OriginLabs at Penn State’s Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub in downtown State College is making state-of-the-art equipment accessible to the public to design and prototype their startup ideas.
A grand opening for the prototyping and fabrication space on the first and mezzanine floors of the building at 123 S. Burrowes St. is scheduled for 2-4 p.m. on Wednesday as part of the university’s Startup Week,
The 7,000-square-foot facility includes areas for woodworking, metalworking, welding, digital fabrication, 3D printing and more. Community members can also check out “The OriginLabs Experience,” at 10 a.m. on Thursday to learn about and work with welding tools and robotics.
OriginLabs Director Ryan Mandell and Shop Manager Jose Nunez said during a tour on Tuesday that they believe the space will lower the cost and barriers to entry for aspiring entrepreneurs.
“We designed and outfitted OriginLabs after carefully assessing resources already in place on campus and in the community,” Mandell said in a news release. “Our facilities bring world-class and previously unavailable technologies such as full-color and metal 3D printing or collaborative robotics to folks who wouldn’t otherwise have access.”
Trainings, workshops and consulting will be open to everyone at no cost.
OriginLabs offers two options for membership. A no-cost membership to its Service Bureau is for people to have the hands-on building done on their behalf, including 3D printing and project production and guidance from a team of experts. A Makerspace membership at a cost of $65 a month is for those who want to do the hands-on building themselves, with access to tools and equipment, as well as support and guidance from experts.
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The facility will house computers with 3D modeling and CAD software. Metal sintering, stereolithography, and polyjet are a few of the various 3D modeling technologies available.
This 3D-printed pizza slice is one of the many items you could create.
Mandell is the director of OriginLabs. He hopes to provide world-class prototyping facilities to students, faculty, community members, and local businesses.
The new facility is located at 123 S. Burrowes Street in downtown State College. The two-floor facility begins on the ground floor of the the 85,000-square-foot Innovation Hub.
Geoff Rushton contributed to this report.
