Gene Kuschnir

Mechanical Design Engineer

Objectives / Experience / Education /Contact Information

Employment Objectives

To apply my broad range of Design Engineering, CAE, and CAD skills to new product design and development.

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Special Skills and Knowledge

• Design of complex plastic parts using a wide variety of processes and materials including: Injection molded thermo-plastic, Structural foam, Vacuum pressure formed, LSR, and elastomeric.

• Proficient use of CAD, especially Pro/ENGINEER, to create detailed solid model databases.

• Design for manufacturing. Experienced using techniques such as 'bottom up' assembly, component consolidation, and snap fits to reduce assembly time and increase reliability.

• Computer expertise; Experienced in spread sheets, Word processors, Databases, and presentation tools. Fluent in DOS, Windows, Unix, HTML, Java script. Experience with programming in C and BASIC. CAE experience includes:Finite Element Analysis, Tolerance analysis, Stress and Thermal analyses.

• Machining, Model making, sheet metal design and fabrication. Hands on experience permits knowledgeable management of model and mold makers.

• Excellent communication skills and ability to get along with people. Effective team player.

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Experience

Senior Mechanical Designer

Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN -- Medical device manufacturer March 1993 - Present

Responsible for the Complete mechanical design of implantible defibrillators, including; electronic packaging layout and mechanical integration of components in the assembly, flex-circuit design, sheet metal, and thin walled injection molded parts. I use advanced Pro/ENGINEER modeling techniques to create complex parts, shapes, and assemblies.Size reduction, time to market, and manufacturing cost are a prime concern. Reduced size of a previous design by 20% by improving packaging efficiency .Perform FEA and tolerance analyses. I was also responsible for defining requirements and purchasing workstations. I set up the first department intra-net at Medtronic.

Mechanical Engineer

Advanced Input Devices. Coeur d'Alene, ID -- Keyboard and Switch Panel Manufacturer August,1991 to March, 1993

Responsible for the complete mechanical design fo keyboards for medical, scientific, and machine control applications. Performed all phases of product development: Reviewing customer spec., consulting with customers, material selection, creating Pro/ENGINEER CAD models, designed injection molded enclosures and tight tolerance piece parts, designed elastomeric components, design analyses (stress, thermal, and tolerance), supervised drafters in creation of fabrication drawings, ordered and evaluated prototypes. I created the first 100% luminescent keypad for AID. I also worked with Manufacturing Engineering and Marketing to develop a new generation keyswitch system that dramatically improved manufacturability while providing end user flexibility in switch location and fucntion.

Mechanical Engineer

KeyTronic, Inc., Spokane, WA --Computer keyboard manufacturer.November 1983-August 1991


Responsible for the complete mechanical design of computer keyboards for high volume production, including: design of injection molded enclosures and piece parts, design of switch bearings and leveling mechanisms, membrane switches, and Liquid Silicone Rubber components. I pioneered curved plate keyboard design at KeyTronic. I was Mechanical Engineer on the design team that successfully launced high volume production of KeyTronic's first curved plate membrane switch keyboard. I also redesigned a high volume keyboard to reduce parts count from 550 pieces to 250 pieces and eliminated 22 fasteners.

Interests - personal

Member of the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Music composition and recording. Recreational science, Astronomy, Biology, Paleontology. Flying; obtained commercial and flight instructors certificates. Speak, read, and write Russian.

Educational Background

Santa Barbara Community College - AS Engineering Technology

University of California Santa Barbara - BSME


University of Lowell -- Advanced Engineering Design with Plastics, Advanced Product Design.

Other formal training -- Pro/E, Mechanica, Cosmos, Product Design for Assembly (Boothroyd/Dewhurst), Geo-Metrics, Ti-Tol.

Santa Barabara Aviation Flight Acadamy -- Commercial Pilots License, Flight Instructors Certificate, Instrument Rating.

Contact Information

(763) 514-3858 (phone)
(651) 982-0709 (phone)
gene@4dcreative.com (email)