Experience Matters - Grand Valley State University

Summer 2021 Co-op experience

Jeremy
Major: Mechanical Engineering I worked on many smaller physical projects and some larger ones. About 40% of my time was spent working on projects, and the rest of my time was spent running production on our assembly line. The projects were almost always geared towards improvements and updates to the line I worked on. One major project was assisting in moving an injection molding machine onto our line, which required many smaller projects like designing and building a feeder mounting plate, building machine doors, and plumbing hoses on the machine.

First Co-op Rotation at Rose Medical

Jenna
Major: Mechanical Engineering My tasks at Rose Medical were split into two categories: process development and protocol writing. My main assignments relating to process development were to design 3D fixtures to aid in the manufacturing processes, run DOEs to determine which settings the product should be made in, and evaluate how successful a product is when certain conditions change. For protocol writing, I wrote numerous installation qualifications, operational qualifications, process qualifications, memos, and customer-requested validations. My task was to write the protocol, take the necessary data, and write a report for the customer. On top of product development and protocol writing, I was heavily exposed to the workings of a cleanroom environment, I was able to sit in on customer meetings and calls, and I learned about new technology and equipment.

Fun at UFPI

Grant
Major: Computer Science My task for this summer was to create maintenance tables that the plants would use, from shipment tables and mileage rates, to tax rates and margins.

First Co-op Rotation at Gentex Corporation

Ben
Major: Mechanical Engineering During my co-op, I was responsible for several projects that sought to improve our manufacturing processes. Most of my projects involved designing fixtures to aid in the calibration processes of our machines. In addition, I also conducted preventative maintenance and efforts to improve assembly line ergonomics.

First Co-op Rotation

Olivia
Major: Mechanical Engineering I was on a team that want confined space entries to be significantly reduced due to them being unsafe and very expensive. I worked on a mechanical arm that would be able to do the tasks that a human would normally do during these confined space entries. I was able to get feedback from the inspectors and then further improve the pole. I oversaw an underground pipe inspection which was a lot of emails, calls, and meetings with lots of different companies. I helped in the risk management software that Corteva has, which was exciting to use a new software.

Packaging and Promotional Materials Design

Tyler
Major: Art & Design My role at Natural Earth Paint during my internship included updating and designing packaging and labels, as well as making promotional materials for print and the web. I communicated closely with the founder of the company to design materials that matched the aesthetic of the existing branding. I designed files for print, using the specifications of the printer as needed.

First Rotation at JR Automation

Gage
Major: Computer Engineering Some of the tasks I completed in my first rotation, without specifics because I am not at liberty to discuss details, were basic HMI (Human-Machine Interface) programming and building, basic PLC programming, and AutoCAD Electrical work. A large part of my work for a long time was looking at former projects HMI and PLC code and identifying the basic structure and applying it to a new project the business unit had received for design. I have found being at JR that they gave me as much time as I needed to get all my questions answered and start understanding what I was looking at and how it all worked. I found that if your eager to learn and it shows, you will do very well here.

Engineering Co-Op 1 at E3 Compliance

Megan
Major: Electrical Engineering I personally completed several different EMC tests for commercial, medical and automotive products to help get them out on the shelves and being used in important everyday applications. These tests also included generated reports full of information which is sent to the customer. I also completed several documents, including work instructions, test setup instructions and materials lists to make things easier and more organized/streamlined in the lab.

Jr. Fire Systems Engineer

Daniel
Major: Mechanical Engineering I designed fire sprinkler systems for various building types, ranging from residential to industrial.

Custom Automation Engineering Co-op

Camryn
Major: Mechanical Engineering During the semester, I was mainly responsible for writing the ladder logic for PLCs as well as creating HMI screens for a couple different machines. I started out by completing small programming tasks to help my mentor complete a project he was working on. I was then responsible for programming two different machines on my own, with help from my mentor of course. After completing the programming of those machines, I worked with the customer to make any changes to the ladder logic or HMI screens in order to ensure the machine ran according to what they expected. I spent additional time helping my mentor with small tasks on a larger machine he was responsible for, such as figuring out how to set up new ethernet devices.

GVSU PDM Engineering Co-op with Haworth

Emily
Major: Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering One of my most favorite things about working for Haworth is the large range of projects, both in time span and complexity. There is always filler work to do whether it's updating CAD files, or costing products in the system, or progressing through the stages of changing a product that's already in production. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to work on projects that have lasted several months. A lot of these projects have pertained to looking into the future and analyzing trends in order to brainstorm and cost products that may be popular in a few years from now. These projects are always incredibly interesting because you have to interact with so many different people in order to get enough input and questions answered so that you can justify your decision making. Lastly, there are projects that fit in between the long term and short term time span, but are just as important. For example, sometimes customers receive orders that are incorrect and you have to diagnose the problem, fix it, and go through a lot of other steps under a specific time limit depending on the demand for that product. If you are looking for an internship with a broad range of projects, Haworth does an excellent job providing exactly that.

Co op Position at Hutchinson

Andrew
Major: Mechanical Engineering I worked on failure analysis of durability parts and tested parts to meet specifications. I also visited companies that Hutchinson works with in outsourcing some tasks, like plastic over-molded brackets.

Phase 1 Engineering Co-op Experience

Connor
Major: Computer Engineering While working there as a Computer Engineering major, I was able to push myself through being introduced to projects that were outside of my discipline. For example, I was able to work on a contract basis with a customer to study thermal engineering. This allowed them to develop a new product based off my work. However, I was also pushed within my own discipline through teaching myself a new programming language to write a data analysis tool.

Crucial Experience

Verdale
Major: Computer Engineering I assisted with testing out a brand new production line with the intention of improving a process. I made a test apparatus that was capable of testing 27 mirrors at once. I also made improvements to each production line to keep sensitive circuit board from being damaged. I have also created different types of mirrors that will be used for function testing.

Winter 2021 Co-op Experience

Joshua
Major: Electrical Engineering I mainly focused on software engineering throughout my co-op this winter. I was involved in our most recent mega project Urban outfitters. I re-wrote multiple high speed sorter divert function blocks and converted them from STL to SCL. This was done because the PLCs used in projects were upgraded from the Siemens 300 PLC to the Siemens 1500 PLC. I also built the visualization and PLC software for two empty tote buffer stacker and destacker systems. On top of this I engineered the added value high speed sorter loop.

Parks and Rec Intern

Austin
Major: Sport Management I prepared all of the athletic fields for the spring/summer events, and I helped plan all of the Covid-19 testing for this year. I also designed and updated the signs for the athletic fields, and I helped facilitate the events as well.

Engineering Co-op

Nicholas
Major: Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering I worked as part of the engineering sustaining team. I worked with an engineer to maintain three manufacturing lines and assist in moving out one of those lines at the end of march. I wrote and worked on a wide variety of documentation for each line as well as performing hands-on maintenance for the lines.

Twisthink Electrical Engineering Co-Op

Sarah
Major: Electrical Engineering While at Twisthink, I was given the opportunity to work on a program for an embedded system through CCS. I was also able to work on debugging circuits on manufactured circuit boards. I was also able to redesign an existing circuit so that it could be recreated using a new software. These tasks were extremely interesting as they all built on my existing knowledge from classes, but pushed me to learn and do more with that knowledge.

Co-op Rotation II

Andrew
Major: Electrical Engineering I worked in the notching department of the battery making process. I helped keep machines running at their highest capabilities through various troubleshooting and permanent upgrades. I had a focus on reducing scrap which would positively impact our yield. I helped implement the ability to rework material that would otherwise have been scrap for in the notching process. This is the first time in LG ES Michigan that we were able to rework material in notching.

Interning at LG

Connor
Major: Mechanical Engineering At LG I was put in charge of the crating process which sent material to another one of our factories. Also, I worked on safety improvements to some of the roll press machines to get rid of pinch points operators run into. Also I assisted on a project that used Tekscan software to use a pressure sensor to determine the wear of the roll press and the many sub rollers on the machine. Finally, I added adjustable feet to a table. This allowed for the Tesa measurement device to take more accurate measurements by leveling and stabilizing the table.

JR Automation - 2nd Rotation

Hannah
Major: Electrical Engineering I was assigned to one main project this semester that allowed me more individual responsibility, while still having a mentor to guide me. I was able to help through the debug process of the machine which included updating HMI screens, PLC programs, and teaching points for robots.

Winter Rotation

Jacob
Major: Computer Engineering Entailed how to understand the process and procedure of a digital design of a cell. Then how to apply the concepts from that to the actual construction and set-up of the cell it self. Modifying and adapting to new constraints and limitations from actual construction of cell. Finally, learning how to debug HMI software, FANUC robots, and PLC software.

Hutchinson Co-op

Nick
Major: Mechanical Engineering -Prototyping Lab production --Testing and creation of Rubber parts to have the correct properties of the rubber/plastic -Validation Lab -- Testing of multiple parts for characterization and properties of the fluid in said parts --Multi-directional ultimate testing -GM Team --Fixture Creation --DFMEA creation --Design improvement --Development meetings

Integrated Packaging Machinery Co-op experience

Brody
Major: Mechanical Engineering As a Co-op student at IPM, I did a lot of computer aided design in programs like Solidworks and AutoCad. I had the opportunity to work on real projects with sometimes very custom solutions and problems which I had to work through with members of the team. Overall, I felt as if I was a functional member of the engineering team at IPM and not just an intern.

Test Engineering Intern

Benjamin
Major: Computer Engineering I worked a lot testing software and building test software for a lot of airplane equipment.