3D Printing for Inventors and Entrepreneurs
Prototypes, Product Development, and More

 Speakers: Bill Derry, Doug Lyon, Ph.D., Scott Rownin, Bruce Popek

Moderator and Meeting Organizer: Manny Ratafia

Speaker Bios:

Bill Derry is Assistant Director for Innovation and User Experience at the Westport Public Library. Bill will talk about the role of the 3D printers at the library, show a short video of a 3D printer in use, and describe 3D printing projects of some of the inventors and budding inventors who have created prototypes of their products at the library.

Bill has introduced library patrons and staff to 3D printers and has presented throughout Connecticut on the addition of a MakerSpace to the Library. He led a recent event at the Westport Public Library in which four 3D printers were featured, including two that are owned by the library and permanently housed there, and two commercial quality printers on loan from Statasys. Patrons of all ages and levels of experience are scheduling training and use of the 3D printers at the Westport Public Library.

Bill has worked in several school districts in the state and has expertise in information technology literacy and integration. A graduate of Southern CT State University, Bill was honored in 2011 by the CT Association of School Librarians for significant contributions to the library media field on the local, state and national levels. Bill was previously Coordinator of Information and Technology Literacy for the Westport School System.

Douglas A. Lyon, PhD - will discuss rapid prototyping using higher end 3D printers. He will provide an overview of rapid prototyping services using 3D printers costing over $50,000, including materials such as stainless steel, sterling silver, and ceramics. Doug will show samples made with the Objet Eden printer owned by the Fairfield University School of Engineering. Dr. Lyon will also discuss his use of custom software for creating 3D objects.

Doug Lyon is Chairman of the Computer Engineering Department at Fairfield University, a senior member of the IEEE, President of DocJava, Inc., CTO of Lyon-Ratafia, and President of the Inventors Association of Connecticut (IACT). He received Ph.D., M.S. and B.S.degrees in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Lyon has been on the staff of AT&T Bell Laboratories and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has authored or co-authored three books Java for Programmers (Prentice Hall, 2004), Image Processing in Java ( Prentice Hall, 1999), Java Digital Signal Processing (M&T Press, imprint of Henry Holt, 1997) and has authored numerous journal articles and conference papers. Doug is also active in computer art and music, having his work presented at computer art exhibits and having published papers on computer-generated music.

Scott D. Rownin - founded his company, SafeRide, to develop a new, more effective, approach to preventing the use of a cell phone behind the wheel of a moving car. In developing the SafeRide product, Scott used 3D printing at various stages, from the initial design through testing the fit and assembly of the various component parts. The recent accessibility of 3D printing technology at the Westport Public Library has enabled Scott to make physical prototypes earlier and more cost-effectively than a typical inventor or entrepreneur would have been able to just a short time ago. Scott has learned various formats and processes for 3D printing, and how they can most effectively be applied at the iterative stages of product development to reduce cost and save time. Scott has a background in Bioengineering and Economics, having graduated from the Management & Technology Program at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation, Scott took a detour from his entrepreneurial goals and worked in management consulting, and then finance for nearly 15 years. Just over a year ago, Scott began his career as an entrepreneur, fulfilling his life-long dream of bringing innovative new products to market.

Bruce Popek - President of Design Innovation, Inc, entered the CAD age in 1993 with one seat of Pro Engineering. In 1997, Design Innovation became an early user of SolidWorks and now has multiple seats and their second generation 3D printing system. The office uses an Objet 30 3D printing system, CNC machining, and SLA models. Prior to obtaining the Objet, Design Innovation had a 3D Systems Thermo-Jet 3D printer that used a wax based material.

Design Innovation is a product design firm that works with Fortune 100 companies as well as inventors and entrepreneurs. Clients include Coca Cola, Conair, United Technologies and Hasbro. Their services include pencil sketches, mock-ups, 3D CAD, and 3D printing, with in-house capabilities to create RTV molds, urethane castings and thermo-formings.

Previously, Bruce was Director of Design at Coleco Industries. He started as a Designer for Prince Corporation, now Johnson Controls, designing interior accessories for General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Working with National Semi Conductor and Cadillac, he was on the team that developed the first automotive computer for driver use, and created an aftermarket on-board computer.

Bruce graduated from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit with a BFA in Automotive Design and is a member of the Association of Professional Model Makers (APMM).

Moderator and Meeting Organizer:

Manny Ratafia - is an entrepreneur, management consultant, and angel investor. He has founded and run ventures in a variety of technology areas, organized conferences and meetings, and has consulted to owners and senior executives of companies on a range of management, market, and technology issues. His educational background includes a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union and master's degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and in Engineering and Applied Physics from Harvard, and an MBA from Dartmouth. He has served on the boards of directors and advisory boards of several start-up companies and non-profit organizations. Manny Ratafia's research and opinions have been published and quoted in more than 100 general, business and scientific publications in the U.S., Europe, and Japan. Manny is a member of the Fairfield University School of Engineering Advisory Board. He and Dr. Lyon are business partners in a biomedical venture.