Joe Micallef Media Engineer
ACE Clearwater Enterprises Torrance, CA
www.aceclearwater.com
Manufacturing Gets Animated FOCUS ON THE
WorkForce A
s manufacturers we all have a story to tell. At ACE Clearwater it began 60 years ago with Ray Wyckoff, a neighborhood handyman from El Segundo, California. Returning home from the Korean War he found work as a welder, which landed him a job making igniters for Aerojet. At just 13¢ apiece this humble igniter was the spark that propelled ACE into the future. From that moment on ACE grew. The business was passed
down to Tim Dodson, and then to his daughter, Kellie John- son. From one simple igniter, ACE Clearwater burst to life—its heart began to beat with the rhythmic pounding of drop ham- mers. Molten metal raced through its veins and the synaptic sparks of welding torches gave birth to a multitude of parts.
not your typical manufacturer and, yes, I do consider myself a manufacturer in every sense of the word. On a daily basis I run multiple supply chains, create parts in record time, and use software that would challenge the minds of the most ac- complished engineers. I’m a Hollywood-trained animator and as a creative professional I work for ACE Clearwater. At first it may be surprising to see an animator working side-by-side with engineers, but combined, the two disciplines can have an enormous impact in improving communication and learning for the world of manufacturing. Through animation, we can start to convey a wealth of
visual information that extends beyond CAD and ERP. We have total creative control over a wide range of parameters:
At first it may be surprising to see an animator working side-by-side with engineers, but combined, the two disciplines can have an enormous impact in improving communication and learning for the world of manufacturing.
With these parts jets took flight and power plants supplied energy to families and businesses nationwide. Of course, this is not ACE’s story alone—this is the story of every manufac- turer and of every man and woman who has strived to keep American manufacturing alive. This is the story of ingenuity, craftsmanship, and success through hard work. What we may easily forget is that this is a story of raw creativity as well. With the creative desire to build and make things one man, Ray Wyckoff, laid the foundation for a business that was passed down through generations. Without that creative spark, ACE may not be here, and neither would the many other manufac- turers that would enable a thriving US economy. So you may ask yourself, why focus on creativity? Shouldn’t I be talking about new STEM initiatives, kaizen, and lean manufacturing? Well, I will let you in on a secret. I’m
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time, material properties, and fields of view. We can allow engineers to see the inner workings of complicated assem- blies, we can enable suppliers to see bottlenecks in supply chains, and we can augment learning by giving students access to virtual factories. Unknowingly, most engineers using CAD software have already made the first step into the world of animation. Video games, and films studios such as Pixar, create vast digital worlds using the same principles found in CAD and the animation data they generate is highly extendible. This data can be imported to additive printers or be used to solve com- plex modeling and simulation problems. But above all else, animation enables students to bring their imaginations to life allowing them to connect with worlds they may not otherwise have access to.
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