Newsletter - Acutronic

02_New Products
05_Innovative Centrifuge Cover
06_ Meet Steve Bachorski
Issue 14_ October 2008
Newsletter
The ACUTRONIC Radar Alignment and Positioning System installed at Boeing’s new DART facility.
industry, motion simulators were pro-
Boeing Dedicates New
Test Facility for Next-Gen
Radar Technology
duced as “one-shot products.” Con­­-
Linda James, Boeing Global Strike Systems / Weapons Programs
Editorial
Dear Reader
Looking back to the beginning of our
s­tant reinvention of the wheel did not
guarantee either high quality or cost-
ACUTRONIC recently delivered the Radar Alignment and
efficiency. In an earlier news­let­ter we
Positioning System to Boeing. The following article was
wrote about the need for shorter lead
originally published in Boeing News Now and is reprinted
times with the following measures:
with their permission.
1. supply chain management
2.ISO-based processes
Boeing employees, customers, suppliers
Radar Test (DART) facility represents a
3.ERP solutions
and community members celebrated with a
$10 million investment for the company.
I would like to add a fourth measure to
ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday the
“DART is a one-stop, full-service
reduce delivery times and costs.
addition of a new test and evaluation faci­lity
facility to support design, development and
in Huntington Beach, California, that pro-
qualification testing of our most sophisti-
It’s all about standardization! The con-
vides the technology and capability to sup-
cated radar-based weapons before taking
cept of modularization further supports
port both current and future radar-based
our quest for optimal customer satis-
wea­p­on systems. The Dynamic Advanced
faction. Read the article on page 02.
Thomas W. Jung
Group CEO ACUTRONIC
Continued on page 04
Products
ACUTRONIC Switzerland Is Proud to Annou
Standardized Two- and Three-Axis Motion
Asian Markets*
Sascha Revel, Senior Sales Engineer, ACUTRONIC Switzerland
With the release of small and medium-sized two- and three-axis simulators,
ACUTRONIC expands the existing product to respond to new market requirements.
Two-Axis Series
• The AC2237-TC has a 250 mm diameter table top,
The model AC2267-TC (far right) is, without doubt, the
offers 30 customer slip ring ways and is available
most popular two-axis motion simulator with tempera-
with a gas-cooled chamber with either liquid nitro-
ture chamber in the world today. With more than
gen (LN2) or carbon dioxide (CO2).
85 units sold, its large 660 mm diameter table top has
• The AC2247-TC has a 450 mm diameter table top
carried Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), gyros, and
and is equipped with over 45 slip ring ways. The tem-
accelerometers from nearly all of the western world’s
perature chamber (TC) is large enough to accommo-
leading manufacturers. Thus, the market for high-preci-
date an evaporator, as part of a closed-circuit me­-
sion, inertial-grade Ring Laser Gyro (RLG) and Fiber-
chanical refrigeration loop.
optic Gyro (FOG) motion simulators is largely satisfied
by the AC2267-TC.
As with the AC2267-TC, the new models are driven by
However, today’s gyros, accelerometers, and
brushless torque motors and controlled by the ad-
IMU’s are getting smaller, and a new market has
vanced digital motion control system ACUTROL® 3000 –
emerged. Our customers are now utilizing motion sen-
the industry’s leading digital real-time controller.
sors manufactured on a silicon chip. These solid-state
Is this the end of the ubiquitous AC2267-TC?
sensors are using Microelectromechanical Systems
Certainly not! In fact, for MEMS production a large
(MEMS) technology. This new market required a new
table top and temperature chamber offer a distinct ad-
simulator, so the smaller AC2237-TC and AC2247-TC
vantage. For mass production of MEMS sensors, many
two-axis motion simulators were developed by ACU-
devices are stacked by loading them onto special loa­d­
TRONIC Switzerland.
ing trays and testing them simultaneously under pre-
Two-Axis Series
Control cabinet
AC2237-TC
AC2247-TC
AC2267-TC
Products
unce the Release of a New Series of
Simulators for the European and
cisely controlled temperature, acceleration, rate,
The product family concept for two-axis simu-
and position. Ironically, for mass production of the
lators has been used in the development of a new
smal­lest sensors, the large size of the AC2267-TC
range of three-axis systems.
The simulators are constructed using stan-
is a requirement.
All simulators can optionally be supplied with-
dard modules wherever possible. For example, the in-
out the temperature chamber. Other options are cus-
ner and outer axes of the AC2237 are the same as the
tomized and larger table tops, electrical and me­­cha­n­-
inner and middle axes of the AC3337. Drive packs, slip
i­cal inter­faces such as nonstandard slip ring wiring,
rings, gimbals, and temperature chambers are identi-
radio frequency (RF), video or optical slip rings, and
cal, as is the performance of the associated axes.
The product family is extended to larger mo­d­
table top fixtures.
els, such as the AC3347-TC (450 mm diameter table
Three-Axis Series
top) and the AC3367-TC (660 mm diameter table top)
Sometimes, two axes simply aren’t enough. Compared
which share the same inner and middle axis compo-
to a two-axis simulator, a three-axis motion simulator
nents as the AC2247-TC and AC2267-TC respectively.
has the advantage of being able to simulate three axes
The benefits to the customer of this modular
of motion simultaneously and without manual reorien­
approach are reduced cost, shorter delivery time, and
tation of the test article. For some customers, this is
ease of maintenance.
highly desirable and outweighs the disadvantage of
added complexity and cost that comes with adding a
ACUTRONIC remains at the forefront of innovative new developments that suit market needs. ]
third axis of motion.
* These products are not available in the USA, Japan and Australia.
AC3337-TC
AC2237-TC
One common temperature chamber,
inner axis gimbal, and middle axis gimbal
for the small simulator series.
Customers
neering techniques,” said Bill Richardson,
DART technical lead. “The workshops were
essential to designing the robust facility
that you see here today.”
• The facility combines a new ane­choic
chamber and flight-worthiness test area
that provide a wide range of test capa­ bil­ities:
• An advanced threat simulator that dra matically increases target simulation ca pabilities with wide instantaneous band width capable of being tuned across
seve­ral radio-frequency bands, and a
modular design that supports growth for
other bands.
• A spatial target array that gives Boeing
Boeing invited employees, customers, suppliers and community members to
celebrate the completion of The Dynamic Advanced Radar Test facility to support both
current and future radar-based weapon systems.
the capability to evaluate in a laboratory
environment hardware and software per formance that previously could be tes­ted
only in costly field exercises.
• A radar alignment and positioning sys-
Continuation cover story
tem that allows flexible positioning of
seekers that range in size from 10 to
them to the field,” said Debra Rub-Zenko,
meet those needs. We are truly exci­ted
60 inches, and quick and easy recon-­
Weapons Programs vice president. “This
about the synergy between Boeing and our
figuration without costly redesign of test
facility is unquestionably a leap forward
programs.”
equipment.
in our ability to meet the rapidly expand­-
About 100 people attended the
• A vibration and temperature test capa-
­­ing requirements surrounding test and
dedication ceremony to recognize the suc-
bility that combines environmental test or
production of increasingly complex weap-
cess of completing the project in just twelve
stand-alone vibration or temperature
on systems.”
months and to tour the finished facility.
tests, allowing next-generation hardware
Besides expanding capability to
“The DART facility would not have
support increased requirements for testing
been possible without using Lean engi-
to be environmentally tested in the way it
will be used in the field. ]
on the hit-to-kill PAC-3 seeker, the facility
can demonstrate testing capabilities nec­
essary for other emerging weapons such
as the U.S. Air Force’s Joint Dual-Role Air
Dominance Weapon System.
“AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) is responsible for deve­l­oping the
next generation of weapons for the U.S. Air
Force,” said Kevin Jerome, U.S. Air Force
Research Lab senior systems engineer.
“There are airmen in flight suits depending
on us to provide those wea­pons. The
Boeing DART facility is key to our abi­lity to
ACUTRONIC USA was presented an
award from The Boeing Company in
recognition of its key contributions to the
Dynamic Advanced Radar Test facility.
Innovation
A New Multimaterial Safety Cover for
Centrifuges
Prof. Dr. M. Henne, G. A. Barandun, Hochschule für Technik Rapperswil
W. Rindlisbacher, A. Coviello, ACUTRONIC Switzerland
The newly developed safety cover, introduced in the last
newsletter, has been produced for the ACUTRONIC AC1135 rate
table. It combines lightweight design with maximum safety.
art materials and processes them in a clever and efficient way. The concept presented in the last newsletter
needed only minor changes – in fact, all main components are manufactured exactly the same way as
planned. The heart of the assembly is the foam-fabric
crash zone: it combines the high energy absorption
rates of both Alcan Airex foam and aramid fibers with
the ability to distribute the impact energy over a wide
area using the aramid layers. The top and bottom of
Composite cover
mounted on motor stand.
the cover are made of Alucore, an extremely stiff aluminum honeycomb panel.
The manufacturing costs for the multimaterial
cover are in the same range as for the steel cover –
and this is even more remarkable when considering
Introduction
that the new cover is a first prototype, and further opti-
The new multimaterial cover has been designed in
mization will lead to lower production costs. As part of
collaboration with Prof. M. Henne and his team from
the prototype development, compatibility tests for all
the “Institut für Werkstofftechnik und Kunststoffverar-
involved material combinations (Dibond, foam, aramid,
beitung” (IWK) at the University of Applied Sciences in
aluminum, etc.) have been carried out.
Rapperswil. The cover has been manufactured by an
Thanks to the lightweight design, scaling this
external company that specializes in processing light-
type of cover to larger centrifuge series is compara-
weight and composite materials.
tively simple. A modular concept with only a few main
A Multimaterial Solution
inner diameters will accommodate the whole line of
ACUTRONIC centrifuges. ]
The usual steel safety cover has been replaced by a
multimaterial solution. It offers outstan­ding mechanical
properties in terms of stiffness and crash safety, at a
Summary
fraction of the weight of the conventional steel design.
The newly developed multimaterial cover meets
During the development of the new cover, the
all the requirements of costs, weight, and safety
interaction between design, materials, and processes
and has been developed and manufactured by
has been a major focus. Thus, the chosen solution em-
an interdisciplinary team in under six months.
phasizes the use of commonly available, state-of-the-
Inside
Meet Steve Bachorski, Engineering
Manager
Corinne Mercedes Stucki, Marketing Manager, ACUTRONIC Group
Corinne M. Stucki, ACUTRONIC Group, sits down with recently appointed
Engineering Manager Steve Bachorski to discuss his views on engineering
management and leadership as ACUTRONIC continues to evolve as the global
market leader in motion simulation.
Tell us about yourself.
many of those who have been part of this
As an undergraduate engineering student,
heritage are still here today, which is a tes-
I had a very positive and formative expe­
timony to how successful the company has
rience working for Hughes Aircraft Com­
been in this regard over the years. Exper-
pany in Culver City, CA, as part of a co-op
tise in a number of critical knowledge areas
program. After earning both my BSEE and
is vital to both the development of our tech-
MSEE from Carnegie Mellon University, I
nology and the continuation of this heritage,
spent the early part of my career in the
and a training plan designed to develop
telecommunications industry, exercising
new and existing employees will play an in-
my background in signal processing and
tegral role in achieving this objective.
communications theory first at Bell Com-
Another equally important objec-
munications Research and later at AT&T
tive concerns the successful management
Microelectronics, which ultimately became
of growth, as we expand our current busi-
a part of Lucent Technologies. The next
ness and venture into new markets and
part of my career I spent in the defense in-
applications. Doing this will require, among
dustry, where I conducted applied research
other things:
at Northrop Grumman Corporation, before
Steve Bachorski, Engineering Manager
1. talent acquisition, development, and
retention
moving on to an engineering management
position with ArgonST prior to my arrival
process, which to my thinking constitutes
2. ensuring adhe­rence to engineering best at ACUTRONIC.
the most mutually beneficial scenario. Fi-
practices
nally, I like the fact that the organization is
3. aiming for continual improvement and What are your impressions
small enough that contributions, whether
capability maturity growth
of ACUTRONIC?
by individuals or teams, have maximal im-
4. devising effective organizational struc-
ACUTRONIC refers to itself as a small
pact, value, and visibility.
tures capable of evolving as we grow.
that’s a very accurate characterization. I
Can you describe your vision for
A third objective is to increase our applica-
find the technology we develop here chal-
the technical organization and your
tions expertise, to better enable us to pro-
lenging and academically interesting, in
associated objectives?
vide our customers with products that meet
addition to being important. The manage-
ACUTRONIC has a proud technical heri-
their requirements in the most expedient
ment and staff are talented, approachable,
tage, to which it owes a long legacy of suc-
and cost-effective manner possible.
and highly invested, and I am both im-
cessfully providing quality products that
In summary, you can see that my
pressed and energized by the amount of
meet the needs of our customers. My pri-
vision is to bridge the past with the future,
pride people show in their work here. ACU-
mary objective is to ensure the conti­nuation
with the overriding goal of satisfying our
TRONIC is a place where I believe I can
of this heritage into the future, by maintai­n­
customers. Given the caliber of this group
leverage what I’ve learned elsewhere to
ing and cultivating an academic environ-
and its history of success, I consider it both
make significant contributions, while lear­n­
ment which engineers and technologists
ing something new and engaging in the
find stimulating and rewarding. Indeed,
a challenge and a privilege to serve in this
capacity. ]
company with a global reach, and I think
Inside
Growing ACUTRONIC
We are happy to announce the following enhancement of the
teams at both the Pittsburgh and Bubikon facilities.
Herbert Laubscher
support the Administration Team as a part-
Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich,
ACUTRONIC Switzerland
time employee.
joined ACUTRONIC in 2005 as Project
Manager and became Project Leader in
Wolfgang Nef started his work on the Me-
The ACUTRONIC Sales Team was en-
chanical Design Team on April 7, 2008. He
hanced with our new Sales Engineer Mau-
the R & D Department in January 2008.
has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical en-
rus Tschirky on August 1, 2008. Maurus’
Roland Bennett
gineering and already a few years of engi­
main activity will be focusing on customers
ACUTRONIC USA
neering experience.
in the MEMS market. He held various positions at OC Oerlikon Balzers Semiconduc-
ACUTRONIC USA welcomes Janine
ACUTRONIC hired Josef Harcarik for the
tors before joining ACUTRONIC. Maurus
Madeja to the Administration Team as HR
newly created position of Facility Manager
has bachelor’s degrees in electrical engi-
Administrator. After ten years as Opera-
on April 14, 2008. Josef has several years
neering and another in business adminis­-
tions Supervisor with a large logistics com-
of experience in this field from previous em-
­tra­tion and engineering.
pany and some experience with a local
ployment in his home country of Slovakia.
recruitment firm, Janine will move into the
Mark Ashmore has been appointed Soft-
HR position having earned a degree in
Zvonko Gligorov joined ACUTRONIC as
ware Engineer as of August 1, 2008. Mark
busi­ness administration and nearing com-
Project Manager / System Engineer on
has over 15 years of experience in de­
pletion of an MBA.
April 24, 2008. He successfully finished
signing and developing software. He just
his studies with a bachelor’s degree in
moved to Switzerland from Australia and
Roland Bennett joined US as the new
electrical engineering in January 2008.
holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical
Controller / Chief Accountant in June 2008.
engineering.
Born in London, UK, he received his de-
Corinne Mercedes Stucki has been
grees in accountancy from the City of Lon-
appointed Marketing Manager as of
We are proud to announce that Christa
don Polytechnic and from the Institute of
May 1, 2008. While working mostly in Swit-
Helbling has successfully passed the final
Chartered Accountants in England and
zerland, Corinne will also support the Mar-
exams of her four-year apprenticeship at
Wales. After working for different com­
keting Team of ACUTRONIC USA. She has
ACUTRONIC. She will “start work again”
panies in England, he joined ALSTOM
se­veral years of experience in marketing
on September 1, 2008, as a Designer in
(a French Fortune 500 corporation) in
and also earned a degree in business ad-
the Mechanical Design Team.
July 1996 where he held a variety of positions from Internal Auditor, Reporting & Ac-
ministration in March 2008.
Zeno Albisser joined ACUTRONIC as a
counts Manager to Financial Director.
Herbert Laubscher joined ACUTRONIC
Software Engineer on October 1, 2008.
Roland relocated to the United States in
as the new CFO on June 1, 2008. He has a
Zeno was hired immediately after having
2004 to become the CFO for the ALSTOM
Master in Business Administration from the
earned his bachelor’s degree in computer
daughter company Converteam. In his last
University of St. Gallen, Switzerland (HSG).
sciences in September 2008.
position at Converteam, Roland managed
Herbert has more than ten years of expe­
the Finances and had insight into the HR
rience as CFO, having held this position in
Martin Kägi was promoted to Head of
and Administration of the company. Roland
two other companies before.
Engineering as of July 1, 2008, replacing
also has knowledge of accounting systems
Michael Warden who resigned at the end
for government and defense contracts,
Petra Siegenthaler started as Administra-
of June. Martin, who has a master’s degree
which will be of value to ACUTRONIC in its
tive Assistant on August 1, 2008. She will
in mechanical engineering from the Swiss
future expansion plans.
Pinboard
Consul General of Switzerland in New York
Visits ACUTRONIC USA
Steve Bachorski, Engineering Manager
Manager Steve Bachorski conducted a
guest tour of the facilities and gave a presentation which described ACUTRONIC in
terms of its core products, competencies,
ACUTRONIC Group
www.acutronic.com
A Member of Jung Technologies Holding AG
heritage, markets, customers, and future
plans. Ambassador Bubb was already well
ACUTRONIC Switzerland Ltd.
aware of Contraves in Switzerland and
im­pressed that they were part of the ACU­
TRO­NIC heritage. He showed great inte­r­
Our visitors Dr. Heinz Kunz, Ambassador
Christoph Bubb, and Steve Bachorski (from left).
est in the complex engineering and precision manufacturing capabilities that dif­ferentiate ACUTRONIC from its compe­ti-
On Friday, May 2, ACUTRONIC USA hos­t­
­tors. Additional topics discussed included
ed a visit from Ambassador Christoph
the notion of apprenticeship programs for
Bubb, Consul General of Switzerland in
craftsmen and the benefits of existing
New York, and Dr. Heinz Kunz, Honorary
coope­rative education and internship programs for undergraduate engineers. ]
Swiss Consul, Pittsburgh. Engineering
ACUTRONIC Presents at
Trade Shows and Symposia
Beat F. Brunner, V. P. Marketing & Business Development, ACUTRONIC Switzerland
Aerospace Testing Europe, Munich,
International Navigation Conference,
April 15 –17, 2008
St. Petersburg, Russia, May 26 – 28, 2008
ACUTRONIC attended this highly focused
Over 300 representatives from 20 coun-
trade show for the third time. The show
tries atten­ded the 15th conference. Mike
seems to have become a must for all test
Warden from ACUTRONIC presented
equipment suppliers and gave us the op-
a poster paper on a new rotary shaker
portunity to meet with a number of existing
principle.
Techcenterstrasse 2
8608 Bubikon
Switzerland
phone +41 55 253 23 23
fax +41 55 253 23 33
[email protected]
ACUTRONIC USA Inc.
640 Alpha Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15238
USA
phone +1 412 963 94 00
fax +1 412 963 08 16
[email protected]
Imprint
Published by
ACUTRONIC Group
Editor-in-Chief
Beat F. Brunner
Concept & Design
Yesway AG, Zürich
Print run
3000 copies
and potential new customers.
Berlin Air Show ILA,
Automotive Testing Europe, Stuttgart,
May 27– June 1, 2008
May 6 – 8, 2008
The Berlin Air Show was a good opportu-
This show seems to have become the key
nity to de­monstrate ACUTRONIC’s capa-
event for the automotive testing community,
bilities to the European and Asian market
presenting an excellent opportunity for
and also to attract students as potential
interns or future employees. ]
ACUTRONIC to exhibit its products.
05-412-070
CERT-0023443