Student Material Separation Solution Intern

Develop a Material Separation Solution

Movacolor is offering an internship or project assignment for an HBO Engineering student focused on the development of a laboratory-scale material identification and separation solution.

In our processes, different plastic materials are handled and processed. For quality, sustainability, and testing purposes, there is a need for an effective way to distinguish and separate plastic materials.

The main challenge of this assignment is to develop and validate a solution that:

• Identifies and/or separates different plastic materials (mostly granulates) in a controlled and efficient way
• Does not damage the material
• Does not alter material properties (mechanical, thermal, or visual)
• Is practical, safe, and suitable for a laboratory environment

The solution may be mechanical, sensor-based, automated, robotic, or a combination of approaches. The student is encouraged to explore different technological principles and select the most suitable concept.

Depending on the student’s study requirements, this assignment can be defined as an internship, minor project, or graduation-related assignment.

Activities may include

• Analyzing material characteristics and separation requirements
• Investigating and comparing identification and separation principles (mechanical, optical, density-based, electrostatic, etc.)
• Concept development (mechanical system, sensing solution, automation, robotic handling, or hybrid system)
• Design and prototyping of a lab-scale setup
• Testing and evaluation of the proposed solution
• Reporting results and providing design recommendations

Candidate profile

• Student in HBO Engineering or similar fields
• Interest in plastics, materials, automation, or smart systems
• Analytical, practical, and solution-oriented
• Able to work independently and communicate clearly

Practical details

• Location: Sneek, The Netherlands
• Start date: Flexible
• Duration: To be agreed upon, minimum of 4 months
• Language: Dutch and/or English