Co-op at Corvac Comp
Abby
Experience Information
Employer: Corvac Composites
Job Title: Engineering Co-op
Major: Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Corvac Composites, LLC creates underbody automotive components for numerous companies including Chrysler, Toyota, and Honda. Parts are made through vacuum thermoforming and any trimming is done in house. Corvac also extrudes their own sheets and grinds their own scrap making it more efficient then other competitors. As the importance for lighter vehicles increases, the size of Corvac also increases. Corvac doubles in size every three years! Corvac currently has manufacturing plants in Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Texas, and Turkey as well as sell offices in Germany, Italy, Japan and China.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I had a few major projects throughout the summer as well as small tasks. My main projects were; (1) Record cycle times of the top 80% of parts based on quantity shipped in order to get a base line standard. Also involved with this project was timing change over times to get a base line for those as well. (2) Layout proposal for the redesign of a cell. The purpose of the redesign was to see how the addition of another trim machine would affect the cycle time of that part. (3) Running samples of different sheet where regrind material was replaced with reproduced material to see how the different material affects quality of the finished part.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I learned the basics to engineering management and different process for thermoforming. Also learned a lot about the importance of time studies when in a manufacturing setting. Learned how key a complete understanding of the manufacturing process is before you can even consider design of parts.
Favorite Part of the Experience
The best part about this experience was getting to study the machinery. Corvac has some amazing robots in house that are used for loading and trimming. Its amazing to see the entire transformation of a trim cell through all the steps; set up, programming, and final product.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
The experience confirmed that I do have a strong interest in the automotive industry. It also helps to see all the different paths that can be taken even within one company. As an engineer there are so many things that you can do. Tasks change almost constantly.