Bsc/Msc: Internship Mechanical Engineering - High speed embellishment process for print systems

Canon Production Printing GmbH & Co; Venlo; On-site; EUR 5,400 - 5,800; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Stipend €500/month

Travel cost compensation

Young Canon activities

Job summary

Canon Production Printing in Venlo, Netherlands, offers an internship in Mechanical Engineering focused on high-speed embellishment for print systems. You will tune control loops, improve experimental hardware and program mechatronic systems in a professional R&D environment.

We seek HBO/WO students in mechatronics or related fields, available 4 days/week for 4–6 months, with a €500 monthly internship compensation and travel cost support.

Qualifications

• Currently studying HBO or WO mechatronics, mechanical engineering, systems & control, or a related engineering discipline.
• Available for internship 4–6 months, minimum 4 days per week.
• Hands-on with experimental hardware and eager to build, test, debug and improve.
• Able to program or willing to learn Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW or PLC-style tools.

Responsibilities

• Assist in tuning control loops, improving hardware, and validating ideas through experiments.
• Develop data acquisition software and visualize results for repeatable tests.
• Prepare a structured report and contribute to a design recommendation for faster, compact systems.

Skills

Python

MATLAB

LabVIEW

PLC environments

Education

Mechatronics/Mechanical Engineering student

Job description

Bsc/Msc: Internship Mechanical Engineering - High speed embellishment process for print systems: Ever wondered how industrial print systems are made faster, smarter and more compact?
Are you interested in tuning control loops, improving experimental hardware and programming real mechatronic systems in a professional R&D environment?

Your assignment - context

Large-format print systems are used to produce applications such as posters, banners, self-adhesive graphics and wallpaper. Within Canon Production Printing we continuously explore new ways to add value to printed output and to extend what our industrial inkjet systems can do.

In this assignment you will work on embellishment processes that are being used for large format printing. The current setup demonstrates the principle, but the next step is to bring the process towards full platform speeds while making the hardware concept more compact, robust and controllable.

The challenge is strongly mechatronic; examples are thin film handling, web transport, cartridge design, tension control, actuator behavior, sensor feedback and process timing all interact. You will investigate how the present hardware and control strategy can be improved, and you will validate your ideas through experiments on a dedicated test setup.

The specifics of your assignment may include

• Characterizing the current embellishment setup and identifying speed-limiting mechanisms in web handling, thin film handling, tension control and process synchronization.
• Tuning and improving control loops, web/thin film tension or actuator timing, using experimental data and system-identification thinking.
• Improving the hardware concept to support higher process speeds and a more compact machine layout, including sensor selection, mounting/cartridge concepts, mechanical adaptations and cable/signal routing.
• Programming and adapting control or data‑acquisition software for experimentation, logging, visualization and repeatable test execution.
• Designing and executing experiments to quantify process stability, repeatability, operating window and failure modes at increasing speed.
• Translating the findings into practical design recommendations for the next iteration of the embellishment process.

Research areas

• High-speed web and media handling: determine which mechanical or dynamic effects become dominant when moving towards full print speeds.
• Control-loop performance: improve speed, stability and disturbance rejection without making the system overly sensitive or difficult to tune.
• Compact hardware design: explore how the present setup can be simplified, integrated or redesigned while maintaining accessibility for tests and maintenance.
• Process robustness: study what causes wrinkles, slip, tension peaks, misalignment or unstable transfer, and determine how to detect or prevent these issues.
• Experimental validation: create a practical test approach with clear KPIs, logging, comparison methods and recommendations for follow-up development.

Deliverables

• A structured report describing the analysis, experiments, control-loop tuning, hardware recommendations, and validation of results.
• A working experimental improvement or prototype change, where feasible, including documented settings and software/scripts used during testing.
• A concise design recommendation for bringing the process closer to full print speeds and towards a more compact module concept.
• An end presentation for CPP colleagues and participation in the bi-annual poster presentation event.

Your profile - you are:

• Currently studying HBO or WO mechatronics, mechanical engineering, systems & control, applied physics or a related engineering discipline.
• Interested in the combination of mechanics, electronics, sensors, control engineering and practical experimentation.
• Hands-on: comfortable working around experimental hardware and eager to build, test, debug and improve.
• Able to program or willing to learn, for example in Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, PLC-style environments or similar tools used for data acquisition and control.
• Critical toward experimental results, both in terms of measurement quality and engineering interpretation.
• Available for an internship or graduation assignment of approximately 4 to 6 months for a minimum of 4 days per week.

What's in it for you?

• A challenging assignment with skilled coaching in an industrial R&D environment.
• The opportunity to work on a real mechatronic development problem involving mechanics, control, software and experimentation.
• Internship / graduation compensation of €500,- per month.
• Travel cost compensation if you don't have an 'OV-weekcard'.
• The possibility to network with professionals inside and outside your field of expertise and join our "Young Canon" activities.

Your internship takes part in a varied and multi-cultural team that explores the boundaries of print technology and is eager to help. Usually we have multiple interns present working on various topics, so there is plenty of opportunity to exchange experiences and have a friendly chat.

We develop and manufacture high-tech printing products and workflow software for the commercial printing market as part of Canon. Our culture is built on openness, collegiality, trust and stability. We empower our people to grow, take initiative, and make an impact.