UNF teams up with KLS Martin to launch students into high demand medical technology careers
Nolan Bennett wasn’t sure what to expect when he walked through the doors of KLS Martin Manufacturing in spring 2024.
“My first internship was in civil engineering, but it wasn’t the right fit," said Bennett. “After touring the KLS facility in class and seeing the background processes, I fell in love with medical technology engineering.”
Bennett went on the tour at KLS Martin, a global leader in individually designed 3D printed medical technology, while participating in the 3D anatomy class during his last year at UNF.
“I was familiar with KLS due to UNF career fairs,” said Bennett. “After seeing the impressive 3D printing equipment and working on the design software, I was hooked.”
He drove home from the tour and applied for a job. During the first interview, he showed off some of the models and cutting guides that he created in class. The recruiter was impressed with his initiative, preparation and the competitive skills he had already honed.
After graduating from UNF in May 2024 with a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, he joined KLS Martin that summer as an associate design engineer and has since been promoted to individual patient solutions (IPS) design engineer.
Bennett develops individual patient-specific 3D printed medical technologies made from CT scans and designs plates, cutting guides and models using primarily titanium, polyamide and other additively manufactured materials, all processes he learned about in UNF’s course.
“The 3D anatomy class is built around segmentation, which is the backbone of the work I do each day,” explained Bennett. He has worked on close to 200 unique medical printing cases at KLS to date.
KLS has attended UNF Career Fairs every year since 2018, making this the eighth straight year of uninterrupted hiring partnerships.
The KLS Martin-UNF partnership is opening doors for students to explore and enter the rapidly growing field of medical 3D printing and surgical planning that is revolutionizing patient outcomes.
KLS Martin has hired 86 UNF alumni since 2017 in roles including management, designers, engineering, accounting, finance, events planning, operations and product management.
UNF’s commitment to student success and workforce readiness
UNF’s launched its innovative 3D anatomy course, led by associate professors Dr. Laura Habegger, biology, and Dr. Grant Bevill, mechanical engineering, in spring 2024. The course was formed in collaboration with a medical physicist at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville’s 3D Anatomic Modeling Laboratory, who was helping conduct a national job search for a software engineer and couldn’t find anyone with the exact qualifications needed.
The course blends advanced anatomical education with hands-on digital modeling, preparing students for medical technology careers. Each spring, students tour Mayo Clinic in Florida and the KLS Martin facility to witness firsthand how the concepts they study in class are applied in real-world industries. The hands-on experience and skill building in the class has helped students land competitive jobs after graduation.
“It is a dream come true for me to watch my students learn and grow and move into high-demand medical technology careers because of the work we are doing in the classroom,” Habegger explained. “This is why I teach.”
Meeting Industry Partners’ needs
Tirth Patel, KLS Martin general manager and UNF ‘04 alumni, said the company has been hiring UNF interns and alumni for years. With the addition of the 3D anatomy class, UNF students are coming in more prepared for high-demand software engineering roles.
“Their background knowledge of problem solving, software usage and core components of the job reduce training time and better equip our new employees from UNF to hit the ground running and to excel in their position,” said Patel.
Habegger meets with KLS Martin trainers and Mayo Clinic researchers each semester to incorporate the skills they are looking for into the academic course.
“We make sure that students are exposed to a variety of software, virtual reality and 3D printing techniques to improve their chances of being recruited,” said Habegger.
The careers offered at KLS Martin vary.
Cole Cureton, UNF December 2023 alum, has a degree in construction management with a minor in business administration. He worked at The Haskell Company immediately upon graduation from UNF then started as an administrative specialist at KLS in February 2024, where he utilized his business skills in compiling patient cases for about a year when he learned about an open machine operator position.
“I told my supervisor that I was interested in the position as it would encompass both of my passions, business administration and hands-on constructing,” said Cureton.
He started shadowing the machine operators and was permanently moved into an associate machine operator position in March 2025. He now works on upkeep and maintenance for the large titanium printing machines.
“KLS is really good about recognizing their employee’s strengths and helping us move into positions that fit us best,” said Cureton. “It’s a great place to work.”
Scott Curry, UNF Career Services senior director of industry engagement, has been instrumental in growing the relationship with KLS Martin over the years.
“This partnership is a perfect example of how UNF connects students with career opportunities,” said Curry. “We’re proud to work with companies like KLS Martin that are deeply invested in mentoring and hiring our students.”