In the first of a series of ‘Meet the Talisman Team’, we caught up with Michael Chiu, Project Engineer.
Michael works as part of the project design team, to specify the materials needed to suit demanding applications across a wide variety of projects, looking at the type of plastic required, optimised for the manufacturing process and considering the stresses of the application environment. Most recently, Michael’s team produced a moulding tool which would then help craft the 3D nameplates that you’d find on cars, requiring detailed consideration of surface finishes, UV performance, mechanical strength, and chemical resistance.
Michael is part of the Talisman Plastics innovation team working on challenging projects, most recently including the build of a data logging medical watch, used for monitoring a patient’s health. A transparent lens is welded to the housing of the watch which needs to be sealed to vacuum tightness and waterproof. “The watch project involved a problem with ultrasonic welding, a completely new process to me. It was challenging to pick up and implement but it was great to work on a new method and understand the practicalities and theory behind it,” Michael explains.
Michael joined Talisman Plastics at the start of 2020 after graduating from Coventry University with a Masters’ degree in Mechanical Engineering. With the country facing uncertainty in the face of a pandemic, it was a tough time for any graduate to find new employment.
“It was a really challenging time to start a new job, especially with it being the first major move of my engineering career following my degree. I joined Talisman, and then the country went into lockdown soon after, which knocked the wind out of my sails a bit. I spent some time away from work in the early stages of lockdown, but once I returned it was great to be back and get stuck into some really interesting projects,” Michael said.
“I have been interested in engineering since a young age – probably around the time I was at school. Engineering is great as it involves applying logical thinking, maths and understanding how things work and the fun thing about it is trying to tackle problems which would involve a lot of work. It’s about providing a solution to problems in our environment or making things work better, hence it feels very satisfying when you have put in a lot of effort and result works.”
“It’s a good day at Talisman when I go home having achieved milestones for projects and being able to problem-solve. I enjoy being able to apply my knowledge and what I have learnt to my job, and being able to communicate it to colleagues properly so that the end result comes out as expected.”
60 seconds with Michael Chiu
Favourite film? I’m into Marvel movies – Avengers Endgame is definitely up there
Do you follow any sports? I’m into boxing, any competitive sport really
In a normal year where would you go on holiday? China – though anywhere with hot weather, I like mountainous regions or somewhere with a nice beach!
What is your Spotify playing at the moment? Nothing in particular, I don’t subscribe to any genre really but I like songs in Mandarin or Korean