Company Overview

We imagine a future where our freedom is secured by rapid manufacturing of the highest performing materials on earth. We’re building the digital factories of the future to rapidly produce complex components in days to accelerate American innovation on Earth and beyond. Our core focus is on design and manufacture of ceramic thermal management components that are critical to missions such as re-entry from space, interplanetary travel, hypersonic systems, and more.

**Position overview**

As a Product Development Engineering Intern at Canopy, you will have the opportunity to create new materials and processes for a variety of applications ranging from spacecraft re-entry, interplanetary travel, hypersonic platforms, and more. This is a highly interdisciplinary and hands-on role, responsible for advancing key thermal protection system (TPS) technologies and other high-performance ceramic solutions from TRL 4–6 and beyond. On a given day you could be doing design and formulation for new ceramic materials, creating and performing designs of experiments to troubleshoot and fix process issues, or designing and building custom lab-scale test equipment to better understand material performance. This is an opportunity to gain experience in applied materials science, CAD design, analysis, and hands-on testing. While many companies today take years to develop and qualify new material systems, we are attempting to do it in months. To be successful in this role, you should be self-motivated, thrive in ambiguity, and be able to lead your own projects to completion. This is also an opportunity for mentorship on a high-performing team with experience designing new materials, building spaceplanes, qualifying flight hardware, and much more.

**Responsibilities**

  * Own and develop processes for making new ceramic materials for advanced manufacturing with the Product Development team.
  * Plan and execute designs of experiments to optimize feedstock or finished product properties.
  * Operate mixing, 3D printing, casting, and thermal processing equipment to manufacture ceramic coupons and finished products.
  * Perform various types of characterization and use results to drive process improvements.
  * Implement advanced ceramics manufacturing process improvements for Canopy.
  * Work with the Canopy Product Development team to develop proof-of-concept level prototypes for a variety of engineering applications.
  * Design, build, and test prototypes for concepts with integrated thermal management systems
  * Write software and program microcontrollers for data acquisition
  * Perform trade studies and present results on ceramic materials for 3D printing applications.

**Requirements**

  * Currently pursuing technical degree in mechanical, materials, or electrical engineering (or equivalent knowledge) 
  * 3+ months of applied materials experience (internships, lab work, personal/team project experience) 
  * High level of proficiency in Computer Aided Design (CAD), including basic modeling, surface modeling, assemblies, and drawing creation with GD&T standards 
  * Ability to rapidly source materials and construct prototypes based on CAD 

**Nice to have’s**

  * GPA of 3.5 or higher 
  * Proven experience thriving in a dynamic environment with a high degree of autonomy. 
  * Experience integrating and operating data acquisition systems to collect data from COTS sensors. 
  * Software experience in at least one high level programming language (Python preferred), with the ability to interface with test equipment and perform data analysis. 
  * Hands-on experience in a manufacturing and/or laboratory environment. 
  * Prior experience building, operating, or modifying ceramics processing equipment such as 3D printers, furnaces, or casting equipment. 
  * Published external literature in academic journals.
  * Proven experience finding scrappy ways to deliver on milestones or programs ahead of schedule.

**Compensation and Benefits**

  * Pay range: $20-30/hr, part-time 15-30hr/wk
  * Full-time considered

  

 **Canopy Core Values**

  * Own Everything 
  * Cultivate Integrity 
  * Inquire Rigorously 
  * Practice Optimism 
  * Operate Decisively 

**Other Requirements**

Applicant for this intern position must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (e.g., green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158.

Canopy Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Canopy Aerospace is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

**Other Notes**

If you feel you’re qualified for the role, but don’t exactly meet the criteria - please apply! We value diversity and prioritize passion over perfectly polished skillsets.