Innovators in the Making: An Inside Look at Our 2024 US Interns

MORGAN HILL, CA, July 25, 2024 –In celebration of National Intern Day, we’re excited to shine a spotlight on the bright minds shaping the future here at the US locations in Toray Advanced Composites. Interns play a crucial role in infusing fresh perspective, innovative ideas, and boundless energy to our projects, and their contributions have been nothing short of inspiring. In this interview, hear from Jenzelle, Malek, Matthew from SJSU, Peter from UBC, and Keegan from Cal Poly.

 

Q1: Can you share a bit about what the projects/tasks you’ve been working on?

Jenzelle: I’ve worked on resin testing and established the difference (if and) between the control and modified parameters. There are also lots of data entry tasks that I’ve experience.

Malek: My work so far has been focused on various projects. These include validating engineering drawings, creating a model in SolidWorks, measuring the temperature profiles, and designing safety jacks for the pneumatic table lifting mechanism. Each project has allowed me to apply my skills and contribute to the company's goals of improving safety and product quality.

Peter: One of my main tasks at Toray is helping with materials testing and equivalencies. This constitutes making panels from different batches of material and doing various mechanical tests to determine if their material properties align with our standards for those specific materials.

Matthew: During my internship, I have been experimenting with 3D printed molds and plugs because I am trying to get familiar with Toray's Hx74 Amber tooling. I want to use the amber tooling to make airfoil molds that are durable.

Keegan:  This internship will be split between assisting the R&D labs as well as working on my own project. For my project, I am tasked with curating a resin mix that will be used for a layup. After the curing process, I will machine out samples which can be tested in the TA labs. So far, I have gained valuable hands on experience in the R&D department, specifically I have learned how to prepare samples, operate the test equipment, and analyze the experiment data.

 

Q2: What has been the most challenging aspect of your internship, and how have you overcome it?

Malek: The most challenging part of my internship has been managing and prioritizing the projects assigned to me. What has helped me prioritize projects is an intern project spreadsheet that is updated by the process engineering team and me. The spreadsheet lists the available projects and assigns a priority ranking to each project. I then choose the projects with the highest priority and begin working on them. To manage working on multiple projects every day, I write down a to-do list every morning, and throughout the day, I work on completing the tasks I assigned myself to the best of my abilities.

Peter: The most challenging aspect of my internship has been categorizing all the information and knowledge I have been learning. There has been so much, whether it be about the chemistry and material science behind resin or the intricacies of the test methods, I am learning something new every day.

Matthew: The most challenging aspect of my internship is the sheer amount of knowledge I am trying to gain because sometimes it's hard to make all of the topics stick in my head. I have overcome it by consistently taking notes about everything so that I am able to reference it whenever I forget.

 

Q3: How has your experience as an intern differed from your expectations?

Jenzelle: It went above my expectations because I've learned a lot within a month and have met some amazing people as well. I like how I get to work with different departments as well to further expand my knowledge.

Malek: When I first started my internship, I anticipated a focus on data entry and statistics. However, I was pleasantly surprised to be assigned many design projects. This unexpected opportunity has allowed me to enhance my design and problem-solving skills, and I am eager to continue learning and contributing to my team.

Peter: I did not expect to be working on such a wide array of testing and different parts of the equivalency process. As a (hopeful) future aerospace materials engineer, my work at Toray has given me valuable insight into the industry and the extensive processes and specifications that go into aerospace materials and products. I can already tell I will be learning new things about our process and material until the day I have to go back to school, and even then I am only scratching the surface of knowledge about composite prepregs.

Matthew:  I would definitely say that working here has been extremely fun and I am learning about topics that I didn't think I would such as polymer science, cure kinetics, and composite design. Now that I have a solid grasp on how the thermoset/thermoplastic industry works, I will be able to choose the right material for the right job when I'm designing a part.

 

Q4: How have you found the mentorship and support within the company during your internships?

Jenzelle: I found that everyone I've worked with so far has been very friendly and have all taught me so much within a short time.

Malek: The support and mentorship at the company has been strong so far. Any roadblocks I have encountered with getting permission to do something or answering any questions have been prompt.

Peter: All of the engineers in my department, Expert Services, have been amazing and helpful throughout my internship. They are very open to answer any questions I have, whether it be about composite materials or advice about my career/schooling, and I value their mentorship and support very much.

Matthew: I can not express how much support I have received from everybody that I have worked with.  I like to ask a lot of questions and every single question I have asked has been completely answered with additional tidbits of information on top.

 

Q5: What aspects of our company culture have you found most welcoming or enjoyable during your internship?

Malek: Some aspects of Toray’s culture that surprised me were prioritizing safety above everything else, especially now that companies across various industries are transitioning to a throughput and profit-focused culture at the expense of safety and quality. The focus on a safety-first policy is not just a policy, it's a culture that makes me feel secure and valued. It's reassuring that I know that I am working for a company that cares for me as a human being.

Peter: Toray is a very welcoming company, everyone I have met here is always happy to help. The company events have been fun to attend, with being able to meet people in other departments, and to interact with my coworkers outside of a work setting.

Matthew: I have found the welcoming atmosphere and everyone fully answering my questions every enjoyable. The will to help me grow my knowledge is everywhere.

 

Q6: What advice would you give to other students considering applying for internships in your field?

Jenzelle: Don't be afraid to ask questions because you want to learn as much as you can during your internship. Internships are essential to develop key skills that you can’t get in a classroom, such as multi-tasking, communication, and learning to deal with deadlines for someone else. Be proactive. Set clear goals and tell them what you hope to achieve during the period.  And lastly, have fun and enjoy the experience!

Malek: My advice for students looking for an internship as a mechanical engineer is to apply for positions in a field you are most passionate about. I understand that the climate surrounding internships is very cut-throat, and you will be tempted to take what you can get, but doing so can result in an internship where you won’t learn as much as you would have hoped.

Peter:  As a student, internships are invaluable not only for the technical experience, but even more so for the experience of working for a real company.  Materials engineering is a smaller field than others like mechanical and electrical, so it’s important to emphasize the strengths in your specialization when you are searching for the right internship. There are more companies than you expect that hire materials engineers, and showing off your experience in materials testing and characterization along with your more specialized courses can be a big advantage when applying.

Matthew: Internships provide the platform for students to get real world exposure and experience to the industry they want to go into.  Without internships opportunities, I can't even imagine the amount of time I would spend trying to gather all the resources to even begin learning about composites. With all the knowledge gathered in one spot, this significantly speeds up the amount of things I can learn and simply just teaches nuances that people can't learn without working in the industry.

 

Q7: What inspired you to apply for an internship with Toray Advanced Composites?

Malek: I applied to Toray because I am interested in CI and root cause analysis and wanted to improve my skills in those areas. By learning more about what a process engineer does, I can implement those practices into my designs to make them safer and more efficient to manufacture.

Peter: I was inspired to apply to Toray due to my exposure to carbon fiber composites in my previous internships as well as in my classes, and I knew from Toray’s reputation in the industry that they were on the leading edge of composites innovation, and would have so much for me to learn.

Matthew: I heavily work with composites at school, San Jose State University, and wanted to get more exposure to the industry.

Keegan: My club experience at Cal Poly involved a variety of projects using composites and with further research, I found Toray as the perfect position to get hands-on and learn more. 

 

About the Internship Program

Here at Toray Advanced Composites, we are passionate about supporting and inspiring students to unlock their potential through unique hands-on experiences utilizing their field of study for early career development. Our goal is to help them make a significant impact on the world around them.

We carefully craft training plans that are mutually beneficial to both team members and students. These plans aim to enhance education and mentorship while nurturing students as potential future employees or customers for Toray. With production standards increasingly moving towards technology automation, interns bring a fresh wave of skills in computer-aided design and simulation tools like MathLab and ComSol. They are entrusted with focused tasks and personal projects such as building car, motorcycle, and skateboard parts. These experiences allow them to grasp the intricate flow and sequence of production. In turn, our Toray team members build on their own leadership and team-building skills.

We pride ourselves on our diversity, global reach, and community impact. Our global reach spans from South Carolina to Europe, Canada, and California, enriching our team through international exchanges over the past two decades. Encouraging students to take bold chances and learn by doing has proven to be a powerful way to deepen their university experience and ignite their passions.

The program's success is vividly demonstrated by the many interns who have progressed into prominent roles in materials, aerospace, and automotive industries, with several becoming loyal Toray customers or joining Toray Advanced Composites full-time after graduation.

 

Get started on your Toray Internship Today

Here at Toray Advanced Composites, our team is passionate about supporting and inspiring students to unlock their potential through unique hands-on experiences through our internships for early career development. Our next generation of trailblazers get real, hands-on experience from a global leader in advanced composite materials and create bonds within the industry that can last a lifetime.

To find out if there is a global internship opportunity available near you contact the HR team here. You can also learn more about Toray Advanced Composites opportunities here.