
Josef Průša (born 23 February 1990) is a Czech businessman and
3D printer
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...
developer. He is the owner of
Prusa Research
Prusa Research (often referred to as just Prusa) is a Czech company that produces 3D printers, and was the world's second largest 3D printer manufacturer in 2020.
It was founded in 2012 by Josef Průša, a developer in the RepRap project which ha ...
.
Biography
Josef Průša was born on 23 February 1990 in
Havlíčkův Brod
Havlíčkův Brod (, until 1945 Německý Brod; ) is a town in Havlíčkův Brod District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban mon ...
,
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
.
He studied applied
computer science
Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...
at the
University of Economics in Prague
The Prague University of Economics and Business (PUEB) (originally: ''the University of Economics, Prague''; '', VŠE'') is an economics and business-oriented public university located in Prague, Czech Republic. It is the largest university in ...
,
but did not complete it. At the age of 19 he began designing 3D printers, and in 2012 he founded Prusa Research. The foundation for his business was his collaboration with the
RepRap project
RepRap (a contraction of ''replicating rapid prototyper'') is a project to develop low-cost 3D printers that can print most of their own components. As open designs, all of the designs produced by the project are released under a free software l ...
,
a 3D printer project that can partially replicate itself and is available as
open-source hardware
Open-source hardware (OSH, OSHW) consists of physical artifact (software development), artifacts of technology designed and offered by the open-design movement. Both free and open-source software (FOSS) and open-source hardware are created by th ...
.
He has lectured on 3D printing and open-source hardware. He also has taught
Arduino
Arduino () is an Italian open-source hardware and open-source software, software company, project, and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices. Its hardwar ...
at the Faculty of Arts,
Charles University
Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...
, and taught at the
Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague
The Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (AAAD, , abbreviated VŠUP, also known as UMPRUM) is a public university located in Prague, Czech Republic. The university offers the study disciplines of painting, illustration and graphics, ...
.
In 2021,
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
ranked him as the 75th richest Czech with assets of 4.3 billion
Czech koruna
The koruna, or crown (sign: Kč; code: CZK, ), has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's eight currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to adopt the euro in the future.
The ...
.
Awards
*
EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2016
* Wooden Medal of the
Vysočina Region
The Vysočina Region (; ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic. Its capital is Jihlava.
The region is located in the central part of the country. It is one of just three in the country (the others being Prague and the Central Boh ...
(2012)
*
Mensa Czech Republic Honorary Recognition Award for 2021, beating other nominees
Jiří Březina
In fluid dynamics, the Reynolds number () is a dimensionless quantity that helps predict fluid flow patterns in different situations by measuring the ratio between inertial and viscous forces. At low Reynolds numbers, flows tend to be domina ...
, Jan Frolík,
Petr Horálek, and Libuša Hozová.
See also
*
Prusa i3
The Prusa i3 is a family of fused filament fabrication 3D printers, manufactured by Czech company Prusa Research under the trademarked name Original Prusa i3. Part of the RepRap project, Prusa i3 printers were called the most used 3D printer in ...
*
RepRap
RepRap (a contraction of ''replicating rapid prototyper'') is a project to develop low-cost 3D printers that can print most of their own components. As open designs, all of the designs produced by the project are released under a free software l ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prusa, Josef
1990 births
Living people
People from Havlíčkův Brod
3D printing specialists
Academic staff of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague
Czech businesspeople