Leading Manufacturer Updates Equipment to Ensure Printed Circuit Board Quality and Turntime

AURORA, Colo., - (July 11, 2005) - Advanced Circuits, a leader in quick-turn printed circuit board manufacturing, today announced the investment of more than $1 million in new equipment, confirming its commitment to consistently provide quality products on time to customers.

“Although we already lead the industry in turn time and product quality, we are constantly improving our processes to give customers PCBs that are on time or early every time,” said Dan Chouinard, Vice President of Plant Operations for Advanced Circuits. “Investing in new equipment allows us to not only produce superior boards, but also consistently ship them ahead of schedule. An extra day or two means a lot to our customers who are responsible for meeting tight deadlines and juggling numerous projects.”

The new equipment purchases include:

- - Advanced Circuits, a leader in quick-turn printed circuit board manufacturing, today announced the investment of more than $1 million in new equipment, confirming its commitment to consistently provide quality products on time to customers.“Although we already lead the industry in turn time and product quality, we are constantly improving our processes to give customers PCBs that are on time or early every time,” said Dan Chouinard, Vice President of Plant Operations for Advanced Circuits. “Investing in new equipment allows us to not only produce superior boards, but also consistently ship them ahead of schedule. An extra day or two means a lot to our customers who are responsible for meeting tight deadlines and juggling numerous projects.”The new equipment purchases include:

• Strip-Etch-Strip (SES) Line. This automated line provides extremely accurate and consistent fine-line etching.
• Debur equipment. Advanced Circuits’ new Debur equipment offers thorough cleaning for small holes, supporting the capability for tighter more compact designs.
• Lead Free Hot Air Solder Level (HASL) Unit. This purchase is in preparation for the pending 2006 lead free requirements. The new HASL unit will be used to manufacture lead-free products and also add redundancy to current production processes.
• Hot Air Solder Leveling Pre-Clean and Post-Clean Lines. These new and improved lines will reduce the cycle time required to produce a board, while at the same time providing greater consistency in the final product.
• Handling equipment. This new equipment for the HASL and SES lines further automates the manufacturing process, allowing a single employee to manage the process.

“We are fortunate our continued company success allows us to purchase the latest technology needed to provide outstanding customer value and satisfaction, “ said John Yacoub, President of Advanced Circuits. “By automating more processes we are further reducing the chance for errors and providing an opportunity to cross-train our employees so that their expertise and skills can be used in multiple areas.”

The installation and implementation of the new equipment begins this month and with an end of year completion date.

About Advanced Circuits

Since 1989, Advanced Circuits has been a leading a quick-turn printed circuit board manufacturer that specializes in producing engineering prototypes and production boards. Unlike other quick-turn printed circuit board companies, Advanced Circuits combines real-time online service with personalized customer care. Customers can talk to a live representative, or go online to get quotes, place orders and check status 24 hours a day. In addition, the company offers free design for manufacturability checks, obtaining results within minutes, at www.FreeDFM.com. With no minimum quantity requirement, Advanced Circuits offers same-day delivery with standard delivery of 3 days. For more information, visit http://www.4pcb.com., or call us at 800-979-4PCB.