Posted: December 15, 2021

Kevin Iott is an award-winning design engineer and Journeyman tool maker. His Passion for astronomy and Mechanics started at a very young age. Growing up on a family farm, Kevin was introduced to Astronomy when he received a small telescope as a birthday gift. He would go on to attend Astronomy summer camps in Middle school where his love of space flourished. At the age of 16 Kevin began working at a local telescope retail store, The Nature Company, where he was the resident telescope expert. While he was able to purchase modest telescope equipment over the years, the equipment he yearned for was largely out of reach. It was at that moment he decided he would have to build it himself.

Kevin attended The University of Toledo for Mechanical engineering and at the same time was working as a Journeyman apprentice at a large tool and die company. It was at this tool and die company that Kevin would get his first taste of true mechanical engineering where he was promoted to design engineer after only 2 years as an apprentice. For this company, Kevin designed many different types of equipment ranging from robotic laser cutting and welding cells to solar panel processing equipment.

In 2009 that dream became a reality when Kevin partnered with PlaneWave instruments. In the years following Kevin would go on to be the lead design engineer at PlaneWave where he would design and develop products such as the PW1000 1-Meter telescope, L-Series mounts, i Series gimbals and many more. Leaning on his tool and die background Kevin developed the machining, manufacturing, and technology strategies to propel PlaneWave to the forefront of the industry.