In the words of Raph Guenther, engineering has to start with curiosity.
“I’ve always liked to learn how anything and everything works and then take that understanding and apply it to new ways to do things,” he says.
That curiosity has taken Raph down a career path that’s anything but conventional. He has a background in psychology and physics—an M.S. in physics and laboratory research—and a long history in general contracting. In 2024, when Raph moved to Northeast Ohio to be closer to family, he found the job as part of the engineering team at Nicopress.
It was the variety of the role that initially caught his attention, and it lived up to the promise. Raph could be involved in process improvement, product design and testing, quality assurance, equipment repair and maintenance or facility upgrades on any given day.
The work is always interesting, he says.
Seeing the Bigger Picture
Raph’s diverse background is influencing how he approaches engineering issues today. Before he jumps to a solution, he’s methodical about making sure the problem itself is well understood.
“It’s fundamental to get a complete understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve,” he says. “It’s very easy for engineers to get tunnel vision, drift from the original objectives, or focus on something that’s outside the scope of the problem.”
The methodical mindset comes into play when customers present Nicopress with an unusual technical challenge. While established applications are backed by decades of company experience, documentation and sales knowledge, new applications sometimes need a deeper look. Engineering in those instances is in contact with the customer and conducts analysis and testing in order to see whether the performance is in line with the application’s requirements.
Innovation is also closely connected to continuous improvement in Raph’s day-to-day work. Rather than just fixing a machine that begins to wear, for example, he has the opportunity to ask if it could be upgraded in the process.
One current project brings together a few different pieces of Raph’s background. The team is working on 3D printing with metal-infused filament to produce specialty parts. The final step is to sinter the printed part inside a kiln, which has meant creating an appropriate workspace from the ground up—a challenge that Raph intends to solve with equal parts physics, engineering and construction.
Creativity Beyond Engineering
Raph’s appetite for making things doesn’t stop when the workday ends. If he is not tackling home improvement projects, he enjoys handicrafts including stained glass and fine woodworking.
He is also an avid musician who plays keys, guitar and drums with his church’s worship team.
Raph often returns to Max Ehrmann’s poem Desiderata, particularly its reminder to find peace amid the noise and haste—a perspective that also carries into the advice he’s gained from years of working on projects where failure can have serious consequences:
“There’s no substitute for the peace of mind that comes from doing something the right way, with the right materials, using the right tools.”
Connect with Raph on LinkedIn