 80 robots in markets that cannot be addressed by traditional automation technologies.
Contact Information:
Press Contact:
Wired Island International
Managing Director
Toni Sottak
Telephone: +1 (408) 876-4418
Email:
Company Contacts:
Roth & Rau - Ortner GmbH
Head of Marketing
Kathrin Maletzki
Telephone: +49 (351) 8886128
Email:
MetraLabs Automation Inc.
Sr. Director of Sales
Judith A. Perigyi
Telephone: +1 (760) 484 4795
Email:
