Launch Engineering at Koops
Ryan
Experience Information
Employer: Koops
Job Title: Launch Engineer Co-op
Major: Computer Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Koops is located in Holland, MI, falls in the range of 100-200 employees, is employee owned, and provides factory automation machines for its customers. Koops deals with a wide variety of industries including automotive, medical and aerospace. The team at Koops will take an idea from a customer and run with it from start to finish, designing, building, tuning, shipping, and installing a finished machine to accomplish almost any task.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
This semester I worked with the Launch Engineering team. The launch department works with machines after they have been built but before they are ready to ship. My responsibility was to debug and tune machines in order to prove functionality and ensure that good parts are made with a high level of consistency. I also worked with the customers during trial runs, capability tests, and capacity runoffs, modifying and tuning aspects of their machines to better suit their preferences. Much of my times was dedicated to ensuring that machines work as intended. This included checking the functionality of all sensors, safety circuits, motions, and cycles. Often it would be my responsibility to identify problems with a machine and develop a solution, whether it be a simple adjustment or a full redesign of a certain piece.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
During this semester, I continued to develop my skills in working with factory automation machines. I learned how to take a machine and ensure that it works as intended from square one. I continued to learn about mechanical and electrical design, such as which sensors or types of motion work best for different situations. I also learned about interacting with customers in a professional manner, working cooperatively on a team, and the stages of project development.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this co-op semester was the hands-on aspect. Every day I was able to physically work with design ideas that are mentioned in the classroom. Classes can teach you how to learn, but nothing beats actual experience in the field.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This semester has reinforced my decision to go into the engineering field.