What Technical Engineering Services does

Technical Engineering Services (TES), founded in 1979 and headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, manufactures and remanufactures high vacuum thin film deposition equipment for industrial customers. Operating as a division of Triad Pacific Equipment, Inc., the company is privately held and serves ten end-markets including semiconductor manufacturing, precision optics, electro-optics, flat panel displays, storage media, medical devices, solar, superconductor, automotive, and aerospace industries.

TES's product portfolio centers on four platforms: the TES-44 (based on the Perkin Elmer 4400), the VCT-1800 R&D system, the remanufactured TEMESCAL series (BJD/FCE/VES), and the TES 600/900 series (based on MRC 600/900). These sputtering and evaporation systems are sold as new, rebuilt, remanufactured, or upgraded units. Core technical components include GE Fanuc factory automation control software and hardware, the Allen Bradley DeviceNet industrial communication protocol (which reduces wiring by over 75%), fast-cycle load locks, water-cooled RF bias, rotating substrate tables, and magnetron cathode arrays. Documented performance includes pump-down to 5×10⁻⁷ torr in 3.5–7 minutes depending on platform, +/- 5% film uniformity, and a mean time between failures exceeding 92%.

TES generates revenue through direct, custom-quoted enterprise sales of hardware systems, configured to customer specifications covering intended use, materials, throughput, substrate details, and co-deposition requirements. The company encourages facility visits by prospective buyers and conducts sales engineering-led consultations. There is no disclosed distributor or reseller network, no public pricing, and no recurring software or service revenue stream. TES deliberately designs its systems using readily available, multi-sourced replacement parts and shares manufacturer part numbers with customers to eliminate middleman markup, which functions as both a cost advantage and a customer-friendly maintenance model. The company is privately held under Triad Pacific Equipment, Inc., with no disclosed venture capital or private equity investment and no public listing.

Name

Technical Engineering Services

Legal name

Technical Engineering Services a division of Triad Pacific Equipment, Inc.

Website

https://tescal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Technical Engineering Services (TES), founded 1979 and based in Santa Cruz, CA, manufactures and remanufactures high vacuum thin-film deposition equipment (sputtering and evaporation systems) for semiconductor, optics, aerospace, medical, and solar industries via direct enterprise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Thin Film Deposition Equipment

NAICS

Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing (333242)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)

akta.pro primary industry

Deposition Equipment (CVD/PVD/ALD/Epitaxy) (HDAHAEAB)

Keywords

• High vacuum deposition
• Thin film equipment
• Sputtering systems
• Evaporation systems
• Semiconductor manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Cruz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. High Vacuum Thin Film Deposition Equipment Sales: TES generates revenue through the sale of new, remanufactured, rebuilt, and upgraded high vacuum thin film deposition systems. They offer sputtering and evaporation systems including TES-44, VCT-1800, TES 600/900 series, and remanufactured Perkin Elmer, Temescal, and MRC systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Technical Engineering Services (TES) manufactures and remanufactures high vacuum thin film deposition equipment, specializing in sputtering and evaporation systems delivered as new, rebuilt, remanufactured, or upgraded configurations. The company engineers custom-configured deposition tools that integrate GE Fanuc automation control and DeviceNet communication protocols, supporting industries including semiconductor manufacturing, precision optics, electro-optics, flat panel displays, storage media, medical devices, solar, superconductor, automotive, and aerospace.

Product overview

Technical Engineering Services (TES) is a manufacturer and remanufacturer of high vacuum thin film deposition equipment, specializing in sputtering and evaporation systems. The product portfolio consists of four main systems: TES 44 (based on Perkin Elmer 4400), VCT 1800, TEMESCAL series (BJD/FCE/VES), and TES 600/900 (MRC 600/900). These systems are offered as new, rebuilt, remanufactured, or upgraded configurations, serving markets including semiconductor manufacturing, precision optics, electro optics, flat panel displays, storage media, medical devices, solar, superconductor, automotive, and aerospace industries. The systems feature GE Fanuc automation control, DeviceNet communication protocols, fast cycle load locks, and are designed for high throughput with over 92% mean time between failures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TES 44 (Perkin Elmer 4400) Sputtering System A fast cycle load locked, sputter down sputtering system with water cooled RF bias and rotating substrate table designed for R&D and high-capacity production, capable of processing wafers up to 200mm diameter with +/-5% uniformity and achieving base pressure of 5 x 10-7 torr in less than 3.5 minutes.
• VCT 1800 Thin Film Deposition System A versatile R&D sputtering and evaporation multipurpose system featuring configurable fast cycle load lock, an array of sputtering sources, multi pocket electron beam gun, and ion source for etching and ion assisted deposition, with a 7-inch diameter usable substrate area and base pressure of 5 x 10-7 torr in less than 4 minutes.
• TEMESCAL (BJD/FCE/VES) Remanufactured Deposition Systems Rebuilt and remanufactured Temescal thin film deposition systems ranging from BJD 1800 to FCE 4800, enhanced with custom configurations and TES flexibility for stringent process requirements at competitive pricing.
• TES 600/900 (MRC 600/900) Sputtering Systems Horizontal (TES-600) and vertical (TES-900) process sputtering systems with fast cycle dual level load lock, linear pallet motion across up to three 5" x 15" magnetron cathodes achieving +/-5% deposition uniformity, and continuous operation by exchanging completed 12" x 12" pallet loads; reaches base pressure of 9 x 10-7 torr in less than 7 minutes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Better than 92% mean time between failures
• +3 more outcomes

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GE FanuccoreTechnology or IntegrationTES incorporates GE Fanuc automation control software and hardware in their thin film deposition equipment. GE Fanuc is one of the largest suppliers of factory automation control systems worldwide. The partnership enables complex recipe development and repeatable automated processes for customers.
• Allen Bradley (DeviceNet)coreTechnology or IntegrationTES incorporates DeviceNet communication protocol developed by Allen Bradley into their system designs. DeviceNet uses CAN technology for industrial control applications, reducing wiring by over 75% and improving noise immunity and troubleshooting efficiency.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CHA Industries: US manufacturer of vacuum deposition and sputtering/evaporation systems serving semiconductor, optics and research markets - directly comparable to TES.
• Kurt J. Lesker Company: Manufactures and distributes vacuum and thin-film deposition systems, components and materials, competing head-to-head with TES for sputtering and evaporation system sales.
• Denton Vacuum: US-based manufacturer of thin-film deposition systems including sputtering and evaporation tools, closely comparable to TES in customer base and product scope.
• Oerlikon Balzers: Supplies PVD and vacuum thin-film deposition equipment and coatings services, with a product portfolio that directly competes with TES sputtering and evaporation systems.

Broad incumbents

• Applied Materials: The dominant global supplier of semiconductor deposition (PVD/CVD/ALD) and related fab equipment. Overlaps with TES in sputtering/PVD, but operates at vastly greater scale across all major fab segments.
• ULVAC: Japanese manufacturer of vacuum and thin-film deposition equipment, including sputtering and evaporation systems directly comparable to TES's product family.
• Veeco Instruments: Broader thin-film equipment supplier with MOCVD and deposition platforms used in LED, photonics and semiconductor manufacturing; competes with TES in adjacent deposition applications.

Emerging players

• Angstrom Engineering: Smaller specialty manufacturer of thin-film deposition and R&D-scale sputtering/evaporation systems, competing with TES particularly in research and pilot-production customers.
• Moorfield Nanotechnology: UK-based supplier of small-scale PVD and evaporation deposition systems for R&D and pilot production, overlapping with TES's VCT-1800-style R&D product line.

Regional players

• Canon Anelva: Japanese PVD and sputtering equipment supplier primarily serving Asia-based semiconductor and electronics customers; comparable to TES in product technology but not direct geographic competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/technical-engineering-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Technical Engineering Services