MakerBot Announces Innovation Centers in Universities and Businesses – 30+ 3D Printers in Each Center

Today, MakerBot has announced that they are going forward with a massive plan to transform businesses and universities into MakerBot Innovation Centers.  The idea behind the Innovation Centers is to bring MakerBot desktop 3D printers and scanners to these places of education and work, and allow businesses to grow and colleges to flourish.

Each MakerBot Innovation Center will include at least 30 MakerBot 3D printers, and should certainly go a long way in educating thousands of people about the benefits of 3D printing.

“Having a MakerBot Innovation Center in a place of business or in a university can change the whole dynamic of the new product iteration and innovation cycle,” noted Bre Pettis, CEO of MakerBot. “Class projects can be brought to life through 3D printing and scanning. Product prototypes can be created, refined and finalized at a much faster and affordable pace. Schools can train future innovators and be ahead of the curve when it comes to preparing students for the real world. We believe that having a MakerBot Innovation Center in a university or workplace is an incredible opportunity for those using it to unleash the power of innovation and change the world.”

MakerBot has also announced that SUNY New Paltz in New York will be the first college to launch one of these innovation centers world-wide.  It is set to open on this coming Tuesday, February 11.  MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis plans to visit and take part in the official ribbon cutting ceremony, as well as present a lecture to faculty and students.

“Forging this partnership with MakerBot allows SUNY New Paltz to offer its students, faculty and local industry an accessible hub for innovation that will bring these three groups together in a creative environment with the latest in 3D technology,” said President Donald P. Christian. “We expect this environment to enhance our students’ preparation for high-tech careers that combine creativity and advanced manufacturing expertise, and to seed collaborations among academics, students, and regional industry that will further enhance our mission as the region’s public university and an economic driver in the Hudson Valley.”

One is to wonder how many other Universities around the world will be joining SUNY in adding these innovation centers to their schools.  It will certainly make attending a school quite a bit more attractive, especially to students that are interested in design and fabrication.

“We believe that the creation of an Innovation Center at SUNY New Paltz is huge step forward for the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center and will help solidify our region’s leading role in utilizing and developing 3D printing technology,” said Sean Eldridge, one of the founders of the Center and president of Hudson River Ventures. “I’m thrilled that Hudson River Ventures was able to facilitate this partnership between MakerBot and SUNY New Paltz that builds on our initial investment in the Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center. The Innovation Center will accelerate our region’s access to this cutting-edge technology and our ability to train our students and our small businesses on its use. There is a great tradition of advanced manufacturing in the Hudson Valley, and 3D printing has tremendous potential to grow our economy and boost job growth in our region.”

There is another innovation center launching at the College of the Ouachitas in Malvern, Arkansas.  It is the largest so far of the MakerBot Innovation Centers, and includes 47 Replicator 3D Printers, 6 Replicator 2X Printers, and 6 MakerBot Digitizer 3D scanners.  The innovation center at this college serves the purpose of working with regional business and industry in the plastic engineering sector, in support of their Mechatronics and emerging entrepreneurial programs, and is a part of the school’s “Project Lead the Way pre-engineering program”.

“Having the largest MakerBot Innovation Center in the world at College of the Ouachitas is another of a series of advanced manufacturing innovations the College has brought to Arkansas and the Southeast region of the country and helps position our campus as a leader in technology,” noted Dr. Stephen Schoonmaker, president of College of the Ouachitas. “We are committed to using the Innovation Center to help change how our community sees and uses technology. By giving our public, students, and regional businesses the tools they need to innovate and create, we will help bring our graduates and our state to the forefront of potential jobs and careers in technology.”

The College of Ouachitas, also is working with MakerBot to provide students with “Desktop 3D Printing Certificates of Training”.  Surely future businesses will be looking at college graduates, and preferring some of those that have experience with 3D printers over those that do not.  This is just another step in educating our future leaders, with technology that will surely be important to businesses of the future.

For more information on the MakerBot Innovation Centers, or to find out how to have one installed in your university or business, visit the MakerBot Innovation Website.

What do you think of these new innovation centers? Discuss this article at: https://3dprintboard.com/showthread.php?1668-MakerBot-Announces-Innovation-Centers-in-Colleges-and-Workplaces-around-the-world