Brett Clinton operates the FARO Laser scanner arm at Encompass Machine & Tool, Inc. Clinton is one of the employees who went through training provided by Pioneer Technology Center to operate the new equipment.
Brett Clinton scans a mold for a door to a KC-135 Stratotanker airplane. Encompass Machine & Tool, Inc., was hired by the U.S. Air Force to reverse engineer a new part to create the doors in order to continue to maintain the more than 50-year-old airplane.
Did you know Gatorade's newest cooler design has ties to Ponca? Or did you know that a Ponca business is building the tools to maintain the KC-135 for the U.S. Air Force? That is the business of Encompass Machine & Tool, Inc., and their business recently expanded thanks to a fruitful partnership with Pioneer Technology Center.
Encompass creates tools to build parts and products for a number of industries including the aviation and food service industries. They have been located in Ponca for more than 15 years. Encompass is owned by Galaxy Tool Corporation from Winfield, Kan. The parent company recently identified a new business niche they were interested in adding, reverse engineering. The company looked to two of its plants to identify the right location for a new FARO Laser Scan Arm, which works with software to open up new possibilities and new jobs for Galaxy. A large challenge was the cost of the training for employees who would use the equipment. Encompass knew they had a partner in Ponca who could make that happen. They turned to Pioneer Technology Center's Business and Industry Services team. Through the use of Existing Industry Funds, Pioneer helped Encompass by providing the training. Existing Industry Funds are a product of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. They were created to accommodate the increased demand for customized training for companies that must re-tool and/or re-train to remain competitive, increase profitability, retain jobs, and maintain viability. The intent is to keep Oklahoma companies competitive in future markets. That training led to the placement of the new equipment in Ponca City and has already brought new jobs to the area and new business to Encompass.
The FARO Laser Scan Arm is used to create a digital image of a part. That image can then be used in reverse engineering processes to create a tool that can reproduce that part. For example, cafeteria trays may seem like a simple creation. A relatively low-cost piece of plastic is molded and becomes a tray. There is a mold and a tool used to create those trays and Encompass was hired recently to create the tool that would allow a company to continue to manufacture the trays. The original tool was designed on paper. A new plastic is being used to create the trays requiring a minute adjustment to the tool. Since tools are no longer designed by hand, and instead on a computer through the use of software, it became necessary to hire someone to reverse engineer the product.
Using the FARO laser arm, Encompass scanned the tray, engineers were able to digitally create the measurements for a new tool, and machinists in Encompass' shop created that tool. Now, the cafeteria trays can be manufactured over and over again.
The advent of reverse engineering has come about with the increased use of technology by engineers. The days of hand sketching machines have passed and engineers rely almost entirely on computers to create parts and tools. That has led to a boom in the reverse engineering business. Old parts and tools must now be reverse engineered to create their digital plans for future use. Encompass is now one of the hubs of this growing business niche.
As the economy continues to recover so does business in Ponca. This partnership is just one of the examples of the continued efforts of Pioneer Technology Center to help Ponca businesses be successful. If you would like more information on the services available for businesses in Ponca, contact Mike Boon, director of business and industry services at Pioneer Technology Center at (580) 762-8336.