Simon L.

Apprentice process mechanic for plastics and rubber technology

As an apprentice process mechanic at our Troisdorf site, Simon is being given an insight into a range of different departments: Trosifol quality assurance, application technology and production. He is acquiring the knowledge and skills required to work as a process mechanic. For example, planning semi-finished products to meet customer requirements and technical specifications, and the workflows involved in producing plastic components such as film for further processing.

»I feel at home here. My colleagues are friendly and fun - typically cheerful Rhineland characters! What I like about Kuraray is that it produces something (laminated safety glass) that helps others. When I was choosing an apprenticeship, I was helped by the fact that Kuraray offers internships for school students. That helped me decide what I wanted to do. In addition, the Troisdorf site has good transport connections - that's also important«

Here is an example of my working day, e.g. in Quality Assurance:

6.15 a.m.
I perform dropping ball tests on glass samples containing Trosifol^®interlayers. Trosifol^®interlayers are thin layers of PVB film that turn glass into laminated safety glass. The dropping ball test simulates an object falling horizontally onto glazing from above. It tests whether the film does its job and the glass shards adhere to the PVB film.

9.00 a.m.
For further tests, I place samples of film produced overnight between glass plates and put them in the autoclave where they are laminated by exposing them to high pressure at a high temperature.

12.00 p.m.
Lunch break

12.45 p.m.
I empty the autoclaves and prepare the samples for further tests.

2.30 p.m.
End of the day!

What are the competencies required for this job?

Technical understanding and practical skills are important.

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