Dean Chapman

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Year: Second-Year

• Who are you co-oping with?

Lincoln Electric in Cleveland, Ohio.

• What is your role? What are your day-to-day tasks?

My spring co-op position was in Consumable Methods. Consumable refers to the manufacturing of welding wire rather than manufacturing the welding machines themselves. The Methods department involved itself in the methods of production: managing the lines, improving upon current manufacturing techniques/tooling, and engineering solutions to future production needs. My role mainly consisted of supporting the two department 85 engineers on the team with data gathering, CAD modeling work, design proposals to fix department problems (ergonomic, organizational, machine based, etc), and reaching out to vendors to get new parts manufactured in a timely and cost effective manner. My day to day tasks consisted of equal parts office and hands-on work, communicating with engineers and operators throughout the day to ensure my efforts were aligned with the goals of the department.

• What was your favorite part?

My favorite part of the co-op was personally installing parts on the production lines that I had proposed, designed, gotten quotes on, filed a purchase request for, and finally received weeks later in their pristine state of precision straight from the loading bay. Having a sense of pride and ownership over a component that directly contributes the success of an organization is an irreplaceable feeling that makes the harder aspects of being a mechanical engineer feel worth it. Additionally, feeling like the work I did for Lincoln Electric actually mattered was critical to me bringing my best day after day. Knowing that many of the projects I completed made the lives of operators working the machines easier (by reducing wire snaps and solving maintenance bottlenecks), I look forward to my future career as a Mechanical Engineer and all the more opportunities I will have to leave the world better place than I found it.

• What is something you've learned that you didn't know before starting your co-op?

Lincoln Electric is a VERY large company in relation to the work opportunities available. Two people can have entirely different career paths while still working under the same company umbrella. Also, Lincoln Electric functions on a bonus system that gives large end of year bonuses on top of above average salaries (depending on the performance of the company).

• How did you find your co-op?

I applied in person at the career fair CWRU hosted in fall 2023. I initially knew nothing about the company, but their booth at the event inspired me to submit my resume and try my luck at getting an offer.

• If another student asked you about co-op, what would you tell them?

I never met a person at Lincoln Electric I couldn't strike up a friendly conversation with and while I often came home covered in dust and bone tired, I would take my co-op ANY DAY over studying for exams that feel soulless and sterile. I loved taking time off school to get a glimpse of the real world and recommend any student questioning if their major is worth it do the same!

• Have you done another co-op? If yes, where and what year?

At the end of my Spring co-op, I choose to extend my time at Lincoln Electric and participate in their summer intern program. Since May 13th, I have been working for the Additive Solutions department helping to refine the accuracy and repeatability of infrared sensors used to measure the temperature of welded parts between printed layers. This internship will last until August 16th.