Shaping Metal, and a Career
Nathaniel
Experience Information
Employer: Trans-Matic
Job Title: Engineering Intern
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Trans-Matic has been in business for over 50 years and is best known for their capabilities in deep-drawn stamped components. They currently have three locations internationally, employ around 450 people, and design all of the tooling (and a lot of the equipment) in-house. Trans-Matic's headquarters are located on the Southeast side of Holland, MI in a 238,000 sqft. facility, which houses over 60 presses and the majority of the company's operations.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
As an Engineering Intern, the majority of my tasks involved part/drawing/print updates and the use of Creo (Pro-E), my new favorite CAD software. Tool-makers on the shop floor would make changes to prints in order to improve tooling and the quality of production parts; it was my job to verify and implement them. I was also given a handful of small projects that involved developing creative solutions to real problems. I enjoyed these a lot, as I was able to exercise some creativity and apply concepts from previous coursework.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I learned quite a bit about properly dimensioning parts and applying notation to professional drawings. I also became reasonably efficient with the CAD software Creo (Pro-E) and Trans-Matic's drawing/CAD model server, Windchill. Completing tasks and projects with these tools, on a regular basis, really improved my time management skills. In the last couple of weeks, I was given three projects to share with the other Engineering Intern. For these projects, we not only had to design parts and assemblies, but we also had to physically build and install them. This allowed me to receive training and experience in using an industrial bandsaw, a mill, a 6 in. belt sander, a press-break, a sheet metal bender, a polishing wheel, and various power tools, many of which I have never operated before and am now comfortable doing so.
Favorite Part of the Experience
I think I enjoyed tool design the most. A few of the design projects that I completed involved redesigning the majority of what are known as 'stations' in a press. I'm kind of a numbers guy and doing the stack-up calculations, verifying travels/distances, and measuring CAD models to make sure it was going to work without issues, was something that I didn't mind spending time doing. I also met a lot of great people and made some new friends, many of which I look forward to working with in future co-op semesters.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
Prior to beginning my first co-op at Trans-Matic, I was very certain of my choice to pursue a career in mechanical engineering. When I did start, I initially was surprised by the seemingly simple and low-energy work that I was doing, and I began to wonder if engineering was really this boring. However, the simplistic tasks were only because I was in training and by the end of the co-op semester, I was spending a great deal of my time on the shop floor. I also noticed that many of the other engineers were highly-active and involved in very interesting projects. Seeing this and witnessing the real-world activities of engineers in the field not only restored my enthusiasm to become an engineer, but it also allowed me to realize that this is definitely what I want to do.
Internship Format
In Person