Co-op Semester #1
Connor
Experience Information
Employer: Cascade Engineering
Job Title: Co-op Student/Intern
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Cascade Engineering is a medium sized manufacturing company that specializes in plastic injection molding. Cascade is partnered with companies from furniture, waste disposal, and automotive like Herman Miller, Waste Management, and BMW. Even though the company only has about 40 employed engineers, the company has a worldwide reach. Cascade has a policy statement of people, planet, profit and this is special because Cascade has a zero waste policy. Anything that can be recycled, is recycled.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
At Cascade, I have worked on the floor to become more familiar with the operators and the manufacturing methods as well as worked in the office to learn more about engineering in the real world. I have done maintenance projects on our office's 3D printer, created ergonomically friendly production work cells, and have assisted engineers on molding tryouts on several projects.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
Through this semester, I have gained experience with project management, creativity with designing, structural analysis skills, and communication skills. These skills will better prepare me for the semesters ahead and also my work-life after school is finished.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of the co-op experience was the ability to freely choose any project that I thought would be interesting, challenging, and also a good learning experience. The engineers at Cascade have an intern project board where interns can choose projects managed by the engineers and assist them in any way. Some of these projects include delivering parts out of state, assisting with molding tryouts, running an audit, and designing work cell layouts for operators. All of these projects were new and very different.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
I believe that working at Cascade was the right choice for a co-op. I have learned more about the plastic engineering world here than I believe I could have at any other place on the west side of Michigan. With the smaller company setup, I am more involved in the company than I would be at a larger company.