Company
Acuity’s roots in the CAD/CAM business began in 1984 with the introduction of CADKey, the first true 3D mechanical design software that ran on personal computers. Overnight the cost-of-entry for a mechanical design workstation fell from an average $100,000 to under $20,000. This opened the door for smaller-than fortune 100 companies to benefit from this emerging technology to substantially improve their product design and engineering efforts.
Now, with well over 25 years experience guiding companies through dramatic process improvements which include the use of leading-edge computer-based tools, Acuity continues its tradition, providing best-in-class services and products to the most innovative and forward-thinking companies product design and manufacturing organizations.
We look forward to learning how we can become your engineering technology partner!
Sarah Majors
Territory: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada & Utah
sarah@acuityinc.com
Voice: 503.747.0850 x 301
Rebecca Fortman
Territory: Indiana, Michigan and Ohio
rebecca@acuityinc.com
Voice: 260.579.5790
Doug Dingus
Acuity’s veteran support and technical guru, Doug has been with Acuity since 1995 in many different capacities. Our resident NX and licensing expert, Doug’s focus is on high-end CAD and PLM solutions. His many roles include Project Planning and Consulting, Solid Modeling for Design, Specialized Training, etc., etc., etc.
If you’ve ever called our main office with a problem or question, chances are he’s the guy who resolved the issue. For the 10 years prior to joining Acuity, Doug worked in manufacturing for a major Oregon company.
Brian Garcia
A 10-year veteran at Acuity, Brian is the head of our Midwest support office located in Manistee, Michigan. As a Siemens Certified Professional, Brian’s specialties include implementation, configuration and administration of PLM/PDM systems including Teamcenter, I-DEAS, NX and Solid Edge. In 2008, he was chosen to be a Presenter at PLM World’s Life after I-DEAS- FastTrack TDM to NX/Teamcenter Migration.
Brian received his degree in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan where he specialized in Plastics Engineering.
Andy Schaefers
Andy has worked with Acuity Solutions Inc. since 1999. In the business for 25 years, Andy is an expert at NX CAM. Andy has years of CNC programmer experience and in addition to his work with Acuity, he also contracts and designs for other companies, giving him real world user’s experience with our product selection (Solid Edge, NX Postbuilder, Teamcenter, NX CAM).
His many areas of design expertise include (but are not limited to) Sheetmetal, Wax Mold, Molded and Castpart, Injection Mold, EDM Electrode, 5-axis CAM Programming and Stress Analysis. Andy graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Patrick (Pat) Kennedy
Pat's focus is on helping companies implement and leverage NX and Teamcenter, utilizing his 5 years industry experience implementing, using and supporting NX, Teamcenter and others, as well as his 7 yrs as an application engineer with Acuity. He also has 6 years industry design engineering experience, and a BSME from Seattle University.
Don Stubblefield
Don has over 20 years of CAD experience on various systems (Euclid, Sabre and I-DEAS, to name a few), and over 8 years of CAE analysis. Don received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and his MBA from the University Of Pennsylvania Wharton School.
A design pioneer, Don has worked on a wide range of products- from shoes to medical devices, snowboards to ships, spy satellites to sunglasses. Today Don focuses on analysis of all types and Invention Machine Goldfire for Acuity.
Ron St. Denis
Ron has over 35 years of experience in manufacturing as a machinist, CNC programmer, and Manufacturing Engineer. He a has specialized in all aspects of conventional machining technologies including multi-axis milling, drilling, and turning, as well as non-conventional metal cutting technologies such as water jet, laser, plasma, and electrical discharge machining. Ron has also been involved with the implementation and utilization of CAD/CAM, Product Data Management, and Enterprise Resource Planning systems throughout his career.
Ron focuses on NX CAM for Acuity.
Mike Ritzer
With 15 years of experience as a successful VAR, Mike has recently merged forces with Acuity. Headquartered in Michigan, he’s spent the last 15 years becoming an expert with all things related to Solid Edge. His combined 30 years working with computers, programming, databases, networking and CAD make him a perfect match for the Acuity team.
Mike received his BS in Computer Science from Central Michigan University and his MS in Computer Science from Western Michigan University and focuses on Solid Edge for Acuity.
Jim Peacock
Dave Johnsen
Paul Stevens
A veteran of the CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM industry with over 15 years of experience in sales and management, Paul has weathered the many storms that have affected our industry segment and has worked hard to grow Acuity to its current level. He directs the high-level strategy and direction of Acuity and works closely with our sales team to ensure they are customer-driven and that they have the resources and product knowledge required to find the best solution for your needs.
As Acuity continues to grow, Paul works closely with our valued vendors to foster our business relationships and ensure that the products we offer are the best in the business.
Paul can be reached at 503.747.0850 or via email to paul@acuityinc.com.
Tom McKasson
Joe Stevens
Joe Stevens is the Vice President of Service and Support for Acuity Solutions, Joe is a graduate of the University of Montana with a B.S. in Business Administration. Joe is a PMP certified project manager and has had extensive project management experience. From 2000 to 2009 Joe was involved in several servicing start-up organizations, in 2004 he co-founded and co-managed a nationwide financial services organization with 90+ field service employees and a 24x7 customer service center. Prior to 2000 he was an Operations Analyst for E*TRADE where he was involved in project management, process engineering and process documentation.
Joe can be reached at 503.747.0850 x 307 or via email to joe@acuityinc.com.
Nick Huffer
Nick leads the Acuity team focused on the Electronics Manufacturing software portfolio providing software, training, and services to OEM’s and CM’s throughout North America. Prior to leading this group, Nick ran the indirect business unit of Siemens PLM and UGS for the Northwestern US.
Nick also ran velocity sales operations for Unigraphics Solutions in Asia Pacific and for Intergraph Systems in South East Asia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and a Masters in Manufacturing Engineering and Computer Science from the University of Cincinnati.
Nick can be reached at 650.520.9234 or via email to nick@acuityinc.com.
Sarah Dimeo
Georgia Powers
Informational Events
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Tue, 02/28/2012 - 11:00am PST |
What’s New in NX 8 Modeling, Assemblies and Drafting: training webinarThis webinar from the Education Services group at Siemens PLM Software is an introduction to what’s new in NX 8.0 focusing on a few different areas of modeling, drafting, and assemblies. We’ll touch on some user interface changes and some specific enhancements.
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Wed, 02/29/2012 - 11:00am PST |
Getting Control over CAE Data and Processes
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Thu, 03/01/2012 - 10:00am PST |
Building the PLM Foundation with PDM
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Wed, 03/07/2012 - 10:00am PST |
Innovation—the Lifeblood of American companiesWe all know that innovation is the lifeblood of American companies. Are you happy with how yours is going? Are new ideas being generated and managed as well as they could be?
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Wed, 03/07/2012 - 11:00am PST |
Capture & Manage your IP with Decipher EngineeringDecipher Engineering™ from Innovation Asset Group is an enterprise software solution that takes a uniquely business-oriented approach to managing Intellectual Property all along the IP Value Chain™—from the point of ideation through portfolio management and commercialization. Decipher provides a central repository for all your IP assets and related data, a flexible platform for workflow automation and reporting, and a superior visualization dashboard to see how everything interrelates.
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Tue, 03/13/2012 - 10:00am PST |
Manufacturing Data Management - How data management helps to make parts better, faster & at lower cost.This recording of one of our web meetings will discuss and demonstrate how fully integrated data management significantly enhances the manufacturing environment. Managing tooling, NC tool paths and other related engineering data, including the communicatioin of data to the machine controllers, can now all be done in a single environment, eliminating errors and greatly enhancing productivity. |
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Thu, 03/15/2012 - 10:00am PST |
NX CAE Practical Applications WebinarThis is a live webinar series held the 3rd Thursday of every other month. It begins at 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET and will last approximately one hour. Dates and Topics for 2012 are:
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Tue, 03/20/2012 - 11:00am PST |
Impact of changing your CAD modeling kernelAttend this webcast and learn about the three main core technologies of CAD, how they work together and how they are different. If you use or are considering a purchase of SolidWorks, you need to attend this event. Kernel-change topics include:
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Wed, 03/21/2012 - 10:00am PST |
Innovation—the Lifeblood of American companiesWe all know that innovation is the lifeblood of American companies. Are you happy with how yours is going? Are new ideas being generated and managed as well as they could be? |
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Wed, 03/21/2012 - 10:00am PST |
PLM World (NX and Team Center Users)Mar 21 - Apr 13, 2012 Apr 14 - Mar 10, 2012 Why You Should Attend:
For more information click here |
Contact Information:
Acuity Solutions Incorporated7320 SW Hunziker Street #205Tigard, OR 97223Voice: 503.747.0850Toll free: 888.747.0850FAX: 503.747.4269
Welcome...
Message from Paul
President, Acuity Solutions
Happy New Year! As we are quickly approaching the second month of 2012, I would like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all of our customers and technology partners who made 2011 a success. It was an exciting year for everyone. We saw (and continue to see) the business climate improve in both the Aerospace and Automotive industries as well as contract manufacturing of all kinds.
To assist with your growth, we have expanded our product offerings through key partnerships with solution providers like Invention Machine, Decipher IP Management, iBolt and Kubotek. We have also made investments into our existing product lines, particularly Siemens PLM Software for Manufacturing. Be sure to attend our featured webinar series on NX CAM, Volumill and Manufacturing Data Management.
Training and consulting has been a key area for us- our customers are making investments in their tools, their people and their processes to take best advantage of the economic trends. We have added 2 sets of training machines for customized classes delivered on site, the most popular option last year, as well as additional trainers and support offerings. (link to training page)
We have also made significant investments in our internal operations to serve you more efficiently and quickly. Our new website launched in June and we have streamlined our support processes to insure your issues are resolved ASAP. We continually strive to improve- your feedback helps! Be sure to let us know if there’s anything you would like to see.
In summary, all indicators point to this year, 2012, being just as exciting and we look forward to working with you towards your continued success!
Sincerely,
Paul
Precision Castparts
Rapid growth in the aero supply chain
Acuity would like to congratulate one of our fastest growing companies. With six consecutive quarters of double-digit growth, they are really turning up the heat!
Precision Castparts is the world leader in structural investment castings, forged components, and airfoils castings for aircraft engines and industrial gas turbines. PCC is a primary supplier to many some of the largest Aerospace OEMS (Boeing, Airbus) and Aircraft engine manufacturers like GE and Rolls Royce.
For more details about PCC's phenomenal growth over the last few years, please see the Oregonian article regarding one of their more recent acquisitions, Primus International. More PCC news can be found here on their Q3 earnings report.
Customer Post Processor Success
Complex, 5-Axis post & training delivered on time and on budget
Acuity Solutions Inc. has been a leader in Engineering software and services for over 20 years. We are committed to providing quality support for our customers as well as offering a wide range of service offerings. Our tenure in the industry has allowed us to grow a high quality team with custom skill sets. One of those skills is the ability to program NX CAM post processors and create machine tool models. We can also create the kinematics for machine-tool simulation (and g-code verification). 2011 projects included the creation of posts and/or post & simulation environments for the following machine tools:
- Mitsui Seiki VT3A Fanuc 16-4CNC controlled 3 Axis
- Mori Seiki NX 4000 5 Axis
- SNK 5AXRB200F 5 Axis
- Fanuc Mill – control Oi-MB
- Fanuc Lathe – control 18-T
- Okuma Mill – control OSP-E100M
- Okuma Lathe – control OSP-U10L
- DMG-DMU50-Millplus 5 Axis
The Scenario
In the summer of 2011 one of our customers purchased a Mori Seiki NX 4000 5 Axis machine, a major investment with a delivery date of December 2011.
The challenge
Prior to delivery, they would need to have a post and tool verification completed in order to fit a very tight deadline for live testing by January 1st 2012. The post would need to be created prior to delivery order to facilitate user training. Management also required g-code verification on the tool prior to delivery at their site.
The Solution
Our team met with our customer and was acquired the needed information to complete the post. Results were provided and tested, and a simulation environment was completed, all within 6 weeks of obtaining the initial specifications. Training was completed successfully and our customer was prepared for the tool to arrive in December. Implementation and initial testing went as planned, and the tool went into product on schedule in January of this year.
We have several dedicated team members at Acuity who have a combined 40+ years of experience in post processors and CNC machine simulation and verification. Everyone on our technical team is an experienced engineer with many years of field experience, and has completed many programming projects, both small and large, over the last 15 years.
Classes or individual tutoring on Post Builder in NX is also available to enable you to write and maintain your own posts. Call us at 888-747-0850, email info@acuityinc.com, or contact your Territory Manager directly, for more information and to schedule a meeting.
Siemens Acquires Vistagy
Integrated composites design for NX
Vistagy, Inc., the world leader in software tools for composite design and manufacture was acquired by Siemens PLM Software in December 2011.
Companies that use composite materials like carbon fiber components in their products are faced with the task of further reducing costs and time-to-market in order to sharpen the competitive edge composites offer. With their unique combination of low weight, high strength, and durability, composite structures are already used extensively in the aerospace industry and for rotor blades of wind power turbines
Composite materials will continue to experience more widespread use – primarily in the automotive and marine industries – as the complexity and time required for developing and producing composite structures is reduced. For more information on FiberSim for NX please visit our FiberSim page.
Siemens PLM "Big Wins" in Automotive
Major Competitive Displacements at Daimler,Chrysler and GM over Past Two Years Significantly Expand PLM Leader’s Footprint in Global Automotive Industry and Create “Strong Tailwind of Success”
Siemens PLM recently announced that its technology is used in product development by more than 90 percent of the automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) making new vehicle introductions at the 2012 North American International Auto Show, the industry's most substantive annual event, which this year reflects the recent resurgence of the global auto industry.
As a result of the recent decisions by three major OEMs to replace their computer-aided design (CAD) and PLM systems with technology from Siemens PLM Software, the company has continued to expand its leadership and market share in the global automotive industry.
“Siemens PLM Software has created a strong tailwind of success for itself over the past 18 months in the global automotive industry based on a very well executed vision, backed by its robust and proven technology solutions and services,” said Peter Bilello, President of CIMdata, a global PLM management consulting and research firm.
“With an already long list of automotive clients, the company further increased its market share in the industry by receiving significant new commitments from three major OEMs – Chrysler, GM and Daimler. CIMdata now expects Siemens PLM Software’s position in the auto industry to continue to grow as the supply chain follows the lead of those OEMs and others.
Invention Machine
Computer Aided Innovation (CAI)
Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognize companies fr demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development.
In its Best Practices Award Analysis, Frost & Sullivan notes “while there are several idea capture and management software providers, these companies do not offer the comprehensive coverage provided by pioneering organizations like Invention Machine’s Goldfire platform.”
Frost & Sullivan concludes: “Invention Machine’s strong technology-backed solution [Goldfire], diverse implementation experience and consistent customer success delivered designates Invention Machine as one of the most prominent solution providers in the innovation management solutions market.”
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FEI Implements Invention Machine's Goldire CAI Solution
Hillsboro, Oegon-based FEI originally purchased Goldfire in early 2011 to aid in accessing product/research & scientific data that was distributed amongst departmental databases and disparate global locations.
The vision for Goldfire’s implementation and use within FEI has expanded to include access to additional scientific and patent data-sources collected both by FEI and made available through Invention Machine, and for use as a R&D collaboration platform across various departments and global operations.
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iBolt - "Plug & Play Middleware"
What if you could integrate your enterpirse applications together—such as ERP, CRM, SharePoint, AS/400, even your "home grown" databases?
Many companies have invested in enterprise applications to handle the mountains of data and complex processes of today’s businesses, only to find that new challenges arise. The reality is many business processes cross these application boundaries, and what’s needed is to integrate these complex systems. That’s where iBOLT comes to the rescue.
We call iBOLT “Plug-and-play Middleware”. It allows you to integrate databases and enterprise applications without programming.
Pre-built connectors to many enterprise applications
From their web site: “iBOLT quickly and cost-effectively integrates enterprise software applications including SAP, Salesforce.com, Oracle JD Edwards, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Office, IBM i (AS/400), HL7, Google Apps, and many more”
The “many more” includes applications like SharePoint and Dynamics CRM, and databases like SQL, and Oracle, as well as standards like XML, ODBC, HTML, FTP, POP, SOAP and LDAP. So it’s pretty comprehensive. They also can provide experienced services people to build custom interfaces to other applications.
