TE Connectivity donates 3D printer to Penn State College of Engineering

The high-capacity, multifunctional nScrypt 3Dn-450-HP 3D printer, a donation valued at around $350,000, will help students and researchers explore new additive manufacturing materials and processes. In addition, the specialised printer will be used to explore 3D printing on high-power devices.

"This nScrypt printer will facilitate Penn State’s work in multi-material additive manufacturing with a particular focus on integration of metals, ceramics and polymers,” said Mike Hickner, a professor in Penn State’s Materials Science and Engineering Department. “We are interested in furthering additive manufacturing materials science in electronics, biomedical and defence applications.”

To commemorate the donation and cultivate TE’s partnership with Penn State, engineers Rod Martens, Chuck Fry and Dave Orris recently visited the College of Engineering. The visit included tours of the CIMP-3D (Center for Innovative Materials Processing 3D) and the Millennium Science Complex. The TE engineers also participated in faculty presentations on engineering projects and topics ranging from electronic measurements to two-dimensional materials.

“We are pleased to donate this tool and believe it will offer students access to advanced additive manufacturing capabilities as well as further faculty research,” said Martens, Senior Principal Engineer and Manager for TE’s Harrisburg Research Center. “Looking forward, we hope this will deepen our technical engagement with university faculty and expose Penn State students to career opportunities with TE.”

TE has supported engineering at Penn State for more than three decades. In 2015, the company donated four 3D printers to the Penn State Harrisburg campus totaling $25,000. The company established a $500,000 TE Connectivity Capstone Design Endowment to fund Penn State Harrisburg senior engineering capstone projects and create the TE Connectivity Lecture Series in Connector Design, which provides opportunities for students to network with industry experts. TE employs hundreds of Penn State alumni.