Project Summary:

The Polyiso R&D Process Engineering Intern work in the insulation development lab where he/she will be part of a team of chemists and engineers. They will work on a project to explore formulation changes in a lab environment to quantity the impact on product quality (Flammability, mechanical properties, R-Value, etc.) when mixing varying quantities of different formulations with the base formulation. The intern will learn about the Polyiso industry, chemistry/formulation, raw materials, process safety, process equipment, and product quality requirements. In addition to those, the intern will learn about P&ID drawings and the overall process flow to help best relate the lab work to a plant environment.

The intern will receive an introduction to PolyIso end-use applications, manufacturing processes and formulations, as well as lab and pilot-scale chemistry techniques. Basic statistical methods will be utilized to design experiments and analyze data obtained, and the intern will be expected to utilize academic research as a tool to explain the relationship between Science and Process application improvement.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Work to understand the product chemistry and the production process. Assist with operation of pilot-scale lab machinery to produce PolyIso foam panels for testing. Execute bench-scale chemistry techniques to produce PolyIso foam panels for testing. Coordinate and assist with physical property testing on material produced. Execute basic statistical analyses to evaluate relative performance of PolyIso formulations. Present research findings to R&D group and CCM executives Conduct data analysis using Minitab and/or Excel. The candidate will create a PowerPoint presentation that will be presented to CCM team along with all other summer interns. Submit a final formal report with findings.