Field report by Martin Guggemos:

Mentoring in and with  PINTER GUSS 

"The mentoring programme was initiated by Prof. Volk in the Foundry Technology and Rapid Prototyping lecture in the summer semester of 2022 with the aim of giving students interested in foundry technology an insight into the industry and the professional environment.

I took the opportunity and was assigned Dr Greß from PINTER GUSS GmbH in Deggendorf as a mentor. The six-month programme began with a guided tour of the company, during which I was able to get to know the entire process chain of a foundry. The large melting units were particularly fascinating, but due to the intense radiation, only a brief glimpse into the melt was possible. I was also able to watch the gravity die casting, tilt casting and sand casting. The post-processing of the castings, which in sand casting includes the removal of the casting system and often also coring, was done manually or robotically.

As the programme progressed, monthly online meetings took place, in which my mentor gave me tips about studying and starting a career. The direct exchange also made it possible to discuss topics that have no place in the day-to-day work at the university. I was able to benefit from the mentor's valuable experience and therefore the programme is recommended to all students who would like to get to know the field of activity of engineers in production technology beyond the lecture environment."