Then, the Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng) programme Robotics is very interesting for you. The PDEng programme is a 2-year post MSc technological programme with a focus on technological design. This programme at the University of Twente contains an educational part that will be followed at the University, and a design project that will be carried within a consortium of companies led by TenCate Advanced Composites in the Netherlands. The educational programme will have an in-depth and broadening character with ample attention for professional development and will be partly tailored to the design project. In collaboration with TenCate, high level, creative and new designs for complex issues will be aimed at.

PDEng Design Project - Design of an advanced blank manufacturing process for stampforming of thermoplastic composites

Stamp forming is a widely used production technique dedicated for thermoplastic based composites shell-like products. The basis for the process is a so-called blank cut from a laminate. One of the drawback of this well-accepted technique is however the large amount of process waste as well as the constant thickness of the blank. A logical evolution of this technique is therefore to build the blank form thin strokes of prepreg, making it possible to fully tailor the blank and therefore the final product. In order to keep to productivity as well as the reproducibility, a dedicated cut-pick and place process is necessary. The design of such a system necessitate the selection a sum of technologies able to cut the tape, move it at the right place in a controlled way, and finally consolidate the blank in such a way that it be processed in the stamp-forming step.

Objective
This PDEng project will lead to a design meant as a proof of concept prototype able to produce blank with a low amount of cutting waste as well as a high productivity.

Validation and application
The project is executed in close cooperation with TenCate and a consortium of companies. The former is a leading thermoplastic composite material producer, located in Nijverdal in the Netherlands. The involvement of several parties participating in this project ensures the industrial relevance of the research. The tools and methods developed during the project will be validated for real industrial applications and case studies.

Project organization
This project will be executed as a two-year PDEng project. The candidate will be appointed at the University of Twente, and will be working both at the facilities of the University of Twente as well as at TenCate.

We are searching for the best MSc graduated candidates (or graduates with several years of experience) in the field of Industrial Design Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, with personal interests in the fields of materials and manufacturing, with a view to extend you capacities to control and robotics. Candidates should have a demonstrable affinity with design and multidisciplinary assignments. Besides, you must have the ambition and talent to accelerate in finding solutions / creating designs for complex robot technological issues with a multidisciplinary character. Important professional skills are English language skills, communication and interpersonal skills, teamwork, initiative and self-reflection.

Candidates with a non-Dutch qualification and who have not had secondary and tertiary education in English can only be admitted with an IELTS-test showing a total band score of at least 6.5, internet TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT) showing a score of at least 90, or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE).

An interview will be part of the selection procedure.

Application
Please send your letter of motivation, with a curriculum vitae, a list with grades of courses attended, references and, if applicable, a list of publications before July 23, 2017 through the link below.

Contact information
If you have any further questions about this vacancy of the PDEng programme in Robotics, please contact dr.ir. Laurent Warnet:

• Email: l.warnet@utwente.nl
• Telephone: +31 53 489 6203
• General information about PDEng programmes you can find at our website.

We offer a contract for 24 months. During these two years you follow a tailor made post-master design programme with a combination of education (~50%) and working on a design project (~50%). The salary will be € 1.828 gross per month. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus.

On successfully completing the programme, you will receive a certified degree. You will be entitled to use the academic degree Professional Doctorate in Engineering (PDEng) and will be registered as a Technological Designer in the Dutch register kept by the Royal Institution of Engineers in the Netherlands (KIVI). 

The University of Twente. We stand for life sciences and technology. High tech and human touch. Education and research that matter. New technology which drives change, innovation and progress in society. The University of Twente is the only campus university in the Netherlands; divided over five faculties we provide more than fifty educational programmes. The University of Twente has a strong focus on personal development and talented researchers are given scope for carrying out pioneering research.

The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) is one of the five faculties of the University of Twente. ET combines Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. Our faculty has approximately 1800 bachelor and master students, 400 employees and 150 PhD candidates. The departments of the faculty cooperatively conduct the educational programmes and participate in interdisciplinary research projects, programmes and the research institutes: MIRA, CTIT, SBE and IGS.