Nordson
We engineer, manufacture and market differentiated products used for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials and other materials
Our Scholarships
Placement Location
Southampton, Colchester or Aylesbury
Type of Placements Offered
• Summer placements only
Restrictions/Notes
No first year students
2022/23 Scholarships
At least one new scholarship
Who we are and what we do
Nordson Corporation delivers precision technology solutions to help customers succeed worldwide. We engineer, manufacture and market differentiated products used for dispensing adhesives, coatings, sealants, biomaterials and other materials; for fluid management; for test and inspection; and for UV curing and plasma surface treatment.
Founded in 1954 and headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, USA, we have operations and support offices in more than 30 countries.
The UK based Test and Inspection division has a strong portfolio of award winning products for destructive and non-destructive mechanical testing and inspection of electronic components.
With its self-contained R&D facilities in Colchester and Southampton, and manufacturing site in Aylesbury, Nordson DAGE has developed world-leading products for testing wire bonds on semiconductor packages such as BGA, Chip Scale Packages (CSP) and other electronic components, and an excellent suite of award-winning X-ray inspection equipment targeted at both the Semiconductor and PCBA markets.
In 2020, Nordson acquired vivaMOS, which became part of the Test and Inspection division within Nordson’s Advanced Technology Solutions segment.
What you could be doing during your work placement
You will be gaining work experience in semiconductor design, electronics design, and testing, and new product development (CMOS image sensors, X-ray Tube systems and wire bond test systems).
Meet one of our Scholars
Name: Dimitris
Sponsor: Nordson
University: University of Southampton
Degree Course: MEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Why I chose Electronics
My relationship with electronics started at a very young age. Like most people with a passion for technology, I used to find broken appliances, tear them apart and figure out what made them tick. I started toying around with electronics because of the sheer ubiquity of the field. The 50-year history of modern electronics and the countless innovations fascinated me beyond measure. It was only natural that I would choose to pursue a career in electronics.
Why I chose Nordson
I chose Nordson because I wanted my placement to involve some level of hands-on engineering work. Nordson stood out from the rest of the companies listed on the UKESF website because of the range of practical work available. Nordson offers extensive and cutting-edge work opportunities on its x-ray products. Reading about the experiences of previous students helped me affirm that the company would be a good fit for me.
My work and responsibilities
My placement at Nordson started with a hardware related task that involved creating a self-test routine for system I/O (embedded C++). This was an introductory task as the company wanted to size the main project according to my skillset.
My main project was to design a calibration and data acquisition procedure for the company’s new x-ray tube design (Python utility demo). I had the opportunity to work with x-ray machines and get a detailed understanding of their operation. I was also able to get exposed to other facets of work within the company and drive personal development. As my final task, I went back to firmware development and integrated the calibration data within the controller of the x-ray tube.
My interests
Outside of study, you will find me spending time on CanSat, a project of the Spaceflight Society at UoS. I am also involved in student governance as a course representative, seeking to make my course better for everyone. To unwind after a long day, I enjoy podcast series, and anime. I am barely considered a gamer and I love to cook.
Meet one of our Engineers
Name: Agnes
Job Title: Electronics Design Engineer
Why I chose my degree?
Growing up, I had no idea what career I’d want to pursue. I was good at science and maths and enjoyed practical work much more than theory – so some sort of engineering was what I expected to be doing, but nothing could hold my attention long enough. That is, until one day in physics class the topic of electronics was introduced, and something just clicked. Electronics is everywhere – we take it for granted that things work but I was fascinated by the how.
Why Nordson?
I joined a small start-up, vivaMOS, as a summer intern through the UKESF Scholarship Scheme. This company has since been acquired by Nordson, but the way my team works remains the same.
What caught my eye before I decided to apply was the product. I was, and still am, interested in medical electronics, so working with x-ray detectors seemed like the perfect way to get a foot in the door. Then, during my internship, I was given a task that allowed me to add some real value to an important project. The test suite I created as an intern is still being used by Production 3.5 years later!
After finishing university, I decided to return to Nordson as a graduate electronics engineer to complete a 2-year-long rotation. This decision was affected by the good experiences during my internship and the mentoring I received, in addition to the plenty of options for personal and professional development. I took on my current role after completing the rotation.
What do I do?
As an electronics design engineer in a small R&D team, I am involved in all sorts of activities. These include PCB design and debugging, IC design, firmware, embedded software, application software, as well as testing. The area I’m working on any given week changes with the progress of our running projects and depends on where the extra hand is needed.
Regularly switching up my tasks allows me to continuously develop my experience and keep my knowledge fresh. I enjoy working in each of these areas and could not commit to a single one to spend the rest of my career on – this way I get to keep my options open and can still choose to specialise later on.