Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell announced an $800,000 loan for AcuCut Inc., a Southington, CT-based industrial laser cutting and EDM shop. The loan will enable the company to purchase a DMG Lasertec 130 PowerDrill, which will enable AcuCut to further service the aerospace and power generation industries with the ability, for example, to drill thicker blades and vanes. According to CFO Scott Barmore, no other service shop based in Connecticut offers this capability. Barmore admits that the state picking up 80% of the capital equipment cost made the purchase decision a bit easier in today's economy.
The company, founded in 1978, currently occupies a 30,000-square-foot facility and operates 24 hours/day. Although it operates seven EDM hole drilling machines, the laser system will enable AcuCut to drill larger quantities of holes at much faster speeds. Barmore believes the capabilities offered with the laser drilling system put AcuCut, which is both GE and Pratt & Whitney approved, in position to meet the needs of the Joint Strike Fighter program as it ramps up.