LAS VEGAS, NV – Engineers from Plasma Etch, responding to the sale of counterfeits of their MK-II system being sold in Asia, have introduced a scaled-down version of the system to price-conscious reps of Asian-based PCB manufacturers, according to Greg DeLarge, the company's president.

DeLarge said the new system, called the Advantage 16e, was designed by Plasma Etch "to counteract any penetration by smaller, low-cost knockoffs" of the company's MK-II in Asia's PCB manufacturing community, adding that some manufacturers' reps and metal-fabrication outfits in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea are effectively duping price-conscious buyers in the region looking for Plasma Etch systems.

"We basically took our MK-II and stripped it down to make sure buyers in Asia looking for a lower-cost Plasma Etch system can get the real thing," DeLarge said.

The scaled-down product is about one quarter the size of the MK-II and includes fewer operational controls than the full-sized system. It is manufactured at the company's Nevada headquarters and is reportedly designed for quick-turn installations without technical support.