At IMTS, ANCA not only celebrated five decades of innovation, but 35 years of successful operations in the United States. Its exhibit included the first machine ever bought in the United States, a refurbished TG4, as a nostalgic nod to ANCA’s technological journey (Figure 1).
Against the backdrop of ANCA’s latest offerings, this was a striking visual display of the company’s journey from early innovation to being a future-looking manufacturer in the tool and cutter grinding industry.
The North American debut of the EPX-SF, ANCA’s advanced stream finishing machine, became the centerpiece of attention. The EPX-SF’s technology offers micro-cutting-edge preparation and controllable nano-smooth surface finishing (Figure 2).
“Given the competitive world that we are living in and the global market that we are challenged with, it is important that we allow our customers to get the best value out of our machines,” ANCA CNC Machines General Manager Edmund Boland said. “So, our focus on lowest-cost tools is critical, and we have a number of technologies for this, AIMS being one of them.”
Revealed to the market in the Americas was AIMS Connect, which is the production control of the ANCA Integrated Manufacturing System (AIMS). It enables the integration of different machines, offering full control over all processes and workflows (Figure 3). AIMS Connect’s smart job management and production control is designed to increase productivity, reduce errors and tackle labor challenges while increasing machine utilization and reducing the cost per tool.
ANCA’s 50 years in the grinding industry is thanks to the partnerships and loyal customers that have accompanied its journey. The 50th anniversary milestone was celebrated with partners, customers and industry at a gala dinner during IMTS.
IMTS also provided the stage for the announcement of the winners of the ANCA Tool of the Year and Female Machinist awards, which are consistently supported by industry and partners. The 2024 winners Werkzeugschleiferei Krämer GmbH (Made on ANCA) and XGE (Virtual Tool) once again demonstrated the possibilities of creative design, precision and craftmanship with today’s technologies (Figure 4). Witnessing Krämer, a smaller company take out a competition at a global level was a dream come true for taking precision to the world stage.
Stephanie Chrystal from Sandvik Coromant USA was awarded the ANCA Female Machinist of the Year for her exceptional problem-solving, leadership in expanding and training her team and her ability to deliver outstanding results under pressure.
