“Demcon really approaches internships differently,” Daan explains. “You’re not just there to deliver or be cheap labor. Personal development is a top priority. Supervisors actively look for projects that match your interests and learning goals. For me, that meant working on tooling for an innovative project.”
After that first internship, Daan realized he wanted to go further. Developing the skills to design, not just build. He continued his studies at a university of applied sciences and returned to Demcon for a second internship. This time, instead of only realizing a system, he also got to design it. His project focused on adapting a robot that can autonomously explore outdoor terrain, safe and optimized for indoor demonstrations.
“Having these opportunities to grow at Demcon was a big reason why I wanted to join the company after graduation. They were there throughout my studies, and I always enjoyed working with them.”
Today, Daan is a mechanical engineer at Demcon high-tech systems, still working on projects that challenge and excite him. His hands-on experience in prototyping still proves valuable: “My background in prototyping and mechatronics helps me think beyond concepts and anticipate the practical challenges of turning ideas into reality.”
One project that stands out for Daan involved designing a system that cleans the molding surface of a chip packaging machine, used to fabricate power modules for electrical cars. The challenge? The system was already packed, and the client wanted to add this module without compromising functionality. On top of that, new requirements kept coming during development.
"Normally, colleagues with a different background would start with detailed calculations. That wasn’t my strength, so I approached it differently. I decided to build a proof of concept (POP) to validate the design. Since the client couldn’t share all details due to confidentiality, I improvised: testing with materials I had access to. This hands-on, pragmatic method turned out to be even more effective than relying on theoretical calculations.”
The result? The client loved it so much that they adopted POP testing into the approach for the next phase. “That’s what I love about working at Demcon: the freedom and trust to explore your own methods instead of sticking to ‘how it’s always done.’”
