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Another Engineer Obsess—err, Hobby: Pinball Machines

August 15, 2019

by Milesandco Featured News Just For Fun NEWS

When engineers aren’t “engineering,” you’ll often find them building, tinkering, and inventing. Most engineers spend their days within a structured framework, but they’re always on the hunt for a creative outlet. Today, we profile Scott Heffern, Senior Vice-President of Products, about his after-hours obsession: Pinball Machines.

At Custom Powder Systems, we call upon our engineers to create simple solutions to complex problems, and Scott is one of our best. Since the beginning of CPS in 2005, he’s had a hand in many of our engineering developments, including aseptic isolation, bin/blend systems, and integrated process systems. But earlier this year we saw Scott at the Texas Pinball Festival grinning from ear-to-ear as he walked among over 400 pinball machines.

Scott’s obsession with pinball began when he was about eight. His family would head to Minnesota to go fishing, but he was more interested in staying back at the lodge mastering the games.

As the years went on, it was obvious his passion was more than just child’s play. He had the opportunity to purchase some arcade games and discovered his mechanical skills were perfectly suited for restoring old games. “I like the restoration as much as playing…probably even more,” Scott said.

While pinball has existed in some form since the 1700s, the contemporary version we know started its climb in the 1940s when flippers, bumpers, and electrification were introduced. The popularity reached a zenith in the 60s and 70s when pinball was such a national obsession that The Who wrote an entire rock-opera, giving us the hit song Pinball Wizard. As computerized games grew in popularity in the 1990s, the pinball industry was reduced to just one manufacturing company, but in the last decade, a resurgence has breathed new life into pinball.

At the Texas Pinball Festival, Scott isn’t just there as an attendee. He often brings his own restorations for others to try out and occasionally purchase. Like many hobbies, this isn’t a money-maker for Scott. Seeing others get the same pleasure from pinball he did as a kid is payment enough.

“They’re just starry-eyed. [People say], ‘I played this back in 1953!’” But there’s more than just nostalgia happening here. It quickly becomes a family event as kids enjoy the games just as much as their parents.

This wide range of engineering talent is what makes Scott Heffern a key part of Custom Powder Systems: “My strength at work is the mechanical design of our equipment.” When it comes to pinball machines, Scott tells us, “The mechanisms and the toys that are on them really fascinate me.”

When one of our customers encounters a new problem, we turn to Scott and his team to use their skills, experience, and personal passions to come up with a creative way to solve it… and sometimes knowing a little something about flippers, bumpers, or springs is the solution that’s needed!

Napkin Sketches – The Story of Compaq Computers

August 13, 2019

by Milesandco Featured News

A firefly enters your field of vision and you reach out to grab it. But as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

Ideas are just as fleeting.

Ideas are known to dance just out of reach when you look for them. They sneak up on you in the shower. They come into existence fully formed just as you are about to fall asleep, and promise you they’ll still be there when you wake. But they lie.

Anyone who relies on ideas knows that if you find an idea, you better capture it in a jar before it flies away. Our engineers at Custom Powder learned years ago to be ready when ideas come to visit. Some record a voice note on a smartphone. Others keep a note pad handy. And, if it’s absolutely necessary, you can always write it down on a napkin.

Because so much of what we do for our clients is customized, our engineers are constantly thinking up new ways to solve problems. Engineers in all industries share this trait. A mad puzzle of disconnected ideas flits through the air…until one day…BAM! It seems to fall together on its own, and it gets scribbled down on a napkin.

compaq sketch — Original Sketch of the Compaq, drawn in a “House of Pies” restaurant in Houston TX.

Joseph “Rod” Canion, along with two coworkers at Texas Instruments, had one of these “napkin moments,” and the result became known as Compaq Computers. One morning over a stack of pancakes, Canion came up with an idea that would give us a portable computer.

At 28 pounds it wasn’t quite ready to be called a “laptop.” Laps weren’t ready for that kind of burden. But the scribbles on a napkin from a pancake place told these three they were on to something big. Instead of working for someone else, they ventured out on their own. Canion told investors they expected sales between $20 and $30 million in the first year…and they all laughed. “That was unheard of,” he said. A company had never started with their first-year sales that high.” It’s true that his estimate was wrong. It turned out he guessed way too low. After the first year in business, Compac Computers made over $111 million. By the second year, that number was $329 million.

If you speak with our engineers here at Custom Powder, you’ll likely hear a story similar to Canion’s. Growing up, he liked to tinker. Hot rods were his hobby, and that would lead him to pursue an engineering degree. Our tinkering-engineers can be found building remote-controlled planes, gardening, and repairing pinball machines.

All engineering ideas need to work within a framework. Architects must abide by the laws of gravity and physics. Automobile manufacturers need to follow federal regulations. Custom Powder technicians need to know laws and understand the realities of your business. And the young creators of Compaq had to come up with a computer that would be compatible with industry standards.

This was years before the words “plug-and-play” or “user-friendly” would be connected to computers. They had to figure out a way to make their Compaq Computers work with most of the software and add-ons available. We think nothing of that today, but in the mid-80s scribbling this out on a napkin would prove to be revolutionary.

Compaq would become the fastest company to ever make it onto the Fortune 500 list, achieving that honor in just four years. In an industry that was dominated for decades by IBM, Compaq also became one of the first young computer companies to give them serious competition. And they wouldn’t be the last.

Many businesses stretching from Silicon Valley all the way to our company in the Ozarks, rely on intuitive people coming up with new ideas.

If your company finds itself stuck for a new way to tackle and old problem, we have a team of whip-smart engineers and a big stack of napkins ready to come up with a fantastic solution.

Some of the greatest ideas in history came to life by writing them on a scrap of paper, the back of an envelope, or as you read in today’s story, on a House of Pies restaurant napkin.

At Custom Powder, we believe in working with you every step of the way, from pencil to product. We realize that inspiration often strikes at the most inopportune times, and sometimes you just have to grab what’s in front of you and write it down. You’re not alone.

SAFETY AWARD OF MERIT FROM FABRICATORS & MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

July 31, 2019

by kallie Featured News NEWS Safety

ELGIN, Ill., April 19, 2019 – Custom Powder Systems of Springfield, Mo. was recently chosen to receive a 2019 Safety Award of Merit from the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, International (FMA). Open to all FMA company members, the FMA/CNA Annual Safety Awards recognize metal fabrication companies that adhere to excellence in safety.

Sponsored by CNA, the endorsed business insurance carrier for FMA, the Awards are designed to promote safety in the industry, and winners are selected by the FMA Safety Council. The Safety Award of Merit is given to companies posting an injury and illness incidence rate for the reporting period that is better than the published Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) rate by 10 percent or greater, based on their NAICS code.

“I congratulate Custom Powder Systems on winning a Safety Award of Merit,” said Edward Youdell, president and CEO of FMA. “Safety is clearly a priority for the company. They set a good example for others in the industry. FMA and CNA are proud to recognize all our safety award winners.”

To be eligible to receive recognition, companies were required to submit OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, for the period Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2018. Firms of all sizes were eligible. Winners were selected based on North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code categories and BLS injury and illness incidence rates.

The awards were presented at the FMA Safety Conference on April 10, 2019.

About FMA

Based in Elgin Ill., FMA is a professional organization with over 2,500 members working together to improve the metal fabricating and forming industry. Founded in 1970, FMA brings metal fabricators and fabricating equipment manufacturers together through technology councils, educational programs, networking events, and the FABTECH^® trade show. Visit www.fmanet.org for more information.

Finding Inspiration through Da Vinci

June 27, 2019

by Milesandco Featured News

From a 21st century perspective, one might look at the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci and conclude he “stumbled upon the inevitable.” His original concepts, ranging from tanks to parachutes, appear “obvious” in hindsight. But Leonardo wasn’t working with hindsight. All he had was the limited resources of 15th century Europe and his curious mind. A plaque outside a traveling da Vinci exhibit notes that Leonardo “lived his life as if he were on a quest to learn everything there was to know.”

Finding the Art in Science

At Custom Powder Systems, we devote several hours each week asking “what if?” What if…there’s an even safer way to do this so the end user can be confident the product is pure? What if…there’s a way to increase efficiency just 4% to get the product to the consumer faster? What if…there are 94 other ways to do this we haven’t even thought of? There’s an art to science, and there’s science in art. We are always on the lookout for elegant solutions to challenges our industry faces each day.

The great Leonardo da Vinci was often referred to as the original “renaissance man.” A term that has come to mean “a person of many talents.” Because of the uniqueness of our industry, we look for people who are not only highly skilled in their own field, but who also look for possibilities where others see none.

Where is your “da Vinci?”

If you had to point to something in your personal or professional life where you could apply a little “da Vinci,” what might it be? That question can seem overwhelming.

Suddenly you imagine 173 different areas you’ve always wanted to improve. But what might happen if you begin with… one? Challenge yourself (or your staff) to identify just one area where things can be improved. Or done differently. Or… done in a way never thought possible.

In da Vinci’s time, the sheer audacity of even considering leaping from a cliff and gently floating to Earth must have seemed incredible. Whatever you come up with will likely seem borderline crazy. In fact, it might not work.

Many of da Vinci’s ideas would not be perfected, or even attempted until long after his death. But don’t let that dissuade you. You’re not creating a helicopter or an underwater diving suit. Your challenge is to find a new way to do one thing. By breaking one small pattern, neurologists have shown you can start a new cycle of thinking, which can lead to another…and another.

Let Custom Powder Systems Be Your Muse

For us, you don’t need to look any further than our name: Custom Powder Systems. We put “custom” in our name because what you need is going to be different than what the next customer needs. Customizing is our moment to find our da Vinci. It’s the time that we sit down, look at the resources available to us, and say… “what if?”

We hope you can find your own da Vinci inspiration and that we have the opportunity to help you find a creative solution to your next challenge.

To receive regular ideas, inspiration, and other critical components to the Art of Engineering, sign up for our email newsletter.

Should STEM Evolve into STEAM in Our Schools?

June 13, 2019

by Milesandco Featured News General

At Custom Powder, we spend an inordinate amount of time applying art to science. As a result, we’ve taken a special interest in the current (and often heated) debate to introduce art into the concerted efforts for more primary and secondary education in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).

Should STEM evolve into STEAM in our schools? It’s an argument worth considering.

A Quick History of STEM

The push for STEM education came from a valid concern: As technology continued to change our economy, employees lacked the skills to compete. In the United States, the 1950s brought the initial push from President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This focus carried into the 1960s with President John F. Kennedy and the space program.

The 1970s brought national science programs, which helped to push technology forward into the 1980s. The first cell phone, the space shuttle, and even artificial hearts were all born in the 1980s, and the home computer entered the market as well.

School curriculums changed in the late 1990s, helping teachers to drive the push toward STEM. However, it wasn’t until 2001 that the STEM acronym first came into use.

In more recent years, there has been a significant push for equality in STEM fields. Programs, scholarships, and even legislation have come to pass to help bring more women and minorities into the fold.

Science Meets Art

When we think of the word art, most of us imagine painting, sculpting, poetry, or music. But the challenge of the STEM vs STEAM argument is to understand that “the arts” is a broad field.

One could argue that language arts, liberal arts, and even social studies have roles to play in the development of STEM fields. The argument isn’t that we should spend less time on STEM projects, but rather that we should approach them from the creative perspective that the arts can provide.

Two Sides to the Story

Albert Einstein said that “the greatest scientists are artists as well.” It’s hard to argue that Einstein knew a thing or two about science. So if he believed that art and science should marry, why has it taken so long for the rest of us to start the discussion?

The argument against combining the arts with STEM lies primarily in maintaining focus. If an engineer is paying attention to language or civics, are they maintaining the focus needed to do their best engineering work?

Another argument is that there isn’t a curriculum in place for STEAM. Nobody really knows what it would look like. But there was a point when we didn’t know what a STEM education would look like either…

The end result is that there is not yet an end result. STEM is critical, both to the continued success of our country and to the individuals within it. But maybe – just maybe – it’s time to expand our definition.

How do you feel about the subject?

A New Negative Pressure: Burnout

June 5, 2019

by custompowd2stg Featured News General NEWS

As we continue to develop our reputation for aseptic isolation, we’ve learned a thing or two about containing negative pressure… and its many forms. In our shop, we use this focus as a regular reminder to consider and address the other kind of negative pressure: Stress and frustration and, specifically today, burnout: the negative pressure most recently featured in the news.

The World Health Organization is updating its definition of burnout and adding it to the ICD-11, which classifies diseases. While the new definition of burnout will be known as a syndrome, it ties burnout to negative pressures such as “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

If you’ve been feeling exhausted at work lately, or detached from your daily tasks, it’s time to look at burnout as the cause.

The subject of burnout gets discussed at length in certain fields – healthcare, teachers, and police officers all come to mind. But it should come as no surprise that engineers, workers, and even support staff run the risk of burnout as well.

CNBC points out that 67 percent of full-time employees felt at least some type of burnout. Those feelings come with real-world consequences as well. Burnout has been attributed to diabetes, heart disease, GI issues, and even early death.

There are symptoms that employers need to watch out for as well. Negativity, cynicism, and reduced efficacy can impact a company’s moral and its bottom line when there’s increased use of sick time.

The best time for a burnout intervention is before it happens. EngineeringJobs.com lays out seven acts that can keep you fresh and excited about your job. The article is interesting in that it points out wider options than the standard “take a break” or “use your vacation days” that we normally hear.

At Custom Powder, we’ve seen a direct correlation between our team’s wellness and our Experience Modification Rate (EMR): the number used by insurance companies to project future chances of risk based on past injuries. The lower the EMR, the lower premiums will be, and the lower the costs involved. We pass those (not insignificant) savings onto our customers.

The standard EMR for our industry is 1.00.

Our EMR is 0.82 — significantly below the industry standard.

Keep the negative pressure in your life contained, and to receive regular ideas and inspiration about workplace wellness and other critical components to the Art of Engineering, sign up for our email newsletter.

CPS Celebrates National Hug Your Cat Day

June 4, 2019

by custompowd2stg Featured News Just For Fun NEWS

There is a long-standing tradition between engineers and their love of cats. Maybe it’s a fascination with how they always seem to land on their feet. With June 4th being National Hug Your Cat Day, it’s the ideal time to celebrate cats, engineers, and the relationship that they have together.

Our company’s President, Mac McIntosh, is awfully fond of his own feline friend, Jessie, and he’s not alone. “An Engineer’s Guide to Cats” is a tongue-in-cheek take on explaining why cats get the love that they do.

CPS - Mac & Jessie — “Mac” and his beloved feline friend Jessie.

If you happen to be a cat lover (and really, who isn’t, at least to some degree?) then there are some resources that you’ll need.

The first comes from Mac Delaney. Engineering for Cats: Improve the Life of Your Pet Through 10 Ingenious Projects is an entertaining look at problem-solving life with Fluffy.

Adafruit has an entire blog category dedicated to Cats of Engineering. Whether it’s helping to solder together a circuit board, or working with an Arduino controller, the collection is sure to remind you of your ideal working partner’s vital role.

Finally, All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome does an awesome job of explaining AS behaviors through the lens of a cat’s actions. Whether it’s sensitive hearing, scampering from one place to another, or a particular habit when it comes to eating, our furry friends can help us understand our human friends a little bit better.

So on this National Hug Your Cat Day, make sure to take time to do just that. And then thank them for spending hours with you while you work on your next passion project. They’re family too, after all.

Better Mousetraps – The Art of Solving Problems

May 30, 2019

by custompowd2stg Featured News NEWS

At Custom Powder, we have tremendous respect and appreciation for novel solutions to complex problems, as well as the people who create them.

Changing human behavior is, perhaps, the most complex of problems. That’s why we loved this short presentation from Dan Pink on emotionally intelligent signage. The basis of Dan’s presentation is that a sign is more effective if it caters to or encourages someone’s emotions.

https://youtu.be/yuEO6zpEaxI

This presentation got us thinking about what we do here at Custom Powder. For many of you, your business depends on being able to do something better, cleaner, and with more efficiency than the status quo.

You need a better mousetrap.

There is an age-old question in business about whether it’s better to build or to buy the tools and technology that you need. More often than not, that question can be answered by looking at the focus of your own business and where the money is best spent. If you’re a pharmaceutical company, your time and money are better spent in R&D rather than in building process or containment systems.

The other point in Dan’s talk that we find interesting is the PechaKucha platform itself – the idea that we should all talk less and show more.

There’s a lot of talk that happens in the world. There isn’t enough show.

Maybe you’re a pharma company that needs to keep your process sterile. Or maybe you’re in the cannabis industry and dealing with a wealth of unknowns. Whatever the case, we’re here to help.

Sure, we could bore you with hours of talk, but that doesn’t help you get your job done. So instead, we’d prefer to get down to brass tacks and face your challenges head-on, because that’s what matters to you, and it also matters to us.

When you’re ready to show the world what you can do, give us a call. Let us build you a better mousetrap so that you can focus on what you do best.

The Sky’s the Limit — Career Opportunities at Custom Powder Systems

May 29, 2019

by Milesandco Featured News NEWS

Dylan Armstrong came to Springfield, Missouri, by way of Delaware almost five years ago. His plan was to play college football, but as we all know, sometimes life has a way of changing the best-laid plans. A close friend had moved to the area and convinced Dylan to move to Springfield to learn a trade. His work ethic and willingness to learn helped him turn that invitation into a career with us here at Custom Powder Systems, and now he travels the world to help our customers.

In The Beginning

Dylan’s story isn’t unfamiliar to most of us. But how he handled the changes that life threw his way makes him an asset to Custom Powder. After moving to Springfield, he found work through the Labor Ready employment agency. Dylan saw an opportunity and began to teach himself how to weld “a little bit. Not very well. Just a bit of the basics.”

According to a 2018 report by The ManpowerGroup, trades workers such as welders, electricians, and mechanics are more in demand than ever before. In fact, over 45 percent of employers report having difficulty filling these roles. What causes a headache for an employer creates an opportunity for someone who is willing to learn.

Joining Custom Powder

Dylan had been playing softball in a local league where he met Tyrell, who worked at Custom Powder. Tyrell had overheard that Dylan was looking for a job, and encouraged him to take a weld test.

“I took the test, and they were willing to keep me. They said that I would have to start at the bottom, but I could work my way up. I didn’t complain at all. I was willing to do whatever it took to get in the door.”

At Custom Powder, Dylan found the opportunity to hone his welding skills. Now, two and a half years later, he’s one of our trusted service technicians.

“Now, instead of building the equipment, I’m learning how to run and program all of the equipment we build and also learning to read and understand schematics. I get to learn all the ins and outs of every piece of equipment.”

Moving On Up

In Dylan’s words, “the sky’s the limit” when it comes to his next steps. But right now, he’s enjoying the life that being a service technician offers him. Recently, he had the opportunity to travel to Italy to repair some equipment for one of our customers.

The task was to fix some cracked welds and to get the job done in five days. Dylan figured on eight different jobs that needed to be done, but upon arriving in Italy he found a much bigger job. Twenty welds, in total, needed his attention.

“They gave me a week, so we still got it done. I guess they trust me a little bit,” he says, with a chuckle.

In his downtime, he was able to explore the surrounding area of Spoleto, Italy.

“It was probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. At night I walked around and saw the castles, bridges, and the town itself. The town sits on a huge hill, with stone roads and buildings that are thousands of years old.”

The Secret of Dylan’s Success

If you’ve read anything about us, you’ll know that there’s no secret to why people succeed at Custom Powder – they’re willing to put in the work. Dylan is no exception to that rule.

“I started as a helper. I wasn’t even a welder. I was pushing a broom. But I wanted to learn.”

In just over two years, Dylan has gone from pushing a broom to traveling the world, fixing problems and interacting with customers. From training on reading blueprints to metallurgy, and every step between Custom Powder is willing to invest in the future of its employees. If you or someone you know sounds like a good fit for our team, we’re always on the lookout for exceptional people.

5 DIY Grilling Hacks for the Engineer in You

May 23, 2019

by custompowd2stg Featured News NEWS

With Memorial Day fast approaching, we’re pausing to remember those who have served and given their all. We’re also celebrating the freedom that their sacrifice has given us. One of the most popular ways of doing that is by getting together with friends and family, and firing up the grill.

Here at Custom Powder, we’re always looking for ways to make things better, to do something a little bit different, or to build a custom solution to complicated problems.

But we like to have a little bit of fun while we’re doing it.

For example, we recently had a cardboard smoker contest here at the offices. In the photo below, you’ll see Bryan Lin‘s entry.

That got us thinking about better ways to grill, and apparently we’re not alone. The Internet is brimming with grilling suggestions, smoker hacks, and even DIY for those of you without your own grilling apparatus.

Here are a few of our favorites.

The Clay Pot Smoker

Food Network’s Alton Brown is a big fan of this method, and has a video where he explains why it works so well. But the idea itself is simple — Take a couple of large, clay pots, put a grill grate into them, and prepare for something delicious. Even better? There’s no charcoal required. Read the full how-to over at Make.

The Bitty-Q

You ever find yourself out at the lake, enjoying a cold one, and then shocked to find that there are no grills available? We’ve got a solution for you. All it takes is a drink can, a couple of charcoal briquettes, and a wire coat hanger. The King of Random has a video tutorial.

Washing Machine Grill

We love seeing innovative ideas, and this one is pretty great. Sachin Mohiputloll shows us how to take an old washing machine drum, and turn it into a world-class BBQ grill. Bonus points to Sachin for his use of a cutting wheel, because we love using power tools.

The BBQ Table

We’ve all seen it. Everybody gets together for an afternoon of food and fun, but there’s one person left tending the grill. Usually removed from the rest of the festivities.

But what if the table was the grill? That’s the question that Jag Grills answers. The company combines a BBQ grill and fire pit with a six or eight-sided table to make sure that everybody can be in one place.

Bonus: High-Tech Brisket

Could the world’s best brisket come from an aluminum smoker, built by some Harvard students? It might sound crazy, but just wait until you hear how they made it.

The behemoth weighs in at over 300 pounds, and it eliminates all of the problems that smokers have. There is a refueling chute, preventing the need to open the smoker. Temperature control is handled by a Raspberry Pi computer, connected to fans. Oh, and the team developed the contraption in the dead of winter. Not exactly the ideal time to try to smoke a notoriously-difficult cut of meat.

The whole story is fascinating, and worth a read over at Wired.