Bsc: Internship Chemistry - Towards a numerical rheometer!

Are you an HBO student who is looking for a graduation assignment? Are you ready to change our way of working in ink development? We are looking for you!
 

Your assignment
UV inks have been developed for the graphical arts’ market allowing numerous highly valued applications. Canon has been very successful with the development of the UVgel technology that is utilised in the Colorado printer family.
Within Canon we are incorporating a model-based approach in the development of our inks. Currently, in order to satisfy the requirements set by the project, a lot of ink recipe screening takes place. In other words, R&D scientists make learned choices with regards to the ink composition and to the respective concentrations of the different ingredients. Then these recipes go through multiple standard tests, in which they should succeed (with flying colours) or otherwise get discarded. Naturally, we hope for Eureka! moments whenever we design our inks; however, this is a rare occurrence, and the development process involves a lot of trial-and-error iterations, and a lot of tuning, until we converge to the perfect recipe. This is both time and cost consuming. Therefore, understanding the physical chemistry, down to the molecular level, would allow us to model the interaction between the different ingredients of an ink. Then a poor computer could do the tuning process in our stead, and in a fraction of the time required by us mere mortals.
One of the ink properties that should be controlled is viscosity. This is crucial for the jetting of our inks and their breakup into droplets. We currently use a rheometer for the measurement of an ink’s viscosity once the recipe is prepared. We are looking into expediting this process by constructing a model capable of predicting the viscosity given the recipe, which often contains completely new ingredients. Your help is needed to find out how and what to measure on these ingredients to use them in the model. Then we should be able to reach the level of understanding needed to construct our predictive model.
We are seeking a motivated student eager to contribute to this innovative project. If you are passionate about advancing experimental methods and excited to work on real-world problems while gaining hands-on experience, we invite you to join us in transforming our approach to ink development. Apply now to be part of a dynamic team at the forefront of UVgel technology!

Your profile
•    You are currently studying chemistry or a related topic at HBO level.
•    You enjoy experimental work and want to develop a deeper understanding of a system.
•    You are motivated, curious, independent but also a good team player.
•    You are available for 4 to 6 months for a minimum of 4 days per week.
 

What’s in it for you?
•    A challenging assignment with skilled coaching.
•    Internship/ Graduation compensation of €500,- per month.
•    Travel cost compensation if you don’t have an ‘OV-weekcard’.
•    The possibility to network with professionals inside and outside your field of expertise, thanks to our diversity of disciplines which you will work with.
•    With our company values collaboration, innovation and ownership, we strive to bring out the best in each other, expand boundaries and feel empowered to take ownership of our work.

Interested?
Are you interested in this assignment? Please click on the button 'apply now' where you can upload your resume and motivation letter. 
If you would like to receive more information concerning this assignment, please contact Gilles Timmermans (gilles.timmermans@cpp.canon) or Youssef Saade (youssef.saade@cpp.canon) (internship supervisors). If you have any questions about the internship in general, please contact Milou Geelen, + 31 6 25653192.

About Canon Production Printing
Canon Production Printing develops and manufactures high-tech printing products and workflow software for the commercial printing market and is part of Canon, a global provider of imaging technologies and services. Canon Production Printing operates on three continents, with approximately 3300 employees (end 2022) and has its global headquarters in Venlo, the Netherlands.

Further information about Canon Production Printing is available at cpp.canon.