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126 CNC WEST August/September 2016
An Eye For Opportunity
A brief story of Scott Henry and IR Defense Article: Zack Selway
Photos: IRD & Selway Machine Tool Co
CUSTOMER
SPOTLIGHT
I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Scott
Henry of IR Defense and I was excited to find that he lived
up to the description that my cousin, Andy, provided.
Andy described a character like we see in the movies of a
rugged mercenary type. The picture I had in my head was
of a larger than life arms dealer who has seen his fair
share of action in the world. Scott did not disappoint.
He stood around 6’3” with tanned skin that looked like he
could have just come from a dessert mission or jungle
safari. A tough looking vertical scar on his forehead (that
I’m sure has a good story behind it) strengthened his calm
confident demeanor. We sat down with the Sales
Manager for Selway Machine Tool’s Sacramento/N.
Nevada territory Keith Granno, over a beer at the local
brewery in Auburn, CA. to learn about the roots of IR
Defense.
In the late eighties a presidentially appointed commission
was tasked with recommending the closures of 98 major
military bases, and hundreds of smaller installations and
facilities. Although this was estimated to save the
Department of Defense $57 billion over 20 years, it would
also eliminate 70,000 military & civilian jobs. To most the
base closures were seen as a misfortune, but to Scott
Henry it was an opportunity. He began scouring the
military auctions that sprouted up during the closures,
buying aircraft instrumentation for resale. It was during
this time that he discovered night vision components for
gun scopes. “I was so intrigued by the technology that I
immediately bought the parts by the truckloads” Scott
said matter of factually. He would then machine or
outsource the remaining components, turning them into
finished products for resale to hunting, law enforcement,
and military customers.
In 1995 with the military bases closed and the surplus
auction parts no longer available, Scott had to figure out
how to make night vision products on his own. Already
equipped with a 3 Bridgeports, a few lathes, and years of
market knowledge, Scott and his team went to work
making the parts one op at a time. As their designs
became more advanced, and job orders began to pile up,
Scott soon realized that in order to take his business to
the next level, he would have to invest in CNC technology.
After a trip to IMTS, and visiting some manufacturer’s
facilities, Scott purchased his first CNC machining center,
a used Haas VF-1. The only problem was that neither
Scott nor his team knew how to run the machine. Not
seeing this as an obstacle, but a chance to grow, Scott
began to teach himself how to program the machine.
Armed with the Haas manual and general machining
knowledge, he took a piece of particleboard, attached it to
the machining table with toe clamps, & began cutting his
name, over & over again.
In 1 week, Scott was able to learn G-Code - “it’s just
geometry” he said modestly. With the very first job he
landed, Scott was able to pay off the machine. Confident
with his CNC capabilities, Scott purchased more CNC
equipment and founded NAIT (North American Integrated
Technology) making his own night vision products as well
as silencers and gun parts for customers. After a few
years, Scott cashed out on NAIT to live the life of a
traveling freelance weapon & accessory designer/machin-
ist. After 9/11 Scott settled down again working for a
large company in the SF Bay Area, meanwhile he began
to build a shop of his own in the small Northern California
city of Grass Valley.