AIST Steel Intern Scholarship
Kelsey R. Ferro
This summer I had the great opportunity to intern with Caterpillar Inc. at their technical center in Mossville, Ill., USA. My internship was based in their Advanced Materials Technology group, which spearheads all research and development of materials as they pertain to Caterpillar parts and processes. I was paired with their steel technical steward, to focus and learn about the applications of steel at Caterpillar. Throughout this experience, I was also able to learn more about cast iron processes and the interface between ferrous and non-metallic materials.
After two summers with dedicated mini mills and bottom pour steel facilities, this was my first experience viewing the steel industry directly through the lens of the end user. During my internship, I gained a greater appreciation of the work that goes into the creation of specifications for suppliers (including steel mills) and checking the quality of supplied materials to fit parts manufacturing standards. In my previous experiences, semi-finished materials left the doors with certifications, and I was never able to see exactly what happened to that stock material.
This summer I was able to observe these applications, as steel is one of the most important parts of a Caterpillar machine. The projects that I worked on directly related to the organization and communication of internal steel specifications for easier selection by design engineers. I also got to perform lab testing to evaluate the conformance of current specifications, both evaluating the heat treat of these materials and creating informed test plans to perform future tests. The projects I was given challenged my current skillsets, giving me unique ways to apply my skills, while also teaching me new skills. Through informational interviews, I was able to explore my interest in technical management and the use of lean manufacturing principles to optimize high quality production. Between my projects and informational interviews, I learned that the utmost care must be taken to ensure that manufacturing processes create quality products. Evaluating technical knowledge on these processes is also crucial to these parts, as they must interface with an entire system of parts to create a functioning machine. This produced insight into the other factors that metallurgists and process/manufacturing engineers might need to consider when evaluating a manufacturing process.
My experience with Caterpillar has been invaluable to extending my knowledge beyond the initial stages of steel manufacturing. It has increased my interest in research and development as it pertains to the heavy manufacturing space and how steel manufacturers can evaluate their processes to benefit their customers. As this was my last internship of my undergraduate career, I found a further interest in the innovation potential that exists within the steel industry and the industries that it supports. I am delighted to see how the steel industry develops and grows over the course of my career, especially with the insight I will be able to provide to the industry.
I would like to thank the AIST Foundation for their consideration to allow me to take such a unique internship and explore my further interest in being employed within the steel and steel related industries.