Williams Advanced Materials to be Granted US Patent for Sil-X(TM) DVD Production Alloy

Williams Advanced Materials Inc. (WAM) announced todaythat it has been notified by the United States Patent and TrademarkOffice (USPTO) that the USPTO has allowed WAM's patent application forWAM's silver-based optical media alloy, commonly known as Sil-X(TM).On December 15, 2005, WAM announced that the European Patent Office(EPO) had made a decision to grant WAM a similar patent for the samealloy. Once the two patents are formally issued, WAM will have patentprotection for Sil-X(TM) in the United States and potentially morethan 25 European nations. Patent applications for Sil-X(TM) arepending in other countries.

Sil-X(TM)was launched by WAM early in 2003 as an alternative togold and other materials with expensive license fees. Sil-X(TM) hassince achieved widespread acceptance by many of the world's DVDreplicators as an efficient solution for disc metallization.

In making this announcement, WAM President Richard Sagercommented, "The notification that the Sil-X(TM) patent is about to begranted in the United States is another very positive milestone forWAM. Several DVD replicators have been awaiting this development.Optical media materials remain a key and strategic segment of ouroverall business. Both the European and United States Sil-X(TM)patents focus on useful and operable materials and will reinforcetheir viability as a long-term answer to manufacturing efficient androbust DVD's."

Sil-X(TM) has been used by nearly all of the world's leading DVDmanufacturers as a raw material critical to minimizing Cost per Disc(CPD) and enhancing performance characteristics of DVD's. WAM'sleadership position as a raw material supplier, its extensiveexperience in precious metals, its collaborative research anddevelopment efforts with key customers and its commitment to customersupport led to the discovery and refinement of this alloy.

Headquartered in Buffalo, WAM manufactures precious, non-preciousand specialty metal products at facilities in New York, California,Wisconsin and Asia, and provides precision cleaning and reconditioningservices for physical vapor deposition (PVD) customers at facilitiesin the U.S. and Ireland. Major markets for WAM's products includemagnetic and optical data storage, the wireless, semiconductor,photonic and hybrid segments of the microelectronics markets.

The Company has embarked on an acquisition course over the pastyear, bolstering its position in PVD materials and services. Earlierthis month, WAM announced it had purchased CERAC, incorporated ofMilwaukee, a leading domestic provider of physical vapor deposition(PVD) and specialty inorganic materials. In October 2005, WAM acquiredprivately held Thin Film Technology, Inc. (TFT), of Buellton,California, a leading provider of precision optical coatings, photolithography, thin film hybrid circuits, and specialized thin filmcoatings and services. In May 2005, WAM's Netherlands subsidiaryacquired privately held OMC Scientific Holdings Limited (OMC) ofLimerick, Ireland. OMC primarily provides precision cleaning andreconditioning services for PVD customers serving the magnetic andoptical data storage, semiconductor and other technology-based growthmarkets.

WAM's parent company, Brush Engineered Materials Inc. (NYSE:BW) isheadquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The Company, through itswholly-owned subsidiaries, supplies worldwide markets with berylliumproducts, alloy products, electronic products, precious metalproducts, and engineered material systems.