Leader Under 40: Ryan Kautzky

Electromechanical Design Engineer, CUI Inc. – BS Mechanical Engineering + Manufacturing and Design, Washington State University

Control Engineering Staff

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Ryan Kautzky, 29

Electromechanical Design Engineer, CUI Inc. www.cui.com

Tualatin, Ore.

Academics

BS Mechanical Engineering + Manufacturing and Design, Washington State University

Achievements

• Helped develop AMT 303 capacitive encoder that was nominated as an EDN Innovation Finalist for 2010 (www.amtencoder.com/Product/AMT303
• Helped develop AMT 203 12-bit absolute encoder with SPI interfacing and quadrature output (www.amtencoder.com/Product/AMT203).

Non-work-related activity

“I enjoy hiking in the Pacific Northwest with my wife and our 16-month-old son. We have found very interesting and hidden breathtaking views, and it is always fun to teach the little one about the great outdoors,” he said.

Engineering-related activity

Kautzky has been remodeling his house, using his engineering knowledge along the way.

Interesting details

Eager to learn about new technologies and new concepts, he enjoys fixing things, has replaced the engine in his car, and continues remodeling his house.

Began interest

He was fascinated by remote control cars and how they could be modified, then he developed an increasing curiosity in understanding how everyday things are made. This evolved into understanding manufacturing and design, and learning how products move from design through manufacturing and the supply chain to where people need them. He called system design and dynamics of the manufacturing process a hidden marvel in large demand. “A perfect example of this is the Digi-Key shipping system that most customers will never see, but use every day when they order parts.”

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