Future Links May 26th 2015
Today our news roundup from the printing industry covers the attempts to increase quality and consistency in metal 3D printing, the influence of 3D printing on the medical field, a new outlet for screen printing, the tobacco industry’s fight against plain packaging, rapid growth predictions for the green packaging market, the difficulties with industry growth predictions, Fotex’ new materials for high-speed inkjet printing and the role of plastic packaging in the personal care market.
Research aims at overcoming barriers in metal 3D printing
Metal 3D printing is seen as having great potential for industrial applications yet a host of inconsistencies and quality control issues is holding back its progress. New research aims at identifying concrete performance and reliability issues that undermine the fusion process.
More at 3D Print
3D printing transforms the medical field
While there is still an ongoing debate about 3D printing’s potential to revolutionize industrial manufacturing processes, it is clear that the technology is having a profound impact on the medial field. “3D printing is revolutionizing every aspect of the medical industry. It saves time, it saves more lives and it improves the efficiency of the surgery as well,” said Dr. Muhanad Hatamleh in an interview with the IBTimes UK.
More at International Business Times
Collaborative printmaking is a success at festivals
Shawn Brewer views himself as a storyteller and screen printing is his passion that he wants to share with as many people as possible. He came up with the idea to offer open-air screen printing at festivals next to food stands and T-shirt vendors. While he enjoys selling the prints, he really likes interacting directly with his customers, educating them about the printing process.
More at Boston.com
Tobacco industry ready to go to court over plain tobacco packaging
The tobacco industry is prepared to sue the UK government over its decision to mandate plain packaging for tobacco products, according to press reports. The industry is allegedly ready to sue for damages amounting to 11 billion British Pounds.
More at Vox Political
Rapid growth anticipated for green packaging market
The global market for packaging classified as “green” is expected to grow by more than 50 percent by 2021, according to a recent report from Transparency Market Research. The main motivations for the increasing demand are health concerns and the desire to reduce landfill waste. These trends will propel the market for recycled-content, reusable and degradable packaging from 132 billion USD in 2014 up to 203 million USD in 2021.
More at Manufacturing.net
Mcor CEO says predicting industry’s growth almost impossible
In an interview with The Motley Fool, Mcor CEO Conor MacCormack shares his views of the 3D printing industry and argues that predicting its growth is all but impossible. He believes that what we currently see is only scraping the surface and that developments in countries like China could blow out all previous predictions.
More at Motley Fool
Fotex launches new materials for high-speed inkjet printing
Digital coating specialist Folex has launched a range of new materials for high-speed inkjet printing. The new nano-porous coating can be applied to a number of different substrate types, including PET, PP and vinyl.
More at Print Week
Plastic packaging prevails in personal care market
At 61 % market share, plastic in the form of bottles, jars, compacts and tubes is the dominant packaging material for cosmetics and other personal care products. Plastic will keep its lead in the foreseeable future with an expected 12 % growth by 2019.
More at Packaging Digest