Fred P. Brechtel

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Fred P. Brechtel is the founder and President of Brechtel, having started the firm in 1986 to build high vacuum ion pumps and provide vacuum brazing services. With more than 50 years of high-vacuum and manufacturing experience, he brings a wealth of fabrication expertise to the production efforts at Brechtel. He was trained through an apprenticeship program as an electro-mechanical engineer in Germany before emigrating to the US in 1959 looking for adventure and new career opportunities. Fred has worked at a variety of high-tech companies and laboratories in Silicon Valley, including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Electrofusion Corp., and completed extensive coursework at the American Materials Society and the American Vacuum Society. With the success of aerosol product sales, the vacuum ion pump production side of the business was sold so Brechtel could focus entirely on bringing new air quality sensors to market. Fred continues to play an important role in the production of aerosol devices by acting as the production floor manager directing technicians on day-to-day tasks, in particular vacuum brazing activities. He also enjoys figuring out new ways to use our 80,000 psi Water Jet cutter.