Penn College grad traces new job back to previous internship

SEKISUI KYDEX and Atlantic Culinary Environments Inc. are different companies, based in different towns with different missions. But for Elijah B. Peltz, the two entities are intertwined. An internship at one helped lead to the start of his career at the other.

Peltz, of Bloomsburg, recently began his duties as a mechanical designer at Atlantic Culinary Environments, a premier design/build food-service equipment and millwork contractor based in Danville. He graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology in May with a bachelor’s degree in engineering design technology.

Last summer, Peltz interned in the appLab™ at SEKISUI KYDEX after connecting with the company during a Penn College Career Fair. The resulting experience met its goals, according to Katherine A. Walker, assistant professor of engineering design technology.

“For the student, an internship is about expanding and enhancing their knowledge, but I think it’s mostly about building confidence,” she said. “I think Elijah’s internship built his confidence, making him realize how he could be an asset, not only with engineering design but also in related disciplines. It’s incredible to witness a student’s pride as they discuss their accomplishments made during the internship.”

Peltz had much to be proud of following his experience at SEKISUI KYDEX, a Penn College Corporate Tomorrow Maker known for innovating and creating thermoplastic material solutions for the next generation of product design.

The company challenged Peltz and several other interns – representing a mix of colleges and majors – to design a mass-transit-inspired part that could be used to market its thermoplastics.

“Our internships give students the opportunity to work on real projects as part of the learning process,” said Shawn Gum in an online story published by Railway-News. A graduate of Penn College’s plastics program, Gum is a business development engineer at SEKISUI KYDEX. “This project is an excellent way for our interns to get hands-on experience in the field in which they are interested, while providing an educational tool for use with customers.”

The company chose Peltz’s concept for development: a railway miniature seatback (about the size of an 8.5-by-11-inch piece of paper) featuring the KYDEX® Thermoplastics logo.
                                                            
“The main focus of the project was creating molds that the plastic would be formed around to get the final shape of the product (the mini seatback) so that the difference between thermoforming and pressure forming could be shown,” Peltz explained. “The parts that came off of the molds were taken to trade shows to show potential customers the versatility and benefits of KYDEX® Thermoplastics.”

The company exhibited the parts in Germany at InnoTrans, the world’s largest exhibition for rail transportation technology. Ruben Bake, international business manager for SEKISUI KYDEX, told Railway-News that Peltz’s work generated a positive response.

“Several seat manufacturers I visited at InnoTrans were impressed with the design capabilities of the thermoformed mini seatback,” he said. “They were particularly interested in the patterned samples as great alternatives to laminates.”

“I was happy my design was chosen,” Peltz said. “There was a meeting with the head of a few departments to revise and finalize my design, which was exciting but also a little nerve-racking. This felt like my first major collaborative engineering project, and it was really exciting to work in that way and share ideas to get the best possible final project.”

Other projects for Peltz included designing and building a motorized display stand and a demo unit for KYDEX® surfaceGrip, a thermoplastic sheet with a tactile, anti-slip surface. SEKISUI KYDEX showcased both at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Germany.

“My internship made me interested in not only the design aspect of engineering but also manufacturing,” said Peltz, who programmed CNC machines to cut and shape the seatback molds from blocks of aluminum. “I got to see everything from beginning to end. I enjoyed the process so much that it made me want to find a career with a mix of both design and manufacturing aspects.”
                                                           
He might have found that at Atlantic Culinary Environments. There he is tasked with designing the interior structures of cafeteria-style serving cabinets, like salad bars and steam tables. Peltz also is working with a team to design exterior decorations for cabinets.

“I enjoy engineering design because there is this incredible feeling when I start to see my ideas come to life,” Peltz said. “It’s incredibly rewarding when your ideas become a tangible object with real-world uses.”

Peltz discovered the field when he joined the robotics club as a freshman at Bloomsburg Area High School. Designing, prototyping and manufacturing combat robots for competitions grew his passion for engineering and led him to Penn College, where he obtained an associate degree in engineering CAD technology before earning his bachelor’s.

“The engineering design program at Penn College has dedicated and knowledgeable professors that go above and beyond to ensure you’re ready for the real world. I would be much more worried about entering the engineering field if it wasn’t for their dedication to helping every student,” Peltz said. “I’ve learned a lot about both engineering design and the expectations of engineers in the real world, thanks to the incredible professors.”

Walker returned the compliment. “Elijah’s passion for engineering design and easy-going nature stood out to me,” the assistant professor said. “He is always open to learning something new and is willing to share his ideas while being open to the ideas of others. The combination of those traits shows a strong likelihood that Elijah will grow to be a future leader in our field.”

That combination and his internship experience.

“My internship definitely helped cement the idea in my head that I want to be an engineer and made me feel much more comfortable in an engineering environment,” Peltz concluded.

For information about engineering design technology at Penn College, as well as other majors offered by the School of Engineering Technologies, call 570-327-4520.   
                                                            
Penn College is a national leader in applied technology education. Email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.