Despite the coronavirus crisis, four students from the Higher Technical Institute (HTL) in Bregenz, Austria, were able to complete a four-week internship in July, at Germany-based
www.arburg.com/en/gb Arburgh, a leading global manufacturer of injection moulding machines for plastics processing.
Arburg's new Training Center in Lossburg was the setting for an intensive course in plastics processing led by Arburg trainers.
As a partner of HTL Bregenz, Arburg has been offering a four-week internship every year since 2008, which has always proven to be highly popular with students.
The students will complete their five-year secondary education at the Higher Department for Plastics Technology, qualifying as designers in plastics technology and product development. Afterwards they can go on to study further or start their careers in industry.
Jonas Haele, one of the interns, said: “The programme and the support were exceptional. We benefitted from Arburg's extensive expertise and ‘state of the art’ facilities. We were first given a comprehensive theoretical grounding in the subjects which we then put into practice. It was the first time I actually had the opportunity to operate an injection moulding machine.”
Fellow student Julia Amann emphasised the quality of the internship: “We were able to learn a lot during the four weeks and we now have a clear advantage over our fellow students. The extensive guidance provided by the Arburg engineers, together with practical experience, were very helpful in understanding the processes of plastics processing in detail.”
Arburg has been cooperating with the HTL Bregenz since 2007 and, at the time, was the first machine manufacturer to support the educational institution which included the plastics sector in the school's curriculum.
In 2008, a hydraulic Allrounder 370 S with Multilift V robotic system was installed in the Technical Center. In 2017, this system was replaced with an electric Allrounder 470 E with Multilift Select robotic system. The automated Arburg injection moulding machine is used in workshop and production technology as well as in laboratory lessons.
Students learn how to set up and start the Allrounder, and become familiar with the details of how process parameters influence part quality and part properties, statistical test scheduling and prototyping, as well as process optimisation.