Printed Circuit Board Processing, Plating Market in Asia -- China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea -- Slowed by Counterfeit

CARSON CITY, NV and LAS VEGAS, NV, Mar 31 (MARKET
WIRE) --
Engineers from Plasma Etch, Inc. report that in Asia they've seen one too many
hollowed-outcounterfeits of their MK-II system for etch back, desmear and
treatment of
PCBs and will use this week's APEX show to introduce and demo an
authentic,scaled-down version of the MK-II -- the Advantage 16e -- to
price-consciousreps of Asian-based PCB manufacturers, according to Greg DeLarge,
the
company's president.

DeLarge said the new system was designed by Plasma Etch "to counteract any
penetration by smaller, low-cost knockoffs" of the company's MK-II in Asia's
PCB manufacturing community. He added that various manufacturers' reps and
metal-fabrication outfits in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea effectively
dupe price-conscious buyers in the region looking for Plasma Etch systems.

The counterfeiters, he said, present basic vacuum-like chambers with crude
metal housing and small footprints as authentic Plasma Etch systems akin
tothe larger, more expensive MK-II. The counterfeits come without the
mechanical infrastructures to conduct any "meaningful" etch back,
typicallybreak down within weeks and are often sold at auction for pennies on
the
dollar, DeLarge said.

"We basically took our MK-II and stripped it down to make sure buyers in
Asia looking for a lower-cost Plasma Etch system can get the real thing,"
DeLarge
said. "Moving forward, of course, the only way for a buyer in Asia to know an
Advantage 16e is ours is to contact us directly -- we'll let them know
straight away."

The Advantage 16e is about one quarter the size of the MK-II and includes
fewer
operational controls, including record keeping, to bring its price point down
to about $89,000, which is "considerably less" than the MK-II plasma
etchingsystem, DeLarge said.

The Advantage 16e is manufactured at the company's Nevada headquarters and
includes a vacuum pump and booster blower and a unitary chassis design for
quick-turn installations without technical support.

System engineers from Plasma Etch will discuss approaches to uniform etch
back, desmear and treatment of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and demonstrate
theAdvantage 16e at booth No. 851 at the IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and
theDesigners Summit this Tuesday through Thursday in Las Vegas.

The Advantage 16e's key features and specifications include its 16 level,
horizontal planar electrode configuration (24" W x 18" D x 1.25" spacing),
1,000W
13.56 MHz solid state air-cooled R.F. generator, patented process temperature
control, two mass-flow meters with precision needle valve, automatic nitrogen
purging for vacuum pump, touch-screen interface for PLC controlled process
and Plasma Etch software.

For more information on Plasma Etch's stand-alone systems, visit
http://www.plasmaetch.com/systems.html.

About Plasma Etch, Inc.

Plasma Etch, Inc. is a designer, manufacturer and global distributor of
vacuum plasma systems that clean, modify and etch treated surfaces to enable
customers' manufacturing processes. The company was founded in 1980 and holds
patents for the temperature-control system and electrostatic shielding found in
its
vacuum chambers. The company's vacuum plasma systems are used by
manufacturers of medical devices, printed circuit boards (PCBs), IC
packages, connectors and wafer-processing equipment. Plasma Etch's clients have
included NASA and various industry-leading brands such as Boeing, Honeywell
and Lockheed Martin. The company is based in Carson City, Nev. and prides
itself on offering personalized technical support worldwide for its complete
line
of systems. http://www.plasmaetch.com/

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Contact:

Ehrlich Written Communications
Plasma Etch, Inc. Media Relations:
Chris Ehrlich
Principal
503-925-1600 x1
http://www.ewcomm.com/

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