Problem Solver
Stephen Kochan
It is the difficult and unsolvable problems that require the elegant solutions. Adding another bandaid is going to complicate things. Having great domain knowledge is helpful, but not a guarantee. These are the problems that require an open mind, a deferral of judgment, and many different and novel ideas from unusual domains. It is this cross pollination that fuels novelty. These idea collections and their forced connections can then be distilled down to the essence of what is required and then crafted into an elegant, simple solution.
Areas Stephen Kochan is Knowledgeable in:
Mechanical Design, Manufacturing methods, DFMA Design for Manufacturing and Assembly, Idea generation, particularly difficult, unsolvable problems, and facilitating creative process.
Techniques Stephen Kochan Uses:
TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving), CPS (Creative Problem Solving), Biomimicry, Design Thinking, Many tools like SCAMPER, Mind Maps, Brainstorming, Forced Connections, DFMA Design for Manufacturing and Assembly, and various other processes I have been developing.
Stephen Kochan's Problem Solving Skills:
- I develop products and processes from fuzzy front end through prototype, production and cost reduction
- I am a high ideator - I can integrate many elements comprehensively
- I understand manufacturing and how to make things cost effectively
- I understand color theory, aesthetics, and ergonomics
- I am a credentialed facilitator of CPS (creative problem solving)
- I am trained in the use of the Russian problem solving method TRIZ (theory of inventive problem solving)
- Nothing is impossible, I love a challenge and will only settle for successful completion
Stephen Kochan's Problem Solving Experience:
- -I developed a patent applied for cable that carries AC and DC current as well as having an integrated load carrying member. This product was successfully installed into a 45 foot diameter chandelier that retracts into the ceiling of an opera house and then deploys 325 acrylic 6 foot long crystals that are lit by programmable LEDs.
- -I developed a patented winch for a company that employed a unique drive assembly and also was designed to save 40% in mechanical assembly cost.
- -I developed a patented machine that motorizes counterweight for moving theater scenery. The second generation device won product of the year.
- -I designed, developed, oversaw the manufacture and assembly of $1.2mil worth of protective tiles and support structure for the inside of the C-Mod nuclear fusion test reactor at MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center. The materials used were pure molybdenum, Inconel 625, Inconel 718, Al2O3 ceramic, Beryllium, OFHC copper, and many stainless steels. I worked there 9 years designing structures, parts, instruments and tools for Ultra-High Vacuum and Cryogenic environments.
- -I designed, developed, oversaw the manufacture and assembled a patentable way to assemble high power permanent magnets that is simple, fast and safe. The 425 magnet array is mounted under a cart that carries industrial products. The cart runs on a rail and is slingshotted 100 feet using a 20 foot long 3 phase wound coil that couples with the magnet array and acts like a linear motor. Coils are 100 feet apart.