$heff's $tation of $tocks & $olid DD

[read_this_n0w]

STI Preparing for Commercial Production of Conductus Superconducting Wire

( SCON (ticker) )

- New Conductus production machine operational -

- Strong customer demand for Conductus continues to outpace supply -

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 4, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Superconductor Technologies Inc. (SCON) ("STI"), a world leader in the development and production of high temperature superconducting (HTS) materials and associated technologies, reported its one kilometer RCE system (RCE-1000) completed final assembly, meets all required design specifications and is operational. Now STI is focused on software testing and process development as it prepares to scale production for the commercial launch of Conductus(R) wire.

"With our RCE-1000, SDP and IBAD machines operational, we are positioned to produce Conductus wire on a commercial scale," said Jeff Quiram, STI's president and chief executive officer. "Previously, the limited capacity of our pilot equipment constrained our customers' evaluation and qualification process. We are very excited we have the ability to increase Conductus supply, which will enable our customers to conclude testing in their electrical devices and initiate their production orders."

"Our customer demand is increasing as the industry begins to focus on commercialization of superconducting products. We continue to strengthen relationships with existing customers as well as engage with new ones who initiated evaluation for the qualification of Conductus wire for use in their devices. During the third quarter of 2014, we shipped Conductus wire to four new and six existing customers. Of these ten customers, seven are in Stage 1 evaluation, including wire characterization and performance testing, and three are for Stage 2, involving significantly more rigorous testing to simulate devices for commercial deployment. The additional orders continue to outpace our supply, and the commercial RCE-1000 will alleviate this constraint as we ramp availability in late 2014 and beyond."

Conductus(R) Superconducting Wire Manufacturing

To produce Conductus wire there are three key manufacturing processes:

(1) Solution Deposition Planarization (SDP) to smooth commercial-grade stainless steel or hastelloy substrate;

(2) Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD) to produce a template, allowing for the right surface conditions for the growth of superconducting material; and

(3) The proprietary Reactive Co-evaporation Cyclic Deposition and Reaction (RCE-CDR) of superconducting materials onto the manufactured template.