Origin Labs hopes to inspire students and community members

State College, Pennsylvania (WTAJ) – Penn State students and community members had the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art equipment and bring their business ideas to life.

The newest part of the Invent Penn State Initiative, which aims to connect university resources with State College residents, is a 7,000-square-foot manufacturing facility located in the Downtown Innovation Hub. Ryan Mandell, head of Origin Labs, has been giving people advice on how to start their own businesses for years, but says something more is needed.

“What was missing was the ability for individuals with product-based ideas to prototype those ideas,” says Mandel. “So we had the opportunity to build this new building downtown State University. They have cleared about 7,000 square feet for a dedicated manufacturing lab space.”

Inside, visitors can find wood, metal, and microelectronics manufacturing areas to bring their prototype ideas to life.

“We have high-wattage lasers that can cut steel,” says Mandell. “We do full-color 3D printing, we also do metal 3D printing, and generally very high-end equipment.”

Interested parties can attend free classes on how to use the equipment and learn new skills. We also offer a $65 membership for those who want to get more out of their equipment. Mandel said he is working to apply for grants to welcome as many people as possible for free.

“We have very good facilities on campus and we have a community,” Mandel added. “So we wanted to make sure we were adding new assets as well as complementing what was already there and being redundant where it made sense.”

For those who want to check out the facility, we will be offering an open house on Wednesday, March 22nd from 2-4pm.