I’m Laurens van Koppenhagen, 21 years old, and in August I completed my first year working at the Arnhem branch of VIRO. I completed a higher professional education course in Mechanical Engineering at HAN University of Applied Sciences in Arnhem. My first work placement while on this course was at Thomassen Machining, which specialises in the mechanical processing of gas turbine housings. My second work placement was at HyET, a company specialising in the development of electrochemical hydrogen compressors. After my work placements at these specialist companies, I discovered that I preferred working on more diverse projects. It means I can continue to broaden my knowledge, which in turn keeps me stimulated and eager to learn. My decision to graduate at an engineering firm was therefore a very logical step.
While searching for a graduation project, VIRO soon caught my attention. Because of the positive things a fellow student had told me, I decided to get in touch with him, and soon I was invited to attend an introductory meeting. Once VIRO had set out my assignment, my mind was quickly made up. I started a fantastic project that involved setting out the basis for a new kind of pendulum-style amusement ride. The graduation period flew by and resulted in me getting my diploma.
During this period I found VIRO to be a no-nonsense company with great colleagues and a pleasant workplace atmosphere.
What also struck me was the extra attention they pay to health, well-being, and recreation. VIRO expresses this through activities such as the Week of Vitality, MTB clinics and various employee association outings.
After obtaining my diploma, I was faced with another easy choice; I started working at VIRO as a TPD Engineer. Almost immediately, I was able to start working for ASML, manufacturer of optical exposure machines for the semiconductor industry. The task I was given involved developing a dynamically decoupled vacuum throughput with cooling. This throughput connects the EUV light source (extreme ultraviolet) and the vacuum pumps. The accuracy with which light has to be conducted into the machine means no oscillations may be transmitted, which made this an exciting challenge. The rest of the project team and I are currently working on the final phase of the project. During this project, I was involved in every phase of the design process; this was something that was new to me, and I learned a lot from it.
Alongside this project, I have also been able to broaden and deepen my knowledge over the past year by taking two courses: Geometrical Tolerancing and Tolerance Analysis. I was immediately able to apply the knowledge and information I learned from these to our project. As well as these ‘basic knowledge’ courses, VIRO offers the possibility of following a training programme or course that suits your own requirements. It means you can choose which skills you develop and set your own career path.
I am delighted that I chose a career in engineering at VIRO, and I look forward to being able to carry on working on lots of different and challenging projects.