Penn State’s new ‘makerspace’ lets community members get hands-on with high-tech machinery

Invent Penn State has officially opened its new “makerspace” called OriginLabs where community members can learn for free how to use high-tech machinery like digital fabrication equipment to create wood and metal designs.

OriginLabs occupies part of the first and second floors of the Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub at 123 S. Burrowes St. and is open to the public for free one-hour training sessions on specific machines as well as scheduled workshops for certain skills.

Community members can utilize new equipment, including computer numerical control machines that will take a picture of a design and physically create it, whether it’s through sawing wood, painting or 3D printing.

Jose Nuñez, the shop manager at OriginLabs, said there will always be an employee in the lab to assist people using the equipment during the training sessions and during regular hours from about 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, saying safety is a top priority.

The lab will also be open for use on weekends, according to Melinda Friedhoff, the community marketing strategist at Invent Penn State.

Nuñez said the workspace services consist of two different modes: People can either train to use the equipment themselves, or they can work with the service bureau team members who will make the designs for a client.

People can purchase a membership for $65 per month to utilize the equipment whenever they want, or they could pay a service bureau member $70 an hour on top of the cost of materials used to make the design.

According to Director of OriginLabs Ryan Mandell, the prices are less than a quarter of what people would pay commercially, and the lab is also looking for fundraising opportunities and grants to help offset the cost of a membership.

“(The service bureau is) a good option for people that are business-minded but not necessarily mechanically oriented,” Mandell said.

Mandell also said OriginLabs has partnered with businesses like The Rivet, so while they both offer hands-on machinery use and tactical skill-building, OriginLabs offers different technological equipment.

Additionally, Mandell said OriginLabs will acquire a high-wattage laser in the next few months that he hasn’t seen anywhere else in the area.

“I’ve tried to emphasize getting powered tools whenever possible, especially in metalworking,” Mandell said. “I didn’t want people who were differently abled or people of the smaller stature who can’t operate those tools to be boxed out of the space for that reason.”

While the space is open to all members of the community, Mandell said he hopes people who don’t have access to Penn State resources can benefit from the machinery at OriginLabs.

“My hope is that we become a really approachable first step for folks that are interested in this field because I feel like there’s a certain commitment that you make when you decide to sign up for a more in-depth or robust training,” Mandell said. “That can be a deterrent because you don’t know yet if that gamble of time and money is worth your effort.”

Mandell also said he’s spoken with the Bellefonte Area School District to get the younger generation involved with technology and hands-on machinery.

“There’s so much more potential given the technology that we have access to, and just putting that in the hands of young people generally I’m really excited about, but specifically the robotics ... that’s the future,” Mandell said.

OriginLabs is hosting an open house from 2-4 p.m. on Wednesday for the public to tour the new space and ask questions about the equipment.