EPIC is excited to announce that this week it has agreed to partner with UK manufacturer Pyramid Engineering.

The arrangement will see EPIC purchase a complete Seam Sealer equipment for semiconductor packages.
The system will offer EPIC tenants ability to hermetically weld products within in a controlled environment.
This investment will enable current and future EPIC tenants to offer this technical capability to an ever demanding market.

Pyramid Engineering have over 40 years’ experience in the hermetic sealing of semiconductor and microelectronic packages using various welding processes within atmosphere controlled enclosures. They will offer ongoing support and training to EPIC tenants as part of the partnership.

Existing EPIC tenants and packaging specialists Bay Photonics will also add value to the partnership by supporting their clients and other EPIC tenants with this technology.

EPIC Centre Director, Wayne Loschi, is delighted with the move, “We have been slowly building the technical capability of EPIC over the past 12 months. We can now add Packaging to the Product Assembly, Microscopy and Analysis facilities within our centre. Pyramid Engineering have the expertise and experience to support our aspirations of becoming a globally recognised facility for microelectronics prototyping.”

Pyramid Engineering’s Managing Director, Gary Stead, is also excited by the opportunity, “We are very pleased to be involved in the EPIC project and look forward to installing our technology within the building. Pyramid has worked with various Torbay Hi Tech Cluster companies for a number of years therefore believe we are the best partner to support EPIC”.

EPIC will continue to invest in equipment and infrastructure to support the needs of tenants and the wider microelectronics cluster.

For more information on EPIC visit www.epic-centre.co.uk

If you are interested in joining our ever-growing cluster of hi tech companies at EPIC contact [email protected]

EFFECT Photonics, an industry-leading photonics company, are set to open a New Product Development department within EPIC.

The Dutch business is expanding its facilities within Torbay, having already established its manufacturing operations in Brixham.

EFFECT Photonics is the latest business to commit to the EPIC centre.

The move will see EFFECT Photonics, specialists in Photonic Integrated Circuits, occupy two units including a modern lab and an office. It is expected that new jobs will be created within EPIC, this is in addition to the recruitment drive that is currently underway in EFFECT’s other sites, including Eindhoven and Taiwan.

EFFECT has grown significantly in the past two years creating new highly skilled jobs in Torbay. It is expected that this trend will continue over the coming months with the business developing new optical transceiver technologies that will be used in applications such as 5G mobile networks.

EFFECT Photonics aims to shape the future of photonics by interconnecting humanity through fast, affordable, sustainable, and effective communication technologies.

Andrew Stimson, EFFECT’s lead on the move, stated: “EFFECT Photonics has some exciting growth plans and we saw EPIC as the logical venue to support our development. EPIC presents the ideal environment to develop the manufacturing technology required to serve our next generation of products. We are excited about the collaboration opportunities and benefiting from the expertise of existing and future EPIC tenants.”

EPIC tenants have access to over £1.5M worth of prototyping equipment in addition to a classified Cleanroom.

Despite the uncertainty over recent months, EPIC has continued to welcome new businesses into the centre. In addition to EFFECT, this has seen companies such as Bay Photonics and Covert Antenna Systems relocating to the building.

Centre Director, Wayne Loschi, is delighted with the move: “EPIC has invested heavily in prototyping equipment to support the needs of our local electronics cluster. EFFECT choosing EPIC as a venue to house their New Product Development activities demonstrates the progress the centre has made.”

“We’re finding that business are re-evaluating their current sites and looking at EPIC to move a process or department. This in turn frees up space and parking within their current building, making their set up more effective and efficient. We are in conversation with other high profile businesses about relocating departments into the centre.”

For more information on EPIC visit www.epic-centre.co.uk

If you are interested in joining our ever-growing cluster of hi tech companies at EPIC contact [email protected]

Three former Nortel engineers have moved their Electronics business to the Electronics and Photonics Innovation Centre (EPIC) at White Rock.

Mike Badcott, Andrew Addy and John McKinnon each have over 30 years of experience in the Electronics sector. They will use EPIC to grow their CAS Antennas business and HEEDRA products.

CAS Antennas are currently working with Nottingham University on European Space Agency (ESA) project that will improve positional accuracy of mobile phones.

Mike and Andy have also founded Heedra (www.heedra.co.uk) that provides distribution and consultancy for specialist GPS/GNSS products and services to engineers, researchers and staff across multiple industry sectors including Defence, Aerospace, Satellite and Space.

As GPS/GNSS technology becomes widespread across industries and applications, the business will continue to provide access to flexible, easy to use and affordable test solutions.

Director Mike Badcott said: “Things have turned full circle since the days of Nortel. We are now back close to that site in an amazing centre. We have taken one of the smaller offices here at EPIC but there is scope for us to grow. We are working on a number of exciting projects with market disrupting technologies which could see us expand very rapidly.”

CAS Antennas joins cutting-edge technology companies including Bay Photonics at EPIC.

EPIC has remained open throughout the pandemic providing facilities to the local microelectronics and photonics sector.

EPIC has seen unprecedented demand for lab space as businesses consider relocating to the new purpose-built electronics centre. This has resulted in businesses moving production, R&D and, in some cases, their whole organisation into EPIC.

Centre Director Wayne Loschi added: “The collaboration between our tenants is really starting to blossom. Businesses like CAS Antennas have a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will benefit EPIC.

“Since lockdown, EPIC has let seven new units, accommodating four new technology companies to the centre. This includes two high profile members of the local Hi Tech Cluster. What has been encouraging is the number of new jobs that have been created since April, at least ten since the start of the pandemic, which is fantastic in these challenging times.”

The EPIC Centre featured in a recent parliamentary session. Local MP Anthony Mangnall highlighted the work, value and importance of the photonics sector present at EPIC and within the wider Hi Tech Cluster.