There was a time when all of America believed that the future of the physical world could be radically different. The engineers of the mid-1900s put a man on the moon in eight years, designed and built planes and submarines from scratch in under three, and conceived of building things we wouldn’t even be able to dream up today.
Today, the last of the engineers who imagined and built these systems are retiring. As they go, we lose not only the engineering knowledge gained from their decades of imagination and trial-and-error, but also the spirit that made that imagination possible.
Amca is working day-in and day-out to restore America’s ability to engineer anything that our critical systems depend on, and reinvigorate the cycle of creation that allows imagination to shape physical reality. We rapidly develop and manufacture new critical components and subsystems required to build and sustain the planes, military vehicles, and core infrastructure America needs. By restoring the capability of our antiquated supply chains, we increase the country’s capacity to imagine and realize new systems, and make a physical world that looks very different from today.
Overview
The Mechanical Design Engineering Intern works alongside our design team to develop flight hardware for new and existing airframes. You will own a scoped hardware project from concept through prototype and test, with a dedicated mentor and daily access to the engineers responsible for the systems around you. Your summer will consist of designing, analyzing, and building fluid and structural components, and learning how customer level requirements translate into parts that get built and qualified.
This is not a shadowing program. Interns at Amca ship hardware. You should expect your work to be reviewed with the same rigor as a full-time engineer's, and to see your parts on the bench before you leave.
Responsibilities
Design and prototype mechanical hardware under the guidance of a mentor engineer
Contribute to avionics hardware (buttons, switches, dials), flow control devices (valves, regulators, solenoids), or mechanisms (actuators, pistons)
Question requirements, look for simplification, and help accelerate component deliveries
Generate and maintain detailed drawings, component specifications, and supporting analysis
We believe design engineers should perform their own concept design, technical analysis, and first unit builds, and we hold interns to the same expectation at an appropriate scope
Support root cause investigations arising in development, production, and test, and help implement corrective actions
Build and test your own prototypes in our in-house R&D lab
Work with test engineering to help define and execute qualification plans for the components you own
Work with build engineers to understand manufacturability constraints and incorporate DFM feedback into your designs
Present your project and results to the engineering team at the end of the internship
Basic Qualifications
Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD program in aerospace engineering, manufacturing engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, or engineering physics
Returning to school in Fall 2027, or graduating in Spring 2027 and interested in a full-time role
Completed coursework in thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, or solid mechanics, and a working understanding of engineering first principles
Hands-on design, analysis, or build experience through coursework, a student project team, personal projects, or a prior internship
Preferred Skills and Experience
Experience on a student project team building physical hardware, such as rocketry, Formula SAE, Baja, or a design build fly team
Familiarity with GD&T concepts
Experience with Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or a similar CAD package
Exposure to finite element analysis (FEA) software
Experience designing, building, testing, and troubleshooting mechanical systems
Familiarity with pressurized components (valves, regulators,…