E-Sharp News December 2025

Fifty years after co-founding ANCA, Pat McCluskey remains an influential figure in advanced manufacturing and CNC machine design. At 77, he is still shaping ANCA’s biggest innovations, mentoring engineers, and inspiring the next generation. 

In 2025, McCluskey was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) alongside co-founder Patrick Boland. This award recognises Australians who have demonstrated exceptional achievement and recognises inspiring people who make a true difference. But while the honour reflects a lifetime of achievement, McCluskey continues to look ahead — most recently with the launch of his latest invention, the MicroX ULTRA, at EMO Hannover. 

A typical day for Pat includes walking the factory floor, engaging with engineers, apprentices, and machinists. Though ANCA has grown into a global leader with over 1,300 people in over 30 countries, Pat remains hands-on in the design and testing of machines. 

“Much has changed over the years,” he says, “but some things never change.” What hasn’t changed is his habit of rolling up his sleeves to problem-solve with engineers, his insistence that machines must always be user-friendly for customers, and his belief that curiosity and thinking differently are vital ingredients of innovation.
 

 

The MicroX ULTRA 

The latest brainchild for McCluskey is an innovative CNC machine for grinding micro tools with the highest quality on a minute scale. This technology is essential with the rise of miniaturisation in electronics.  

Launched at EMO Hannover 2025, the MicroX ULTRA has already been hailed as a breakthrough in micro tool grinding. Purpose-built for high-volume production of tools as small as Ø0.03mm, the MicroX is the only micro tool grinder with nanometre resolution. It combines in-process laser measurement, fast wheel change, and ANCA’s proprietary Motor Temperature Control (MTC) system for unrivalled thermal stability and precision. 

“I have been designing ANCA machines for 50 years – always with the goal of making them better, more efficient, and user-friendly,” McCluskey said. “The MicroX ULTRA represents the very best of ANCA’s technology developed over five decades.” 

Returning to Where It Began 

McCluskey’s journey came full circle this year when he returned to St Bernard’s College, the school that first offered him a scholarship as a boy from Ballarat. Pat returned to his alma mater to inspire the next generation. Speaking to students and alumni now studying engineering, he encouraged them to embrace curiosity, think differently, and pursue ideas with strong process. In Pat’s words: “Being different generally means being better!” 

True to his style, his session mixed technical insights with humour, sparking lively questions about AI, entrepreneurship, and engineering. The school surprised him with a model Mini Cooper — his first car — before he announced the creation of the Pat McCluskey Scholarship. 

The scholarship will: 

• Fund a St Bernard’s graduate into an RMIT engineering degree, with tuition, mentoring, and an ANCA internship. 
• Provide equity funding for a student’s schooling at St Bernard’s, in honour of Pat’s own journey. 

The initiative reflects McCluskey’s lifelong belief in education as a pathway to opportunity. 

A Legacy in Motion 

From his childhood in an orphanage to co-founding a global technology leader, McCluskey’s story is one of resilience, generosity, and innovation. 

McCluskey remains embedded in the fabric of ANCA. Whether designing ANCA machines, mentoring apprentices, or opening doors for the next generation, he continues to prove that while technology may evolve, ANCA’s commitment to innovation, people, and customer-focused design never changes. 

 

2 October 2025