D’Addario & Company is the world’s largest manufacturer and distributor of musical instrument accessories, trusted by musicians globally. As a U.S.-based manufacturing company, we take pride in our commitment to cutting-edge automation, sustainable practices, and giving back through the D’Addario Foundation—providing music education access to underserved communities. Most importantly, we pride ourselves on our diverse team of individuals where our success is built on a culture of curiosity, passion, candor, family, and responsibility.
We’re looking for a motivated and detail-oriented RD Intern to support our Product Development team in their labatory. The Product Testing Laboratory supports product and process qualification, quality control, and research and development by generating reliable, data driven evidence that materials, designs, and manufacturing processes meet internal and customer requirements. The R&D Intern, will support hands on testing and step by step qualification of novel products, analyze test data using statistical methods, and gain experience with laboratory equipment while contributing technical insights to engineering and R&D teams.
This summer internship is in person at our Farmingdale, Long Island office and is full-time, with up to 40 hours per week.
Responsibilities
Possible Projects :
Orchestral Flat wire D ata
• Assess wire flattening capabilities of current manufacturing process.
• Collect and analyze wire ribbon width data in-line during each setup /run for consistency spool to spool and intra-spool
• Collect and anlyze dimensional and tensile data from incoming and finished spools in the lab for comparison
Fretted Strings – Tensile
• Collect and analyze tensile strength of cores and strings for D'Addario's vast library of string sets to create a database
• Set safety limits for string tension pro calculations
Key Responsibilities
Product & Process Qualification
• Assist with step by step qualification of new products, including development, execution, and documentation of test plans/design of experiment
• Support testing of novel materials and products from prototypes
• Conduct comparative testing against legacy, benchmark, or competitor products to identify performance gaps, strengths, and opportunities for differentiation
Laboratory Testing & Equipment
• Learn and operate laboratory test equipment such as:
• Mechanical and tensile testing systems
• SEM/EDS and DSC Materials setup and analysis
• Various dimensional and mass measurement tools
• Material corrosion resistance or durability test setups
• Follow established test procedures and safety protocols
• Assist with calibration checks and basic lab organization
Data Analysis & Reporting
• Collect, organize, and analyze test data
• Perform statistical analysis from design of experiment or production test data over time
• Support preparation of test summaries, plots, and technical reports/presentations to support product development and R&D decision making .
• Maintain accurate test records and traceable documentation
Cross Functional Support
• Collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams
• Support failure analysis and root cause investigations
• Participate in design brainstorms or test result discussions as appropriate
Qualifications
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
• Has multiple years of experience in materials engineering or similar field such as materials testing, mechanical testing, statistic s , manufacturing .
• Is dedicated to pursuing an undergraduate Engineering degree or similar field of technical study.
Minimum Qualifications:
• Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Materials, Mechanical, Chemical, or related discipline preferred)
• Basic understanding of engineering measurements and data analysis
• Strong attention to detail and documentation
• Eager to learn and do hands-on work in both lab oratory and manufacturing environments.
• P roficient in MS Office, particularly Excel . Familiarity with Minitab is a plus .
The hourly rate for this position will be $20.00 per hour.
