Fifty Years of Grinding Innovation: ANCA Celebrates Milestone Anniversary with Vision Toward the Future!
By Ashutosh Arora
ANCA CNC Machines, a pioneer in CNC tool and cutter grinding technology, is celebrating a significant milestone — 50 years of engineering excellence and technological innovation. From humble beginnings in a spare room in Melbourne, Australia, to becoming a globally recognized leader in five-axis CNC grinding, ANCA has stayed true to its founding values of curiosity, craftsmanship, and customer-focused problem-solving.
Founded in 1974 by Pat Boland and Pat McCluskey, two engineers who met while working at a government munitions factory, ANCA was born out of a passion for machines and the desire to make them smarter. What started as a side project soon evolved into a technological powerhouse that has since sold over 10,000 CNC grinding machines to more than 2,500 customers around the world. Today, it is estimated that over 1.1 billion tools have been produced on ANCA machines — tools that touch almost every modern industry from aerospace to automotive, medical, construction, and energy.
Co-founder Pat McCluskey captures the company’s spirit best: “It wasn’t about money in the beginning, and for me it’s not about money now. I get my kicks out of designing new machines.” This unwavering commitment to innovation has seen ANCA lead the industry in key developments — including the first probe for digitizing tools, the first modem for remote diagnostics, and the first fully accurate 3D simulation of the grinding process.
Innovation at ANCA is not just a buzzword but a business model. The company reinvests approximately 10% of its revenue into R&D annually, ensuring that it remains at the cutting edge of CNC and grinding technologies. Its global footprint is powered almost entirely by exports, which account for 98% of its revenue, and is supported by a diversified portfolio that includes robotic automation, control systems, and advanced grinding software solutions.
ANCA’s global customer base reads like a who’s who of modern manufacturing, with names such as Boeing, Rolls-Royce, Sandvik, Sutton Tools, and Iscar relying on ANCA machines to create tools that demand micron and even nanometer precision.
The company also prides itself on its deeply rooted family culture and commitment to skills development. Over the years, ANCA has trained more than 60 apprentices, formalizing its apprenticeship program in 2011 with a curriculum authored by McCluskey himself. Edmund Boland, General Manager of ANCA and son of co-founder Pat Boland, emphasizes the company’s agility as a private, family-owned business that stays ahead of the curve through foresight, adaptability, and customer engagement.
To commemorate its golden anniversary, ANCA is hosting a series of open houses, seminars, and trade show appearances worldwide. These events spotlight the company’s most recent breakthroughs, including the MicroX CNC grinding machine, designed for ultra-precision micro tools, and the AIMS system — the world’s first fully autonomous manufacturing system for cutting tools.
As CEO Martin Ripple notes, “Family, innovation, and a genuine passion for customer success are the cornerstones of ANCA’s longevity. With five decades behind us and the future in our sights, we remain committed to shaping the next era of precision tool manufacturing.”
