WILMINGTON, MA, October 2004 — GSI Group Inc. (Nasdaq: GSLI and TSX: GSI) announces the immediate availability of a new version of its application software for use with its SVS™ series of solder paste and component placement inspection systems. The software, version 4.7, has been designed to increase the overall ease of managing inspection programs between systems, which will benefit installations that support multiple machines on site or which move production between sites.

Through the use of v4.7 of the SVS software, customers will find new, easier to use tools for transporting inspection programs, which are actually collections of files, across internal and external networks for storage and download from central network servers, allowing customers to more easily create libraries of programs and manage multiple systems.

In addition, version 4.7 will feature load and run capability, which allows programs created on one SVS system to be easily loaded and run on other SVS systems without the need for program adjustment or compilation.

With version 4.7, the underlying operating system has been advanced to UnixWare 7.1.3, which provides DHCP networking for reduced network management, as well as support for large hard drives.

The software also includes multiple programming and functionality improvements, including a technique for achieving improved solder paste performance on very warped boards of flex circuits, support for an expanded range of fiducial shapes, data presentation improvements, and the ability to re-edit programs created via the existing “Teach from CAD” capability.

GSI Group offers 3-D laser-based in-line AOI systems for both solder paste inspection after screen printing and component placement inspection after component placement. These systems, inspecting 100% of the surface while production is in full progress, provide accurate and easy-to-evaluate data to facilitate improvement of the process.