VISTA, CALIF. – Palomar Technologies established a new service that provides design, engineering and prototyping for its customers. Process development is not new to equipment manufacturers, but according to Kevin Conlon, president of Palomar, the extent of this offering is an industry first.

Conlon told Advanced Packaging that one advantage of this effort allows start-up companies to have new products manufactured on fully automated lines. This increases their credibility to customers and investors by demonstrating the feasibility of mass production of their products, compared to a situation where prototypes are made on manual equipment.

On the other end of the spectrum, larger companies might consider using the service because of downsizing or a focus on core technologies. Conlon said that the industry downturn actually may help to create the market for this kind of outsourcing work.