A collaborative initiative between MIT and Tecnológico de Monterrey (Tec) is redefining manufacturing education through the FrED desktop fiber extrusion device and its associated learning factory model. Originally developed in the basement of MIT’s Building 35, the low-cost extrusion system has been refined through graduate theses and undergraduate research, establishing a scalable platform for hands-on production training. The partnership, coordinated by MIT.nano, has transitioned from a localized academic project to a global talent development pipeline, with operational factories now active at Tec campuses in Monterrey and Mexico City. The FrED ecosystem operates as both a manufacturing process and an educational framework. Rather than deconstructing products for analysis, the factory model ships fully functional extrusion units to academic and professional networks while continuously producing data-rich manufacturing outputs. This approach addresses a longstanding industry challenge regarding the scarcity of accessible, production-level data for academic experimentation. By generating multi-modal datasets directly from the extrusion process, FrED enables real-time integration of digital twins, machine learning, and predictive analytics into classroom environments. The initiative aligns closely with MIT’s strategic push toward smart manufacturing, providing students with physically grounded contexts for data science and automation research. The academic and professional impact of the program has been substantial. Nearly 500 students have completed advanced training in manufacturing automation, resulting in 25 peer-reviewed publications and seven additional papers under review. Research mobility remains a cornerstone of the partnership, with Tec undergraduates conducting immersive research stays alongside MIT peers. The collaborative model recently earned recognition when a joint student-faculty paper on hands-on predictive maintenance kits received the 2026 ASEE Manufacturing Division Best Paper Award. Following the announcement, Tec is formalizing experiential learning through the FRAME curriculum, which integrates first-year undergraduates directly into graduate-level research operations within the FrED factory. Expansion efforts are accelerating. A new FrED factory will launch at Tec’s Saltillo campus during the upcoming academic year, with subsequent deployments planned across additional Mexican and U.S. campuses. Brian W. Anthony, MIT.nano associate director and principal research scientist, will extend his global capstone instruction to all five international Tec campuses by 2027, followed by the inaugural FrED Factory Conference at MIT later that year. Technical development will increasingly focus on agentic controllers, immersive collaborative learning environments, and downstream processing machines designed to utilize FrED-generated fiber outputs. Student participants emphasize that the program’s value extends beyond technical proficiency, cultivating leadership, systems thinking, and iterative problem-solving in high-stakes production settings. As academic cohorts rotate through the factory, institutional knowledge is preserved and continuously upgraded, ensuring the platform remains aligned with evolving industrial demands. The FrED initiative demonstrates how decentralized, data-transparent manufacturing ecosystems can effectively bridge the gap between theoretical engineering education and real-world industrial operations.