MAIT Additive Manufacturing Materials Intern

Mechanical Analysis Engineer @ The Exploration Company; Düsseldorf; On-site; EUR 11,000 - 16,000; Full time

Job summary

The Exploration Company in Düsseldorf is seeking a talented MAIT Additive Manufacturing Materials Intern to contribute to AM materials development, qualification, and in-house production for our spacecraft programs Nyx Earth, Nyx Moon, and Storm.

You will support material characterization campaigns, alloy development, powder management, process parameter development, and manufacturing documentation across the LPBF lifecycle, gaining hands-on experience from development through qualification and

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's in Materials Science or related field.
• Strong fundamentals in materials science and testing.
• Interest in additive manufacturing and aerospace applications.
• Ability to work in multidisciplinary and international teams, fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Support material characterization campaigns with internal labs and external partners.
• Assist in alloy development, process parameter development, and heat treatment optimization.
• Support LPBF build preparation, process monitoring, and post-build evaluation.
• Operate LPBF machines and associated equipment as required.
• Prepare structured build reports and material test data summaries.
• Contribute to development of work instructions, procedures and templates.
• Support quality improvement activities, including data collection and corrective actions.

Skills

Analytical skills

Organisational skills

Problem solving

Teamwork

Fluent English

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in Materials Science

Tools

Excel

Python

R

Job description

Here at The Exploration Company, we are building spacecrafts for humanity.

We want you as a talented MAIT Additive Manufacturing Materials Intern to help us in our mission by contributing to Additive Manufacturing (AM) materials development, qualification, and in-house production for our vehicles Nyx Earth, Nyx Moon, and Storm.

The ideal candidate will support the development and qualification of materials for additive manufacturing applications. This includes supporting material characterization campaigns, powder management, process parameter development, quality activities, and technical manufacturing documentation.

Role Overview

As a MAIT Additive Manufacturing Materials Intern, you will gain hands‑on experience across the lifecycle of critical spaceflight hardware, from early development stages through qualification and production. You will support the development, characterization, qualification, and industrialization of materials for Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) technologies. You will contribute to material characterization campaigns, new alloy development, powder management, process parameter development, manufacturing documentation, and quality‑related activities.

Working as part of the LPBF Team and closely in collaboration with the AM Operations Team, as well as Propulsion and Quality teams, you will help us advance our additive manufacturing capabilities and support the delivery of flight‑ready components across TEC’s propulsion, launch vehicle, and space systems programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Support material characterization campaigns with internal test laboratories, external testing partners and assist in the analysis and interpretation of powder, metallurgical, microstructural, and mechanical testing data.
• Support materials and process development activities, including alloy development, process parameter development, material characterization, and heat treatment optimization.
• Assist with LPBF build preparation, process monitoring, and post‑build evaluation.
• Operate LPBF machines and associated equipment as required and following appropriate training.
• Prepare structured build reports and material test data summaries, ensuring consistent documentation.
• Support the creation and continuous improvement of work instructions, manufacturing procedures, qualification documentation, and standardised reporting templates.
• Support quality improvement activities, including non‑conformance investigation support, data collection, and corrective action tracking.

Required Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Good fundamentals in materials science, material characterization methodologies, and mechanical testing.
• Strong interest in additive manufacturing technologies and aerospace applications.
• Strong analytical, organisational, and problem‑solving skills.
• Attention to detail and the ability to document technical work clearly and consistently.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary and international teams.
• Fluent in English.

Preferred Qualifications

• Completed a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Materials Science, Materials Engineering, Metallurgy, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with LPBF technology.
• Experience with metallography, microscopy, powder characterization, or mechanical testing.
• Knowledge of aerospace materials such as nickel‑based superalloys, titanium alloys, copper alloys, and stainless steels.
• Experience working in a laboratory, manufacturing, or research environment.
• Experience preparing laboratory reports, build reports, work instructions, test documentation, or technical procedures.
• Skilled in Excel, Python, R, or similar tools for data analysis and visualisation.

Why you should join us!

What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:

• We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind
• We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them
• We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?

We’d love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey.

The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.

All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third‑party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible.

If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.