HCNC Announces Joint Venture with CAItech

Wuhan, China, Nov. 22, 1999 - Dr. Chen Jihong, President of Huazhong CNC, Co., Ltd. (HCNC), announced a joint venture with U.S.-based CAItech (San Jose, CA) to produce 3D inspection machines for Chinese and Western markets.  HCNC is China's market share leader of electronic circuitry that runs computer controlled machine tools.  The circuitry, called Computer Numerical Control or CNC, is the latest foray of small but powerful computers into industry.

Dr. Chen said that HCNC has been looking for ways to market their products in the West, especially as an supplier of CNC controllers for motion control machines.  HCNC equipment uses the latest Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chips to accurately control many different motors simultaneously.  The DSP chips are themselves controlled by an Intel-based computer running on a Microsoft operating system. "CAItech is an ideal partner because they must control several axes of their inspection machines at the same time," said Chen.

CAItech President Shawn Buckley said that HCNC produces high quality CNC controllers and motors at lower cost than Western companies.  "HCNC's new testing laboratory assures their products are reliable and efficient under all operating conditions," said Buckley.  CAItech licenses technolgy and does software development at Huazhong University's nearby NC Institute.  "We have had an excellent relationship with Dr. Chen and his staff in the past.  We at CAItech look forward to a long and successful partnership with HCNC," he added.

HCNC was recently divested from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Wuhan, China).  Previously the 240 man operation was located on the university campus, a leftover from the Cultural Revolution of the 1970s.  The company has moved to its new site at East Lake Development Zone, an industrial park next to the university.

Computer Aided Inspection Technologies, Inc. is a privately held California corporation manufacturing next-generation automated inspection equipment. Established in 1997, CAItech is located in San Jose, CA in the heart of California's Silicon Valley electronics industry.
CAItech can be reached at (408) 226-0642, or on the web at www.caitech.com .