Future Links December 22nd 2014
Today our news roundup from the printing industry covers major trends in 3D printing for 2015, top honors for Paarl Media and its joint venture partners, a new filament that shines like gold, Benson Group’s new gift packaging, disposable solar cells printed on paper and the impact of falling oil prices on the plastic packaging industry.
2015 will be an exciting year for 3D printing
This year has seen a boom in 3D printing and pundits expect 2015 to be even more exciting as new technologies and companies emerge and big companies like HP enter the space. Medical miracles and better, faster, cheaper printing are among the trends experts predict for 2015. More at Venture Beat
Paarl Media wins top honors at the 2014 Logistic Achiever Awards
The South African printer Paarl Media Group was honored as part of a joint venture, including Lebone Litho, and UTI, for distinction in logistics and supply chain management. The joint venture printed, warehoused and delivered 60 million workbooks to 25,700 public schools over 90 days.
More at Graphic Repro
New PLA-based filament that shines like gold
ColorFabb is adding some sparkle to the holiday season: Today, the company introduced a new 3D printer filament called brassFill that is based on a new proprietary PLA formulation and provides the ability to 3D print objects that have a finished golden look to them. ColorFabb’s product range already includes a bronzeFill and copperFill-filament.
More at 3D Print
Benson Group’s new gift packaging looks beyond the holidays
Luxurious gifts look even better in elegant packaging. The Benson Group has looked to 2015 Paris fashion trends to be inspired for their new line of premium cardboard packaging solutions that the company will be presenting at the trade show Top Drawer in January in London. More at Packaging Europe
Assistant professor developed solar cells printed on paper
Trisha Andrew, an assistant professor in the department of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has developed a new method to make flexible solar cells that are cheap enough to be disposable. Just a few weeks ago, she says, Yuelin Peng, a graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, showed a prototype that was printed on paper and is able to charge a smartphone under fluorescent light.
More at Printed Electronics World
Falling oil prices are a boon for plastic packaging
Oil is an important raw material for the plastics industry: Approximately five percent of the worldwide oil production is used to make plastics. Worldwide production of plastics is currently estimated at 265 million metric tons and still growing. Resin, a derivative of oil, makes up a significant portion of the cost of goods sold of the packaging companies. That’s why a drop in prices for crude oil also benefits the plastics packaging industry.
More at Zacks