Presenter: Julia Truchsess
Date: Tuesday, December 2, 7 p.m.
Location: Danbury Hospital Auditorium
by Andy Woodruff
Would you like to see a 3D printer in action? Or perhaps you have already seen demonstrations … would you like to hear about 3D printer models and prices and review comments? Or perhaps you want to go a step further … would you like to see how to design 3D parts, by use of computer-aided design software packages? Or another step further … would you like to know how fast or slowly the printers work? Or what types of consumable materials are available and how much you’ll need to pay for these?
Come to the December DACS General Meeting. Newtown resident and inventor Julia Truchsess will cover all of these topics and probably more. For those who have never seen a 3D printer in action, she will have a couple of her 3D printers in operation. For those who want to go a few steps beyond this, Julia has all the answers. And she will see how much she can cover in a one-hour talk.
In particular, Julia will show us some of the items that she has printed. And she will tell us some stories about why and how she did those particular printing jobs. Perhaps something broke, and she printed a repair part. Or she had an idea for a new invention, and she tried making one. By printing it.
Julia has demonstrated her printers in other venues. In August, she demonstrated 3D printers to young people at the Booth Library in Newtown. When we invited Julia to DACS, we asked if she could do a presentation that would include demonstrations and also go a few steps beyond a “whiz bang” demo … and would include the design aspect. Her answer was, of course, yes, she would be happy to go as far as the time permits.
Julia started designing electronic musical instruments in 1976, at first working for others. She founded Pragmatic Designs Incorporated in 1986, and since then her company has designed over a thousand products. The products have included toys, electronic musical instruments, consumer products, and automatic test equipment. She invented the electronic toys called MicroJammers, Rhythm Rods, and Singing Bouncy Baby. She created the first line of low-cost electronic percussion instruments; she was involved with the first musical greeting cards; she pioneered the use of low-cost voice ICs in toys; she invented and marketed one of the first digital picture frames; and she holds several U.S. patents.
Julia is nothing if not a multifaceted person. On one of her websites, she describes herself: “I’m an inventor and electronics engineer living in Connecticut …“ And she also describes herself: “I’m first and foremost a creative person, and I’m happiest when planning, designing, or making something, whether it be in the kitchen, the workshop, the lab, or the recording studio.”
Come hear Julia Truchsess on Tuesday December 2. And check out her company website http://www.pragmaticdesigns.com.