New Operations Manager Dan Bollock

We are extremely excited to announce that we have hired a second Operations Manager to begin the transition to support extended hours.

I would like to introduce Dan Bollock who has joined our team at the Center. Dan received his BSME from Purdue many years ago. He comes to us from the Wood Research Laboratory (WRL) in Purdue’s Forestry and Natural Resources. Before working in the WRL, he was a full-time furniture maker and an engineer at Wabash designing sheet steel, stainless, and aluminum parts and assemblies.

He has a vast knowledge of woodworking joinery, machinery, finishing, hand tools, and wood. He is excited to share his expertise and learn new materials and machines from the talented staff at the Center. In his spare time, he can be found in his nicely equipped workshop next to his house making contemporary furniture, sculptures, boxes, and bowls. Some of his sculptures are on display in Armstrong Hall at Purdue.

Dan will be a great asset to the Bechtel Center where he will not only expand our skills/knowledge but will also eventually allow us to expand our hours. Thus, allowing us to accommodate more students. Please help us welcome Dan Bullock to our team!

Bechtel Workshops

The Fall semester and workshops are winding down, but the good news is we will host a new set of workshops starting next semester! Please click this link to stay updated on our upcoming workshops: https://www.purdue.edu/bidc/workshops-3/. 

Wanted: Student Employees Interested in 3D Printing & Laser Cutting  

We are currently hiring for the Printing & Prototyping lab! Are you looking for a place of work where you can learn new skills, help teach others, and have fun while doing it? If yes, then visit us at Bechtel Center front desk to learn how to get started! 

Printing and Prototyping 

The new printers are finally here! With the start of the Fall 2022 semester, the Printing & Prototyping Lab is excited to take its first steps into the worlds of resin and powder 3D printing. Our newly arrived Formlabs Fuse 1 SLS powder printer was made available at the very beginning of the semester and will be followed by our new Formlabs Form 3B+ resin printer at the beginning of the Spring 2023 semester. Alongside our new printers and veteran Peer Mentors, P&P is also happy to welcome three new hires, further expanding our available open hours, and we expect several more hires in the next month or two. 

High Bay Rework & Composites Lab 

The Center is taking steps to fully clean out and reorganize the entire High Bay. This will include the adjustment of all existing High Bay resources in the Project Management System and the addition of several new ones. Most notably, the High Bay will see the addition of a full Composites Lab developed with safety, cleanliness, and equal access for all in mind.  

As the fall 2022 semester started, the growing interest of Purdue Students in designing and manufacturing composite materials, such as carbon fiber, Kevlar, or fiberglass, led to the start of the Composite lab. As the 6th new addition to Center’s labs (metal shop, P&P, soft materials, hot works, and electrical), the composites lab will soon be a resource available to all Purdue students! The lab will offer students the opportunity to work and test composites materials, one of the most advanced techniques used in the aerospace and automotive industry. With safety handled, tools and resources purchased, the lab is now waiting for materials to ship to assemble and make the lab operational! Student teams such as FSAE, PER, BAJA, and PSR have already made use of the lab, sharing resources and knowledge to promote development in this field, just as the lab was designed to be. Here at BIDC we are excited to offer more and more opportunities and knowledge to students, so get ready to join some of the workshops we will be hosting next semester!