Cascade Engineering Co-op
Sara
Experience Information
Employer: Cascade Engineering
Job Title: Co-op Intern
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Cascade Engineering is a plastic injection molding company which ranges from trash containers, to automobile parts, to furniture parts. CE has several plants all located very close together (most within walking distance of each other). CE prides itself on its triple bottom line of People, Planet, Profit. All businesses must make a profit in order to succeed, but Cascade Engineering really makes sure that they take care of their employees, the community, and the environment as well.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I worked in the CFI (center for innovation) department where most of the engineers are located. However, much of the work for my projects required me to go to other plants on the campus to view either parts or the work cells for different machine presses. I worked mainly on two projects, however I did help with some other testing studies as well. One of my main projects was designing and building an inspection table for one of the machines. The boxes of parts would sit on the table to make it easier for the supervisor of the press to inspect the parts. This project helped me gain a lot of problem solving skills as the project was almost entirely self led. The other main project I worked on was helping create a tool for some of our customers. Our trash containers get shipped out in stacks of 10 and often are hard to pry apart. There was already a tool in place that helped de-stack these containers, however, it was not very user friendly. Along with another engineer, I helped create a new tool that is much more user friendly to de-stack the containers.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I learned about several different testing types and terms such as Cp/Cpk, capability studies, and other tests that pertain to the company. I also learned how to work on engineering projects both individually and as a team.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part was that I got to experience leading a project on my own, as well as being part of a team to work on several different projects. Cascade Engineering truly provided me with a wide range of opportunities and projects for me to be able to work on. I look forward to my next Co-op semester with them!
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
Working for Cascade Engineering was just the push I needed in order to know that engineering was the right choice for me. Schooling can only help you so much with this decision, but the hands on experience at Cascade Engineering helped me lock down my decision to become an engineer.