Thixomolding Process Engineer Intern- Summer 2027

Position Summary

The Shape Corp student engineering program provides students with hands-on experience in a dynamic automotive product development and manufacturing environment. The Thixomolding Engineering Intern will function as a Product Development Engineering intern with focused exposure to the thixomolding process, supporting product and process development, analysis, testing, validation, and launch activities. The student will work alongside engineering, manufacturing, quality, and operations teams to learn how magnesium components are produced through thixomolding and how product design, tooling, material behavior, process conditions, and part quality interact.

Essential Job Functions

• Assist with product and process development activities from concept through validation and production launch for thixomolded components.
• Support engineering calculations, design reviews, tolerance analysis, material evaluation, and assessment of product performance against customer and internal requirements.
• Assist with prototype builds, engineering trials, test planning, data collection, validation activities, and analysis of results.
• Gain hands-on exposure to thixomolding cells, including dies, end-of-arm tooling, material handling, cooling systems, grippers, machine controls, and related downstream machining or assembly processes.
• Support development and optimization of process parameters within approved operating ranges while evaluating part appearance, dimensional performance, cycle time, material use, and process stability.
• Use HMI trend information and other process data to help identify relationships between machine conditions, material behavior, and product quality.
• Assist with investigation of process issues, tooling concerns, defects, and performance losses using structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis methods.
• Support activities to improve process capability, Overall Equipment Effectiveness, uptime, scrap, material consumption, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Participate in design failure mode and effects analysis, process failure mode and effects analysis, corrective-action activities, and continuous improvement projects.
• Help create or revise engineering drawings, specifications, process documentation, standardized work, work instructions, test reports, and technical presentations.
• Coordinate assigned activities with Product Development, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Operations, Maintenance, Tooling, Test, Program Management, and other teams.
• Follow required personal protective equipment, safety, quality, environmental, customer, and engineering standards while working in manufacturing areas.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the supervisor, not otherwise specified in this position description.

Education & Experience

• Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree from an accredited program in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Design Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a closely related field.
• 3.0 GPA or higher on a 4.0 scale.
• Coursework or project experience involving engineering design, materials, manufacturing processes, mechanics, thermodynamics, CAD, testing, statistics, or data analysis.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Able to spend time in a manufacturing environment observing equipment, supporting trials, and working with production teams.
• Able to work independently while also contributing effectively within a cross-functional team.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical, technical, and hands-on problem-solving skills with attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications

• Interest in magnesium, metals processing, injection molding, die casting, casting, tooling, materials behavior, or advanced manufacturing processes.
• Exposure to 3D CAD software such as CATIA, NX, Creo, or SolidWorks through coursework, student projects, or prior work experience.
• Familiarity with engineering drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, design for manufacturability, or product lifecycle management systems.
• Experience with prototyping, test equipment, statistical process control, process capability, data analysis, or structured engineering problem-solving.
• Exposure to programmable logic controller equipment, human-machine interfaces, automation, robotics, machining, or assembly processes.
• Participation in engineering design teams such as Formula SAE, Baja SAE, robotics, capstone design, or similar technical projects.
• Interest in automotive structures, lightweighting, product development, and magnesium component manufacturing.