Precision Solutions Co-Op and Intern Day 2023
Meet the Precision Solutions Co-Ops and Interns
Imelia Meiser is a third-year student at Michigan Tech, and a West Branch native! She is studying mechanical engineering and technology and is an engineering intern at Hyperion this summer. Nathan Laures is a second-year student at Michigan Tech, from Pinconning, and is studying Mechanical Engineering. Nathan is a precision machinist co-op, and it is his second summer working at GLE. Brooklyn Gillard is a first-year student at Delta College, is a Bay City native, and is studying Graphics and Marketing. She is a business development co-op for Precision Solutions. Nathan Stewart is a high school senior and is focusing on the Diesel and Heavy Equipment program at Bay Arenac ISD. He is a first-year co-op at GLE this summer and is from Bay City! Aristeo Robelin is a first-year Delta College student and is studying Pre-Engineering. He plans to attend Saginaw Valley State University in two years to get his degree in Mechanical Engineering. Aristeo has been a co-op at GLE for over 6 months now and was in the Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Program at the Saginaw Career Complex. Grace Andersen is a second-year student at Delta College and has been a business development co-op with Precision Solutions for over one year! She is from Standish and is studying business and marketing. Nithish Kumar Nalla is in his final year of his master’s program for mechanical engineering at Michigan Tech. He is a manufacturing engineering intern at Hyperion this summer and received his bachelors in mechanical engineering from a University in India! We are so proud of all their work this summer and are thankful to have them at Hyperion.
Tour De Hyperion West Branch
Last week some of our Precision Solutions co-ops and interns were able to network and discuss their summers work. Co-ops from GLE visited the Hyperion West Branch Sintering and Powder Plant. They went on an in-depth tour of both plants showing every step the Hyperion products go through before shipping to customers.
In the powder plant the team saw how the powder is mixed, cleaned, tested, and packaged. In the on-site lab they were able to look at the granular structure of carbide through a microscope. They learned how inspecting the powder with various processes ensures there are no irregularities within the powder mix, and how verifying quality is a key process in manufacturing. One of the topics that really interested the co-ops was the discussing eta-phase, and free carbon.
In the sinter plant the team saw all the different products that the West Branch location manufactures. The GLE co-ops were able to see and feel carbide in its green state. One of the things that surprised them the most was how soft and fragile the material was. Additionally, they were able to learn about isostatic pressing, green machining, and the sintering process. They walked through a typical process flow and saw how various products are handled. The part that everyone said they enjoyed the most was seeing the sintering oven, and learning how it works. At the end of the tour, the team was able to see where all of the graphite plugs are stored, and the various shape that are manufactured to account for shrinkage in the sintering oven.
After the shop tours, Imelia and Nithish discussed their projects they have been working on over the summer. Imelia’s work focused on researching shrinkage of carbide in the green state through sintering. Through this research, she analyzed the Hyperion database and has been trying to put together a formula to increase accuracy when calculating the shrink factor. Nithish’s summers work was mainly centered in the sintering plant as well. His focus was on factors affecting our scrap and rework jobs. He has done root cause analysis, and determined what some of the main defects are caused from and working on how to avoid these types of issues in the future. They have done a great job over the summer with their work!
After the morning of touring, and learning about carbide, the team went to a local putt-putt course in West Branch. It was GLE vs. Hyperion WB. The West Branch teams average score was 10 points better than GLE’s team score! It was a great day of education and making new connections.
Additionally, the West Branch interns visited GLE this past Tuesday so they could see some of the finishing processes used to manufacture precision components. They were given a detailed tour, and then had lunch brought in. The business development co-ops at GLE discussed their summers work to the West Branch team. They informed the team about how they prospect potential customers, design marketing campaigns, lead discovery calls, and any miscellaneous tasks that they complete at GLE. We are so thankful to have our co-ops and interns as a part of our team. They have all done a great job this summer. We hope to continually grow this program for years to come!
