Plastics Application Development & Technical Service Co-Op - 2027

Avient Corporation; Avon Lake (OH); On-site; USD 25,000 - 34,000; Part time

Job summary

Avient Corporation in the United States seeks a Plastics Engineering co-op to collaborate with local ADTS teams across rotations, gaining broad exposure to Avient's technologies and businesses while contributing to in-house development testing and mold trials.

You will evaluate Engineered Thermoplastics for customer applications, assist in process optimization, and educate on design and tooling, with travel to customer facilities for validation as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's student in Plastics Engineering or related field required.
• 1+ year of related internship/co-op experience preferred.
• Injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, thermoforming experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Support application evaluation and material selection.
• Attend process trials of new and existing products.
• Troubleshoot processing problems at existing customers.
• Engage customers on quality issues and technical questions.
• Create product design and processing literature for each product line.
• Provide training and presentations to customers.

Skills

Injection molding

Mold design

Process troubleshooting

Technical communication

SolidWorks

Moldflow

FEM software

Bilingual Spanish (plus)

Education

Bachelor's Student in Plastics Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Moldflow

Finite Element Analysis Software

Job description

Job Summary

• The Application Development & Technical Service (ADTS) Co-op will collaborate with local ADTS teams within SEM to participate in engineering activities. The Co-op will be located at a different location during each of their rotations to get broad exposure to Avient's technologies and businesses.

• Activities will include both in-house application development testing and internal mold trials, as well as collaborating with External ADTS engineers to travel to customer facilities for product validation.

• The Application Development & Technical Service (ADTS) Engineer will be responsible for recommending appropriate Engineered Thermoplastics (ETP's) for customer applications and optimizing customer processes, while also providing education/training on how to design applications and tooling. The candidate will also participate in the resolution of customer complaints, as needed. ADTS Engineer may also be responsible for developing testing plans and procedures, data analysis, and communication of results for new applications and product launches.

Essential Functions

• Support application evaluation and material selection

• Attend process trials of new and existing products

• Troubleshoot processing problems at existing customers

• Engage customers on quality issues as well as process and technology questions

• Create product part or mold design and processing/troubleshooting literature for each product line

• Construct presentations and provide processing and design training to the customer

• Interpret and analyze customer part drawings, mold filling simulation, elemental analysis, etc.

• Additional support as needed to internal customers - Sales, Product Management, Technology, Manufacturing.

• Familiarization of current and legacy product portfolio.

• Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

• Bachelors Student in Plastics Engineering or related Engineering field required.

• 1+ year's related experience (including internship/co-op experience) preferred

• Injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, thermoforming experience a plus

Qualifications

• Strong injection molding and/or extrusion processing skills. Knowledge of other processing methods a plus

• Strong mold and part design skills

• Capability to think outside the box and work on cutting edge concepts

• Proficiency with SolidWorks and Moldflow (or similar software)

• Proficiency with Finite Element Analysis Software

• Understanding of plastics materials and compounding processes

• Performs work with speed and accuracy.

• Adheres to internal Avient policies and rules. Interprets Technical Data sheets (TDS) / Safety Data Sheets (SDS) and provide proper instruction

• Strong communication skills required, both oral and written (technical and non-technical)

• Able to present ideas and results in a logical manner

• Receptive to ideas and feedback

• Responds to emails/calls and provides detailed reports in appropriate fashion and timeframe.

• Understands project purpose and commitment required. Able to present ideas and results in a logical manner.

• Can effectively communicate technical information with other functions that are non-technical.

• Works seamlessly with others without difficulty.

• Bi-lingual with Spanish is a plus

Our purpose at Avient Corporation is to be an innovator of materials solutions that help our customers succeed, while enabling a sustainable world.

Innovation goes far beyond materials science; it's powered by the passion, creativity, and diverse expertise of 9,000 professionals worldwide. Whether you're a finance wizard, a tech enthusiast, an operational powerhouse, an HR changemaker, or a trailblazer in materials development, you'll find your place at Avient.

Join our global team and help shape the future with sustainable solutions that transform possibilities into realities. Your unique perspective could be the key to our next breakthrough!

We believe that all of our global employees are leaders and that the six most important behaviors for driving our strategy and culture are the same no matter if an employee is a leader of self, a leader of others, or a leader of the business.

By playing to win, acting customer centric, driving innovation and profitable growth, collaborating seamlessly across Avient, and motivating and inspiring and developing others and yourself you will accelerate your ability to achieve Avient's strategic goals, to meet our customer needs, and to accomplish your career goals.

At Avient, we believe a wide variety of thoughts, ideas and backgrounds gives us the creativity to be successful in a rapidly changing world. In support of this, we stress equality of opportunity for all qualified individuals in accordance with applicable laws. Decisions on hiring, promotion, development, compensation or advancement are based solely on a person's qualifications, abilities, experience and performance.

Avient is an equal opportunity employer. We maintain a policy of non-discrimination in providing equal employment to all qualified employees and candidates regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, color, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran's status, or other legally protected classification in accordance with applicable federal, state and local law. If you need an accommodation because of a disability to complete an online application, please contact the Avient HR Team by emailing, [e-mail].