Chris: laser-like focus, literally

September 14, 2009 at 10:32 am


Chris Purdy, GM Virtual Engineer
What makes me happy: Teaching people new processes, problem-solving methods and analysis techniques that I’ve created for our manufacturing engineering group
Loves: Fixing things, especially restoring my 1950 Chevy Pickup in my man-cave
TV time: I really like This Old House, Dirty Jobs and MythBusters
I won’t miss: I just completed eight years of school resulting in my masters degree in engineering, so I don’t miss the prep work I’d have to be doing right now for the next school semester!

In Virtual Engineering, we create digitized data of parts using laser scanning equipment and make 3-D models in the computer.  We can then virtually put the parts together.  This allows us to see how they will fit together in the manufacturing process and improve the fit and finish of our vehicles earlier in the launch process – all on the computer. A great example is the new Buick LaCrosse – the fit and finish of the interior parts shows the kind of work that my colleagues and I do.

At work, I create engineering solutions and share them with others. We use scanning and virtual engineering as part of our interior craftsmanship and match build processes to launch a new car at the plant.  I work closely with the craftsmanship and match build engineers to help them add more technology to achieve their quality goals.

Another part of my job is teaching these technology processes to our other engineers, and I’ve spent a lot of time traveling to China, Korea, India, Brazil and almost every vehicle assembly plant in North America, to work with my colleagues across the globe.

Chris' family
Chris’ family

I inherited my interest in cars, racing and airplanes from my dad, who was a mechanic. He wanted me to go to college to become something like an engineer so I wouldn’t have to get my hands dirty. Well, he got half his wish. I don’t get my hands dirty at work too often, since I work at a computer, but I love hanging out in my man-cave and restoring my 1950 Chevy Pickup. When I work on the truck I use my skills and craftsmanship to rebuild just one vehicle. It’s pretty cool that at work, Virtual Engineering allows me to apply that same craftsmanship to build millions of vehicles that I hope our customers will really love.

Bookmark and Share

5 Responses to “Chris: laser-like focus, literally”

  1. Bob Icenogle

    Sep 15th, 2009

    Congratulations!!!

    It looks like you got your dream career.

    You make Platteview proud (and your teachers, too!)

    Now, about my Park Ave …

  2. Chris Purdy

    Sep 16th, 2009

    Hello Bob,

    Thanks, I really appreciate the sentiment. I never would have believed it when I sat behind an Apple II in your class at Platteview High School in Springfield Nebraska, that someday I could scan digital models from a laptop computer!

    I hope it can be an encouraging example for other students. There are interesting careers in engineering, science and math.

    Now about that classic Park Avenue. You should test drive one of the new Buicks. The 2010 Buick LaCrosse we used in the video is a beautiful car inside and out. It is amazingly quiet inside and the blue interior lighting would make for a soothing ride home from a day at the school.

  3. John Mazarakis

    Sep 21st, 2009

    Chris
    Pretty neat computer program.
    When that 50′s Chevy is ready to drive make sure you let us know!:-) !!
    John

  4. http://www.teenmissions.org/2009/11/06/tuttle-fall-2009/

    Mar 1st, 2010

    I just tried to grab the RSS Feed for this article but it is not properly showing up in Google Chrome. Does anyone have any ideas?

  5. interior designblog

    Oct 9th, 2010

    Just the knowledge I was wanting for. I shall share this web site with my acquaintances when i go to study tomorrow.

Leave a Reply