Hutchinson Co-op 3
Alex
Experience Information
Employer: Hutchinson
Job Title: Product Development Co-op
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Hutchinson is a global leader in vibration control, fluid management, and sealing technologies with 44,000 employees in 25 different countries. Hutchinson provides solutions in the automotive, aerospace, defense, rail, and energy industries. The Hutchinson location in Grand Rapids focuses mainly on automotive anti-vibration products.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
At Hutchinson I was able to be involved in a variety of different tasks and projects in different labs and project groups. With the product development group I worked with I was able to test a variety of transmission and engine mounts for different performance and damping characteristics. I helped manufacture and modify prototype parts to tune performance. I also helped design test fixtures for parts for static and torsional testing. I experimented with design modifications to a part component using FEA analysis to look to decrease component mass. I assisted in developing bracket designs to meet stress targets and tooling clearance requirements. I helped conduct production process rate studies as well. Along with this I helped assemble and build a prototype heating unit for rubber to metal bonding and conducted heat studies. I also developed procedures for testing metal insert material compression yield strength.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I worked on skills for developing feasible effective designs. I gained skill in utilizing and interpreting FEA results to drive design decisions. I gained skills in calculating and interpreting test data using Excel. I gained skills in operating and troubleshooting test equipment. I gained knowledge on part manufacturing processes including rubber molding, plastic molding, bonding, and assembly. I learned skills in test development and design of experiments.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this experience was learning about what goes into part design and manufacturing process design and getting to use this knowledge firsthand.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience has confirmed that I would like to have a career in manufacturing and product development.