The ‘steam locomotive’ of printers

When Philip Chen joined Xerox Corp. in 1967, only big companies could afford printers and scanners. Now retired and with several patents to his name, Chen developed the Xenon flash lamp printer, which he considers the “steam locomotive” of printers. He also designed an optical disc drive for the Library of Congress to store its card catalogue information, which became the predecessor of CD drives. Chen’s next big project was to come up with a low-cost image scanner (they typically cost $20,000 at that time) for a company in Taiwan called Microtek. Chen earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from S&T in 1965.

Share This Story

Spark a Memory?

Share your story! Fill out the form below to share your fondest memory or anecdote of S&T. If you'd prefer not typing, you can also share by phone at 833-646-3715 (833-Miner150).

Making the perfect snacks

Making the perfect snacks

Frito-Lay’s Topeka, Kansas, plant operates 24 hours a day, so while most of us are sleeping, Catherine Swift, a 2010…

Major league research

Major league research

Three S&T faculty helped strike down claims that “juiced” baseballs were the cause of a spike in Major League home…

Ashley (Koesterer) and Michael Pickler

Ashley (Koesterer) and Michael Pickler

Ashley (Koesterer) and Michael Pickler met in an English class at S&T in 2012 and started walking together after class….

Alumni leading the telecommunications industry

Alumni leading the telecommunications industry

Roy Wilkens, EE’66, and Mario A. Padilla, MetE’60, worked for years to challenge and change the status of the telecommunications…

Earthquake stops baseball, starts inspections

Earthquake stops baseball, starts inspections

Kamila Crane, who earned a bachelor’s degree (1985) and master’s degree (1986) in civil engineering, was prepared to start rebuilding…

Wharton makes KC Chiefs’ roster

Wharton makes KC Chiefs’ roster

Former Missouri S&T defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton, who earned All-America honors while a Miner, made the 2020 opening day roster…