In a dynamic progression through recent years, Acu-Rite, a leader in DROs, CNC, encoders and accessories said it has consistently advanced despite global changes, reinforcing its commitment to machinists nationwide.
Starting in 2019, Acu-Rite embarked on a significant transformation by relocating its manufacturing facilities from Jamestown, NY, to the larger, state-of-the-art facilities at the North American headquarters of parent company Heidenhain Corp. in Schaumburg, Illinois. This move not only represents Acu-Rite’s dedication to the “Made in America” tradition but also strategically places the company in a centralized location. This benefits Acu-Rite with quicker access to industrial resources in the Chicagoland area, enhancing its operational efficiency in shipping and receiving, both domestically and internationally.
Further emphasizing its commitment to education and customer support, Acu-Rite opened the Acu-Rite Technology Education Center (ATEC) in 2021.
ATEC stands as a pillar of innovation, offering North American customers and prospects a unique opportunity to directly engage with Acu-Rite’s extensive range of machine tool components. This facility provides an environment where expert trainers can demonstrate the application of Acu-Rite’s controls, digital readouts, encoders, and accessories on various machine tools. By appointment, customers can experience Acu-Rite’s latest products, including the MILLPWRG2 control system for knee mill and bed mill applications and the TURNPWR control for lathe applications, in a fully functional setting.
Additionally, Acu-Rite is extending its support to the educational sector through its School Discount Program. This initiative is designed to bring the latest in precision metalworking technology to students across the country. By partnering with local distributors, Acu-Rite is able to offer its advanced MILLPWRG2 CNC controllers and comprehensive DRO packages at significantly reduced prices to schools with precision metalworking and vocational programs. This effort not only equips educators with the tools necessary to provide in-depth instruction on turning and milling machine cycles, probing functions, and conversational CNC programming, but also highlights Acu-Rite’s commitment to fostering the next generation of machining professionals.
In line with its innovative spirit, Acu-Rite proudly announced the launch of droPWR in 2022, a revolutionary product that transforms an iPad into a comprehensive digital readout. This innovation is a game-changer in the machining industry, offering an intuitive user experience with touch screen capabilities, dynamic switching between milling, turning, and grinding, and the flexibility of multiple machine configurations on a single tablet. The droPWR is a perfect fit for both educational settings and modern manufacturing environments, highlighting Acu-Rite’s continued pursuit of technological advancement.
Acu-Rite also introduced its new “Channel Partner Program,” designed to reinforce and support the brand’s dealer network. This program ensures that Acu-Rite dealers are equipped with the best qualifications for sales and service, maintaining the highest standards of brand representation.
Acu-Rite’s ongoing success is powered by its diverse teams, including the engineering and applications team in New York, and a comprehensive manufacturing team, dedicated service, quality control and marketing teams, all located in Illinois.
The company has also seen significant changes in its core team. John Parker, a long-time Acu-Rite employee with 30+ years of experience, now leads as the Business Unit Manager for the Acu-Rite brand. Kevin Caporale, another veteran with a similarly extensive tenure, has been appointed as the Channel Partner Manager, overseeing the substantial Channel Partner Program. Edward Abplanalp joins as an Applications Engineer, bringing years of rich experience in various aspects of machining and fabrication. Mike Lentz is taking the role of National Sales Manager that represents a strategic step in driving Acu-Rite’s sales initiatives. Mike will be dedicated to assisting Regional Sales Managers to invigorate channel partners and to drive the growth of Acu-Rite sales.
Looking forward to 2024 and beyond, Acu-Rite is enthusiastic about its continued brand investments. These include a revitalized visual identity, an enhanced online presence and a commitment to new product development. A significant highlight for the year will be Acu-Rite’s participation in the IMTS trade show in September, where the company is set to make an exciting new announcement.
Related Glossary Terms
- computer numerical control ( CNC)
computer numerical control ( CNC)
Microprocessor-based controller dedicated to a machine tool that permits the creation or modification of parts. Programmed numerical control activates the machine’s servos and spindle drives and controls the various machining operations. See DNC, direct numerical control; NC, numerical control.
- gang cutting ( milling)
gang cutting ( milling)
Machining with several cutters mounted on a single arbor, generally for simultaneous cutting.
- grinding
grinding
Machining operation in which material is removed from the workpiece by a powered abrasive wheel, stone, belt, paste, sheet, compound, slurry, etc. Takes various forms: surface grinding (creates flat and/or squared surfaces); cylindrical grinding (for external cylindrical and tapered shapes, fillets, undercuts, etc.); centerless grinding; chamfering; thread and form grinding; tool and cutter grinding; offhand grinding; lapping and polishing (grinding with extremely fine grits to create ultrasmooth surfaces); honing; and disc grinding.
- lathe
lathe
Turning machine capable of sawing, milling, grinding, gear-cutting, drilling, reaming, boring, threading, facing, chamfering, grooving, knurling, spinning, parting, necking, taper-cutting, and cam- and eccentric-cutting, as well as step- and straight-turning. Comes in a variety of forms, ranging from manual to semiautomatic to fully automatic, with major types being engine lathes, turning and contouring lathes, turret lathes and numerical-control lathes. The engine lathe consists of a headstock and spindle, tailstock, bed, carriage (complete with apron) and cross slides. Features include gear- (speed) and feed-selector levers, toolpost, compound rest, lead screw and reversing lead screw, threading dial and rapid-traverse lever. Special lathe types include through-the-spindle, camshaft and crankshaft, brake drum and rotor, spinning and gun-barrel machines. Toolroom and bench lathes are used for precision work; the former for tool-and-die work and similar tasks, the latter for small workpieces (instruments, watches), normally without a power feed. Models are typically designated according to their “swing,” or the largest-diameter workpiece that can be rotated; bed length, or the distance between centers; and horsepower generated. See turning machine.
- metalworking
metalworking
Any manufacturing process in which metal is processed or machined such that the workpiece is given a new shape. Broadly defined, the term includes processes such as design and layout, heat-treating, material handling and inspection.
- milling
milling
Machining operation in which metal or other material is removed by applying power to a rotating cutter. In vertical milling, the cutting tool is mounted vertically on the spindle. In horizontal milling, the cutting tool is mounted horizontally, either directly on the spindle or on an arbor. Horizontal milling is further broken down into conventional milling, where the cutter rotates opposite the direction of feed, or “up” into the workpiece; and climb milling, where the cutter rotates in the direction of feed, or “down” into the workpiece. Milling operations include plane or surface milling, endmilling, facemilling, angle milling, form milling and profiling.
- milling machine ( mill)
milling machine ( mill)
Runs endmills and arbor-mounted milling cutters. Features include a head with a spindle that drives the cutters; a column, knee and table that provide motion in the three Cartesian axes; and a base that supports the components and houses the cutting-fluid pump and reservoir. The work is mounted on the table and fed into the rotating cutter or endmill to accomplish the milling steps; vertical milling machines also feed endmills into the work by means of a spindle-mounted quill. Models range from small manual machines to big bed-type and duplex mills. All take one of three basic forms: vertical, horizontal or convertible horizontal/vertical. Vertical machines may be knee-type (the table is mounted on a knee that can be elevated) or bed-type (the table is securely supported and only moves horizontally). In general, horizontal machines are bigger and more powerful, while vertical machines are lighter but more versatile and easier to set up and operate.
- milling machine ( mill)2
milling machine ( mill)
Runs endmills and arbor-mounted milling cutters. Features include a head with a spindle that drives the cutters; a column, knee and table that provide motion in the three Cartesian axes; and a base that supports the components and houses the cutting-fluid pump and reservoir. The work is mounted on the table and fed into the rotating cutter or endmill to accomplish the milling steps; vertical milling machines also feed endmills into the work by means of a spindle-mounted quill. Models range from small manual machines to big bed-type and duplex mills. All take one of three basic forms: vertical, horizontal or convertible horizontal/vertical. Vertical machines may be knee-type (the table is mounted on a knee that can be elevated) or bed-type (the table is securely supported and only moves horizontally). In general, horizontal machines are bigger and more powerful, while vertical machines are lighter but more versatile and easier to set up and operate.
- quality assurance ( quality control)
quality assurance ( quality control)
Terms denoting a formal program for monitoring product quality. The denotations are the same, but QC typically connotes a more traditional postmachining inspection system, while QA implies a more comprehensive approach, with emphasis on “total quality,” broad quality principles, statistical process control and other statistical methods.
- turning
turning
Workpiece is held in a chuck, mounted on a face plate or secured between centers and rotated while a cutting tool, normally a single-point tool, is fed into it along its periphery or across its end or face. Takes the form of straight turning (cutting along the periphery of the workpiece); taper turning (creating a taper); step turning (turning different-size diameters on the same work); chamfering (beveling an edge or shoulder); facing (cutting on an end); turning threads (usually external but can be internal); roughing (high-volume metal removal); and finishing (final light cuts). Performed on lathes, turning centers, chucking machines, automatic screw machines and similar machines.
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