Acme Manufacturing

Robotic Systems for Metal Finishing

Fritz Carlson, President & CEO

Acme’s success story dates back to 1892, when Fritz Carlson’s great grandfather, a toolmaker by profession, immigrated from Sweden to Detroit. It was while he was doing some contract work for Henry Ford, during the early days of Ford Motor Company that he gained firsthand experience in metal finishing, buffing and polishing, and progressed to creating simple semiautomatic machines, eventually laying the cornerstone of Acme in 1910.

By now, the automotive industry had gained momentum in Detroit, and Acme’s business soared due to the requirements of polishing and buffing for automobile parts leading the way into other industry segments. Along the timeline, the inevitable need arose for a shift from manual to robotic automation finishing solutions to eliminate health-related risks and minimize labor costs, the downside of the hazardous metal finishing domain.

Fast forward to today; Acme, building on a 110-year-old legacy, is an automation technology ace in metal finishing with a global presence spanning across 20 markets. The company offers automation solutions through its robotic metal finishing systems for material removal such as belt grinding, polishing, deburring, buffing, cut-off, edge profiling, for achieving a smooth finish. “Acme’s state of the art automation solutions have brought forth manifold benefits in health, safety, and quality, alongside ending the reliability on metal finishers and minimizing labor costs,” extols Carlson, President and CEO of Acme Manufacturing.

On the product engineering front, once the clients send sample part drawings, the Acme team sets up labs in their R&D department to determine cycle time and finish and ascertain the extent of possible automation to ultimately design the solution.

Post product delivery, Acme’s full-fledged service team provides installation services and hands-on training for the equipment. The company’s maintenance contracts include the deployment of trained engineers to evaluate the robot cell on a periodic basis to ensure proper functioning and replacement of worn-out parts. “Our objective is to develop novel automated solutions to generate the lowest unit cost for the client with automation, irrespective of the industry,” says Carlson.

Acme’s esteemed clientele span many industries including; aerospace, medical implants, consumer products, firearms, heavy truck and off-road construction, just to name a few. These markets require innovative automation for their high-value parts in order to achieve new levels of repeatability. In the aerospace domain, Acme’s equipment performs robotic metal finishing ranging from deburring of turbine engine components to polishing airfoils after casting, forging or milling. Its medical implant finishing involves robotic manipulation of the orthopedic implant that replaces labor-intensive hand surface finishing operations. “We have installed numerous robotic systems in the foundry industry eliminating manual cutting and grinding, which had huge health and safety risks, bringing forth better yield and product quality,” states Carlson.

Acme’s authentic recipe perfected over time is the bedrock of its proficiency to churn out good quality parts at the lowest unit cost. The Acme team places customer loyalty as the center of focus and stands resolutely behind its products to ensure the successful completion of applications. This, along with its capability to pursue challenging applications, is what garners repeat orders from its loyal customer base.

With over 90 employees spread across Brazil, China, Singapore, India and Ireland among others, Acme is gearing up for a massive expansion plan across several other countries shortly. Their recently opened Singapore office deals with technical sales and support and research and development exclusively for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul in the aerospace industry. “We envision Singapore to be a springboard for us to pursue opportunities in the ASEAN countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia,” concludes Carlson.

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Acme Manufacturing

Company
Acme Manufacturing

Management
Fritz Carlson, President & CEO

Description
Acme provides robotic, deburring, polishing, buffing, and grinding solutions to produce high-quality parts and reduce metal finishing costs

Acme Manufacturing News

Robotic Auto Path Generation Technology

3:10 AM

Acme Manufacturing offers technology tailored for the aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sector. Robotic Auto Path Generation technology streamlines aerospace airfoil polishing and jet engine blade repair manufacturing. This new automated solution replaces traditional CNC grinding or manual finishing and, according to the company, is 3-4X faster.

"Due to unique part-to-part variations, aerospace engine component repair demands meticulous attention to detail," said a company spokesperson. "Acme's innovative Robotic Auto Path Generation technology simplifies the robotic programming process. This technology is ideal for high-mix and low-volume manufacturing. Calculated algorithms enable rapid part path generation, saving time and optimizing finishing operations."

Dany DeChamplain, Managing Director-Acme Singapore, said, "At Acme Manufacturing, we have harnessed the power of automated measurement and 3D surface scanning to cater specifically to the aerospace MRO industry's unique challenges. Our Robotic Auto Path Generation technology empowers aerospace MROs with an unparalleled tool that enhances precision, reduces downtime and increases overall operational efficiency. A recently installed system proved success. After I provided training to the customer, they were able to introduce 40 unique part models to the production system easily."

Key highlights of Acme's Robotic Auto Path Generation technology include:

• Swift robot path generation: Acme's advanced 3D surface scanning technology is based on a "golden part" to facilitate the automatic generation of a part-specific robot path, reducing manual intervention and programming time. Once a new part is introduced to the system, programs are saved for quick changeover.

• Precision enhancement: The software-based technology creates precise part paths that produce a consistent surface finish for material removal. Combined with advanced automated inspection, this new technology helps to eliminate part-to-part variations and enables repair facilities to meet strict tolerances in the aerospace MRO industry.

• Seamless integration: Acme's HMI provides a user-friendly interface for quick and easy system integration, with an intuitive process for operators.

• Consistency and quality: There is limited access to original CAD data in the high-mix, low-volume aerospace MRO industry. In-service components that have been subject to wear may not match original specifications. The system uses a "golden part" as a reference to measure each part and generate robot paths to produce accurate specifications.

• Increased productivity: Aerospace MRO manufacturers can increase productivity with Acme's Robotic Auto Path Generation technology. Robotic material removal solutions improve safety and lower unit costs.