Didier Dufrasne
Consultant MechLab
Didier Dufrasne is a product developer who started working at
Verhaert in 2016. As a consultant for Mechlab he worked on several projects, for example the battery of the Cowboy E-bike and the Nestlé Roastelier filter.
What do current developments
look like?
After working on Nestlé projects for a year, I recently joined a team developing a handheld-device for the cosmetic industry. With this project we want to enroll a new technology in the hairdresser’s saloon. This asks for a team with divers skills. Someone responsible for the design, system engineering and electronics. The marketing insights are delivered by our customer. As a mechanical product designer I collect the input of all team members and combine them in a 3D design.
One of the most exciting parts of my job is the variety in projects and tasks from brainstorming to designing prototypes.
What has been your biggest engineering challenge so far?
Before designing anything, I always attempt to get a good intuition for the physics involved in the functioning of the part. You would think that this would be easy for a process that is as straightforward as pulling a wire through a die. However, in reality many factors come into play that influence the mechanics, the temperature, the friction behavior… and after hundreds of years of steel wire drawing, for some of these factors it is still unknown what their precise effect is. Therefore, truly understanding the drawing process is the most challenging aspect. Luckily, there are a lot of in-house resources, but with a company as big and old as Bekaert, finding the right information in the archives or finding the right people to talk to is a challenge in itself!
What’s the most interesting
aspect of your job?
One of the most exciting parts of my job is the variety in projects and tasks. I‘m fortunate to work on assignments which I love to do and switch from day to day. From brainstorming on a more conceptual level to designing new product prototypes. Another advantage is working with colleagues that have a similar interest in innovation and technology. This contributes to a vibrant and productive working atmosphere. To give you an example: recently I was telling a friend: “Can you imagine that 30 colleagues went short-skiing together in their free time? We had great fun!” This proves the strong group dynamic.
Interested in becoming a Consultant MechLab or working at Verhaert MechLab like Didier?