LIVERMORE, CA-Industrial robot manufacturer Adept Technology Inc. has secured contracts with four solar panel manufacturing companies as part of an ongoing push into the rapidly expanding international solar power market.

LIVERMORE, CA-Industrial robot manufacturerAdept Technology Inc.has secured contracts with four solar panel manufacturing companies as part of an ongoing push into the rapidly expanding international solar power market. In recent months, Adept has delivered some $300,000 in vision-guided robotics equipment to the industry.

"The rapid growth in demand for solar power has created a shortage of solar panels, which has given rise to high-volume, manufacturing programs,” says Adept CEO, Robert Bucher. “This includes both traditional silicon-based solar panels and alternate technologies, such as thin-film solar panels and string-ribbon production methods."

According to Bucher, vision-equipped robots are well suited to the manufacture of solar panels, thanks to their ability to perform on-the-fly inspection. Analysts expect the solar power market to continue growing with European, Chinese and U.S. demand for photovoltaic modules forecast to triple by 2010.