Isaac Thelander

March 10, 2015

Internship Summary: Kennametal

One of the most interesting projects I worked on at Kennametal was to design a way for
the workers to safely handle heavy loads repeatedly. It gave me an opportunity to look at many
common (and uncommon) systems for moving materials. In the end, I decided that since the
loads were not being moved very often and there wasnt an extensive budget available a simple
crane was the best solution. I improved this by designing an end attachment to totally remove
the hazard to the workmens backs by allowing them to pick up the weights without bending
over at all.
I enjoyed the opportunity to have an
internship at Kennametal. I especially
appreciate how my supervisor, Carrie
Bartkowiak, sought out learning
opportunities for me to experience how the
manufacturing world works. I was assigned
many projects involving design of fixtures
and similar devices. However, I was also
assigned other tasks as windows into
different professions around the plant. For
instance, I cost-analyzed parts for sales and
filled out spreadsheets for quality assurance. Above is a picture of a fixture I made for one of
our processes.
It was also good to see not only new manufacturing processes there, but also how those
manufacturing processes worked in the real world. Kennametals most interesting processes
are trade secrets, so I cannot tell you about them. There were many fascinating processes
nonetheless. As an example, Kennametal Traverse City specializes in Tungsten Carbides, some
of the hardest, most durable substances on earth, yet they grind each part exactly to spec post
secret making-plain-pressed-powder-super-hard process. And as I said, theres some I can tell
and some I cant. I am not sure where to draw the line. But it was fascinating to see the giant
presses and furnaces that they use and utilize, as well as the methods they enact to ensure
safety and consistency.
All in all, I am thoroughly grateful to Kennametal for allowing me to work there and
teaching me so much. I have worked about 200 hours now, more than was required, and loved
the time I had there.