Verizon 5G will power AM research at Penn State University

Verizon is delivering 5G Ultra Wideband to Penn State, allowing researchers to explore how 5G can enhance manufacturing and enable new applications in education, training, and workforce development. The effort aims to foster new research and development partnerships to improve commercial applications and workforce development, through advanced wireless technologies, and expand 3D printing access and education at the CIMP-3D facility and to Penn State students.

The deployment took place at Penn State’s Innovation Park, which offers 118-acres of office, manufacturing and research space, and is part of one of the world’s premier research institutions, with access to Penn State’s scientific, engineering, technology and business resources. With 5G Ultra-Wideband, students, faculty, start-up and established companies can work together to test and innovate emerging technologies and explore solutions that can improve processes and automation in manufacturing.

“We are excited to partner with Verizon to bring advanced digital connectivity to Penn State and enable new innovations in digital connectivity,” said Tim Simpson, the Paul Morrow Professor of Engineering Design and Manufacturing and co-director for the Center for Innovation Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D). “Having 5G capabilities in CIMP-3D creates unique opportunities to drive the use and adoption of additive manufacturing as we embark on the fourth industrial revolution, or ‘Industry 4.0.

The CIMP-3D facility provides world-class capabilities and facilities in additive manufacturing technology for the benefit of a broad range of government and industrial sponsorship. The Additive Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) is installed within Building 230 at Innovation Park on the campus of Penn State. The 8,000 square-foot facility includes several additive manufacturing (AM) systems capable of full consolidation of polymeric, metallic, and ceramic material systems, as well as a state-of-the-art design studio and prototyping laboratory which includes a host of characterization techniques.

Coupled with the extensive expertise of the Center team, CIMP-3D provides an unparalleled potential for advancing and deploying AM technology. Current research activity within the Center is directed at the development of technologies that will enable greater utilization of additive manufacturing across industrial sectors.

“Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband provides the foundation for 21st Century innovation and it will enable things like vehicle-to-vehicle communication for safety and autonomy, untethered robots increasing productivity, and thousands of connected sensors in a warehouse delivering real-time intelligence,” said Nicki Palmer, Chief Product Development Officer at Verizon, Penn State College of Engineering alumna and a member of Penn State’s Corporate Engagement Advisory Committee. “Working with Penn State, we hope to accelerate the research and development of new use cases only made possible with the massive bandwidth, super-fast speed and ultra-low latency that Verizon 5G Ultra-Wideband and mobile edge compute can provide.”

Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband deployment at Penn State represents an early milestone for the initiative, which will continue to support technological advancements and collaborations across Penn State.