Custom Automation Engineering Co-op
Camryn
Experience Information
Employer: Koops Automation Systems
Job Title: Controls Engineering Co-op
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Koops is an employee-owned custom automation systems engineering company. Although Koops only has approximately 200 employees, the company is constantly growing and receiving bigger projects. Koops creates all sorts of unique machinery for a variety of different fields, including automotive, medical, water treatment, consumers goods, etc.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
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.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I gained a lot of knowledge regarding writing ladder logic for PLCs, going through technical manuals to learn how to set up new ethernet devices and receive information from them, debugging issues by tracing electrical wiring and looking through ladder logic, and suggesting mechanical changes that could lead to improved machine functionality.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this experience was having full control over the different components of each machine. Being able to write some lines of ladder logic on my computer and watch the machine move accordingly was such a cool experience. It was also incredibly hands-on, which provided for an incredible learning opportunity.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience has further solidified that I want to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. I would love to keep working in a field as unique as custom automation machinery, and my time at Koops has helped me realize that I would love to pursue a career that required a lot of hands-on engineering involvement.
Internship Format
In Person