Rotary Engine Experience
Mitchell
Experience Information
Employer: L-3 Communications
Job Title: Rotary Engine Support
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
The division of L-3 that I worked on deals only with the defense industry. They mainly deal with engines and transmissions that are put into tanks and fighting vehicles. The plant that I am working at is 1 million square feet. The L-3 Communications organization itself is an international company that has offices in eight different countries.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I worked on tasks related to the rotary engine program including tasks such as testing parts to determine cause of failure, working with the build log and disposition of parts, doing tolerance stackups to determine if a non-conforming part could be used as is, and working with a balancer to balance parts for the engine.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I gained knowledge on how to perform tolerance stacks, the ability to balance parts, and a much better working knowledge of how to use Excel.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of the co-op experience was balancing parts for the engine. It helped me feel like I was actually doing something that was necessary for the program.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience has helped me get a better idea of what goes on in the engineering world. It didn't alter my future career goals but I helped expand my knowledge of engineering so that I can achieve my goals in the future.