The Hutchinson Experience
Brett
Experience Information
Employer: Hutchinson (Paulstra)
Job Title: Engineering coop
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Hutchinson is an international company and is owned by the French. They create anti-vibration parts for the automotive and aerospace industries. At the Grand Rapids location the main focus is the auto industry.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
Throughout the semester I worked in both the Validation & Prototype labs. In the Validation lab, I tested parts for the engineers on the MTS and the Alliance machines. One of my projects in this lab was to assist in the assembly of one of our fatigue machines. In the Prototype lab I cemented parts, ran our rubber press machines as well as assembling parts and subassemblies. My projects in the Prototype lab included running a study on one of our parts with high scrap and designing a machine that replicates the cement dipping process in production for our prototype parts.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
In the validation lab a key skill I learned is what the engineers look for in their tests and the reasoning behind some of the tests that they have the techs run. In the prototype lab I learned a lot about rubber. I learned the process of how rubber is made and how to check for porosity as well as determine the cure time for rubber. When I assisted one of our groups in assembly, one of the engineers showed me a few tests he was setting up to determine why some of his parts were testing bad. I thought it was very helpful to see how he troubleshot his issue.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of the semester was working on my projects. I thought the projects were interesting and I felt that what I was doing was important to the company.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
After co-oping for a summer in the engineering field I am confident that I want to stay in engineering. Everything I have encountered so far at work I have enjoyed, and I still have the goal of becoming a degreed engineer.