By Vihaan Kulkarni, Summer Marketing Intern
Every summer, Helwig Carbon gives engineering students the opportunity to step beyond the classroom and into real-world engineering as summer interns. This year, we hosted two incoming seniors from the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), Katie Pollock and Erik Kiger, both majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
As this was her first internship, Katie wanted to see how the knowledge from MSOE would translate to hands-on experience.
Under the guidance of her mentor Zach Schroeder, R&D Engineer, she focused on testing, cataloging, and process analysis. She tested new tamping agents for carbon brushes, evaluating strength, resistivity, hardness, and density against a control group. This was done with the goal of reducing breakage to save time and money. She also took micrographs of brush material, which are used to analyze the structure of grades to ensure the best grade formulation for each application. Finally, she worked to find a solution to product loss during the granulation process.
Katie enjoyed learning about the processes behind developing high-performance motor brushes and gained a “behind the scenes” look at manufacturing. Helwig also helped cement her interest in material science.
While Katie focused on material testing and process improvement, Erik’s internship emphasized product development and mechanical design.
After participating in research-based internships, Erik wanted more hands-on experience.
Under the leadership of Danny Jacobs, Mechanical Design Engineer, Erik’s projects centered on testing and innovation. In the area of testing, he worked on a powered rail test, finishing measurements and building side-to-side motion into the test stand. He also recorded high-speed videos of another test stand to analyze visual data. In the category of innovation, Erik aided in the creation of a BPK-Probe™ extender, a safe way to mount and take measurements with the BPK-Probe from a distance. Erik also helped assemble BPK-Probes.
“It’s a great balance between hands on and drafting work,” Erik said. “Sometimes I’ll be in the shop using the lathe or bandsaw or creating things online using CAD software.”
During his internship, Erik learned the difference between working under the conditions of a research environment versus real-world problem solving to meet customer needs. He also gained a better understanding of how different engineering applications can work together.
Katie and Erik both emphasized their appreciation for the coworkers and mentors they had at Helwig.
“I’ve had a great experience with everyone I’ve worked with,” Erik said. “They’ve all been really friendly with me and very caring… It’s nice, you know, feels sort of like a family here.”
Katie agreed.
“A lot of people here have been really nice, and willing to help me learn and teach me new things,” Katie said.
Helwig thanks Katie and Erik for their hard work and contributions this summer and wishes them continued success as they complete their engineering degrees.
As a company where employees are encouraged to grow and learn new skills, Helwig is a great place for interns to learn about engineering high-quality products from experts in the industry.
About the Author: Summer Marketing Intern Vihaan Kulkarni, incoming freshman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, focused on marketing efforts alongside Marketing Manager Melanie Hupfer. Vihaan gained experience in customer communications, design and editing, and competitive analysis. Vihaan enjoyed learning more about Helwig’s products and how promotion led to more touchpoints with customers.