LASER INSTALLATIONS SPARK PROTOTYPE SHOP'S REBOUND

A prototyper's 10 years of solid growth was suddenly wiped out...then, with determination, hard work and help from a laser manufacturer...reborn

It's a story that has been played out thousands of times all over the U.S., the startup of the 'garage' shop for metalworking or fabricating. The disheartened employee who strikes out on his or her own, plunking down life savings for a few machines and, with the trust of one or two customers, giving it a go. That's the story of Accu-Rite Industries, Inc. (Shelby Twp., MI) founded 12 years by Kirko Mickovski, at the time a machine operator earning, as he puts it, "dollars less than the going hourly rate at the time. It was frustrating, putting forth the effort for someone else with what seemed like little appreciation and even less compensation. I took the big step one day, started Accu-Rite and, with the help of my partner, John Loudon, have built the company into one of the Midwest's premier prototype firm specializing in heavy duty stamping and sheet metal fabrications, and with a particular focus on seating systems including reclining components, slide tracks, shells and frame parts, and reinforcing brackets, hinges, latches and locks, and steering column supports."

With Accu-Rite, Mr. Mickovski and Mr. Loudon achieved the dream of thousands; successfully operating their own business with steady growth over the years and a broadening customer base spanning across the automotive, small appliance and furniture industries. They had it all going for them until the need for expansion brought catastrophic results.

Mr. Mickovski explains. "We were having some work done two years ago, upgrading and rewiring electrical circuits from 240 volts to 480 volts," he says. "One night, there was a fire that destroyed the entire shop, including all of our fabricating equipment-wire EDM, CMMs, CNC machining centers, and four NTC laser cutting systems. In all, there was $3.7 million in damages. Insurance would cover the monetary losses, but it seemed an insurmountable task for us to resume a level of operations within any reasonable time frame that would keep our customers' projects on time."

It may have seemed insurmountable, but the more difficult the task, the more determined Mr.'s Mickovski and Loudon were to go forward. "The insurance firms were taking their time, conducting investigations and ascertaining values. In the meantime, we needed immediate action," notes Mickovski. "And we moved, developing our own funding to start back up, converting a building we used for storage into a temporary production facility. We also 'leaned' on one of our long time suppliers, the Laser Group of NTC America, to find us some lasers fast. I hoped they could help...I had no idea the lengths to which they could or would go. Needless to say, we were pleased and somewhat shocked at their response, as we had two lasers up and running within a week to 10 days, and a third unit was running within one month of the fire."

"Those lasers, along with an assortment of die making equipment, presses and CMM inspection systems kept us going while a comprehensive rebuilding plan was finalized and settlements were reached. After just nine months following the fire, the Accu-Rite facility had been rebuilt and our capabilities were back to and even surpassed the pre-fire level."

Today, Accu-Rite is an organization to be reckoned with, having 35 employees and using over 47,000 square feet of floor space spread over five separate facilities. It has reached a stage of nearly $9 million in investments including seven laser-cutting systems, all from NTC, along with 27 presses ranging from 100 ton up to 750-ton units, plus three CNC press brakes, four CNC machining centers, three CMMs, and a variety of metalcutting and fabricating machines. The rapid prototype components they generally work with are made from materials that typically range up to 3/8" thick, and stocks of HSLA (high strength, low alloy) steels specified for seating systems.

According to partner John Loudon, the firm has gained a reputation for meeting tough scheduling demands. "We'll usually be working on a job a half hour after receiving design data," Loudon remarks, "researching and designing the tooling. It's that type of fast paced work, from making our own tooling to stamping out parts-from one piece to 70,000 pre-production pieces, we usually complete a job in a two to four week time frame. A big contributor to our success are the lasers, and the techniques we've developed for using them that eliminates multiple blank cutting and secondary trimming operations."

Mr. Mickovski explains, "John (Loudon) has an extensive die making background, and his experience often allows us to develop and cut blanks to a net size and shape that virtually eliminates the need for complicated three dimensional trimming of parts after the forming operations. In a industry where every job is unique and every second counts, that ability gives Accu-Rite an edge in delivery and pricing, while the NTC lasers are our edge to high speed cutting and precision."

The lasers referred to include two TLV model bridge-configuration three axis systems featuring dependable fast axial flow, DC excitation CO2 lasers for dependability and consistent power output. For Accu-Rite, the TLV systems offer a high degree of laser cutting productivity and performance for thicker materials. The TLV is available with four power options including 2.5, 3.3, 4.5 and 6 kW. A rapid feed rate of up to 30,000 mm (1,181") per minute means less time cutting air and more time cutting parts. Cutting speeds of up to 20,000 mm (787") per minute are possible.

Six models provide working ranges from 51" by 49" up to 246" by 86" work envelope plus a unique configuration that makes the TLV design more compact than conventional systems. The TLV systems also feature drives consisting of AC servo motors, plus ball screw and linear ball guide mechanisms that translates into a positioning accuracy as close as +0.02 mm over 300 mm of travel (+0.0008" per 12" of movement).

The series offers a fast-response gap sensor to monitor optics-to-material distances and automatic focal length adjustment that compensate for varying material thickness and surface irregularities. To maximize loading and unloading efficiency, TLV's have automatic stock clamping and a work lift mechanism as standard features.

Accu-Rite also employs five TLM-series bridge-style CO2 lasers that feature full 5-axis movement, providing accurate cutting in three dimensions. These systems are ideal for cutting and trimming components that have already been formed into all types of shapes and contours, from simple to complex forms as these lasers were developed with a primary objective of making programming and operation of the integrated system simple.

The TLM Series makes 3-dimensional cutting simple with a new PC-based controller using the Windows(r) 2000 operating system and software with a multitude of built-in functions and calculations. Also included are interactive guidelines that eliminate the perplexities of generating correct beam paths. These include a teach mode, linear, circular and pipe cutting interpolations, copying and mirror shaping, pattern downloading, circular cutting and corner rounding from center point definition, and even to help scheduling parts and operations for unattended production. The control fully monitors both machine movement and laser operational parameters for precise cuts and sharp edge results.

Precision is also critical with tolerances of 0.03 millimeters per 300 millimeters (0.0012" per 12") travel distance provided by highly accurate AC servo motor drives, ball screw feeds, and linear ball guide mechanisms. The TLMs have a non-contact sensor provides rapid response to changes in gap between optics and material to assure consistent beam focus and cutting penetration.

Versatility is inherent in the TLM series, with six models having tables sized up to 110" by 169" with full cutting strokes, vertical travel of up to 35 inches, and optical head angles of +200o, and rotation of +180o. The array is completed with four power packages of 2.5 3.3, 4.5, and 6 kilowatt. A sixth axis command for use with a rotary table or other workholding devices can be added.

Like the TLV, speed is not undermined in the TLM series either. Rapid feeds of up to 30,000 mm (1,181") per minute and precise, single-point steering of head positioning at 150o per second while cutting speeds are accurately controlled from 30 mm to 30,000 mm (1.18" to 1,181") per minute.

The performance of the NTC lasers is impressive to Mr.'s Mickovski and Loudon, but even more impressive was the NTC corporate response in Accu-Rite's time of need. "They (the Laser Group) jumped through hoops to get those first lasers to us," Mickovski remarks. "There's no doubt in my mind that our company would have had a mighty big struggle without that effort."

Mr. Loudon adds, "The important thing is, that responsiveness is not unusual from NTC, whenever we have a question or service need, they're providing answers and solutions that keep us up and running...and customer's deliveries on schedule."

A fire destroyed Accu-Rite's entire shop, including several NTC laser-cutting systems.

With its own firm resolve, and help from NTC America Laser Group, Accu-Rite Industries was able to get two laser systems up and running within a week and a third unit within a month. The new laser processing area is pictured above.

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