Future Links December 10th 2014
Today our news roundup from the printing industry covers a dress printed in one piece, a market forecast for graphene, Ricoh’s multi-million dollar acquisition, an industry survey about bio-based packaging, Agfa’s award-winning ink, Monadnock’s and Smart Planet’s strategic collaboration and Heidelberg’s consulting services.
Custom-fitted dress printed in one piece
It looks like a knitted dress that could have taken weeks to make. Just the opposite it true: The dress was printed in one piece and resulted from a collaboration of the two companies Shapeways and Nervous System. The dress is made of 2279 triangles connected by 3316 hinge joints. It is the first printed dress with no attachments or assembly required, and was wearable right out of the printer.
More at 3D Print
Market for graphene expected to grow rapidly
The so-called miracle material graphene has great potential for a variety of industrial applications, additive manufacturing among them. The market research firm ID TechEx predicts that the market at the material level will grow from 20 million USD in 2014 to close to 400 million USD in 2024.
More at Printed Electronics World
Ricoh makes multi-million USD acquisition
Ricoh has worked with PTI Marketing Technologies for years but now, the collaboration will become even closer. In a multi-million dollar deal, Ricoh bought PTI. The two companies that are now under one roof will continue to develop new marketing collateral management tools that help enterprises and commercial printers improve control of their marketing assets and workflow.
More at What They Think
Companies are planning to increase their use of bio-based packaging
Dell’s mushroom-derived packaging made headlines earlier this year and the interest in bio-based packaging is clearly on the rise. But will this interest translate into real demand? Packaging Digest surveyed businesses and found that 43 % are planning to use bio-based packaging in the next three to five years. And equal percentage was not certain whether their packaging would be conventional or bio-based in the future.
More at Packaging Digest
Agfa’s ink wins innovation award
Low-migration ink is essential for food packaging and Agfa has been working on ink that can be printed directly on primary packaging. The low-migration ink has now been selected for the essenscia Innovation Award, a prestigious biannual chemistry award honoring a project that offers a concrete solution to a current problem.
More at FESPA
Monadnock and Smart Planet will strengthen their collaboration
Monadnock Paper Mills and Smart Planet have entered a strategic agreement to use Smart Planet’s EarthCoating technology for adhesive beverage labels in North America. This move is in part a response to an increased customer demand to reduce plastic in packaging and opt for more eco-friendly options.
More at Labels & Labeling
Heidelberg to offer consulting services
With its new Performance Plus Program, Heidelberg aims at identifying inefficiencies in its clients’ operations and help them find better solutions. In a pilot program, the U.S. printer Contemporary Graphic Solutions increased performance by 40 per cent and saved 250,000 USD over 12 months, according to Heidelberg.
More at ProPrint