The Cressington company was originally formed by Peter Walley in 1973 to offer a product design service in the field of high vacuum coating. In 1991 Cressington moved into coating for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with the introduction of the desktop "108" series of coaters. These efficient low vacuum sputter coaters and carbon evaporators proved extremely popular. They have since improved and developed over time to the products they are today. Today Peter and his son Christopher together drives the development forward.