At the end of last year, Instron^® mechanical engineers at our Grove City Manufacturing Facility had the privilege of hosting mechanical engineering undergraduates from Penn State Behrend School of Engineering. Their professor wanted to provide an applied learning experience, where the students could see classroom lessons in practice.

The day included a facility tour, seeing the various development stages for hydraulic testing frames through to production. Those on Instron’s production floor spoke to how the practice of continuous improvement in manufacturing leads to maximizing efficiency.

After touring the production area, the Instron engineers elaborated on the importance of tensile and impact testing materials in accordance with international standards. In particular, Nicole King ’16 appreciated how clearly the engineers explained all the processes and shared the challenges they face:

“When talking with the Instron engineers, I was impressed to hear their job descriptions—they are presented with such a variety of assignments ... Visiting Instron provided a stimulating experience. It was fulfilling to see how companies truly control the quality of their products and how textbook studies translate in the real world.”

To close the day, the engineers conducted tests to show the systems in action with the latest technology. The demonstrations validated the students’ schooling and gave insight into what the global market demands today.