Case Study: Penn State University achieves expanded student access to 3D printing and hands-on STEAM learning with MakerBot

Penn State University Empowers a Community of Innovators With Makerbot

Penn State University, a large public research university serving about 100,000 students across 24 campuses and its World Campus, needed to expand equitable access to 3D printing for commuter and remote students and to embed hands‑on STEAM experiences across disciplines. To meet that challenge, Penn State partnered with MakerBot to create a MakerBot Innovation Center and Maker Commons 3D printing lab, installing 32 MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printers and using MakerBot’s on‑site training for staff.

MakerBot’s solution centralized printing, training, and a library delivery workflow so students upload designs to Maker Commons, have projects queued and shipped to their campus location, and faculty receive support to integrate printing into curricula. The MakerBot Innovation Center logged more than 18,000 hours of print time and over 2,000 successful prints in the first three months, supported a 300‑student buoyancy design challenge (about 100 boat iterations), and accelerated prototyping for the Lunar Lion team—demonstrating clear gains in access, experimentation, and rapid prototyping.

Penn State University

Kyle Bowen

ETS Director of Teaching and Learning with Technology