Mechanical Engineering Internship Experience: My Journey with TriMech’s Project Engineering Group

My name is Nolan Baker, and I am a rising senior at Virginia Tech majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I have been completing a mechanical engineering internship with the Design Solutions Team at TriMech for almost two years now. In my time with PEG, I have had the pleasure of working with an experienced team having a variety of specialties.

Mechanical Engineering Internship Projects

Modeling Tractor Implement Blades

While at TriMech, I have been fortunate enough to have worked on many interesting projects, none of which were the same. One such project involved modeling tractor implement blades. A client had their own drawings which had been created by different engineers over the years some of which had incorrect information due to parts being changed without updating the drawings.

This client needed a new set of drawings with the corrections made. I was able to take the old drawings and create both new models and new standardized drawings using SolidWorks. Although I took on most of this project myself, having an experienced team, including Project Engineer Keith Pedersen, I could lean on for help and advice made this project much easier. This project was not only fun but gave me good experience.

Tackling Sheet Metal Parts

Another interesting project I got to be a part of was modeling physical sheet metal parts. PEG was asked to help because the previous engineer who had been contracted to do the work decided they did not have the proper experience to complete the project. PEG was able to pick this project up quickly and assigned me to get started as soon as the physical parts arrived.

Along with help from the engineers on the team, I was given 3D sheet metal parts that already existed but needed to be modeled in SolidWorks. From there, PEG engineers were able to give me quick sketches with dimensions so that I could recreate them in SolidWorks. After this the models were used to create technical drawings for the client. This project although straightforward, had been difficult for the client to get completed. PEG was able to step in and quickly and accurately get the work done.

Looking Ahead

This mechanical engineering internship has given me the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects spanning from creating concepts and prototyping, to simple simulation. The knowledge and experience I have gained here at TriMech has been invaluable and I’m looking forward to what’s to come. I believe this experience will help me when I am pursuing a job in mechanical engineering after graduating as I now have a good understanding of the process of a group like PEG.