Future Links July 15th 2015
Here are our daily links with the most important news from the printing industry. Today they feature a 3D printed USB stick, FedEx Office’s use of EFI software, printed food for the armed forces, L&S Display’s wall visuals, an autonomous 3D printed plane, a price hike for recycled cardboard in Germany and the importance of connectivity for smart packaging.
British scientists 3D print a USB stick
A team of scientists at the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre has developed a method that allows them to embed solid objects such as electronics into resin objects while 3D printing them with an SLA machine. They printed a USB stick as proof of concept.
More at 3ders
FedEx Office aims to increase productivity with EFI software
FedEx Office, a commercial print provider, is using EFI software to streamline its print production. The software allows the FedEx Office Network Fulfillment Center to manage the distribution of print jobs originating in one location to be sent for completion at production locations closer to the customer’s point of need, leveraging the vast FedEx Office national network for centralized, regionalized and localized printing, based on distribution requirements.
More at Printing Impressions
Printed food captures the imagination of the armed forces
The concept of 3D printed food appeals to many people. Just putting the right ingredients into a printer and out comes a perfectly balanced nutritious meal has something simple and magical to it. But there are more serious uses, too. In an interview with Food Business News, Mary Scerra, a food technologist at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts, said that by 2025 or 2030, the military envisions using 3D printing to customize meals for soldiers that taste good, are nutrient-dense, and could be tailored to a soldier’s particular needs.
More at Food Business News
L&S Display creates visuals for walls of Christie’s building in London
Once in a while, a customer request comes along that requires a lot of creativity and ingenuity. For L&S Display, this happened when renowned auction house Christie’s asked them to produce customized visuals for their walls. L&S Display used Asphalt Art non-slip media, a specific type of material with high levels of adhesion for direct application onto the stone surface of the walls as well as onto the pavement.
More at What They Think
Autonomous 3D printed plane can help to catch poachers
Toby Lankford who has worked in robotics and anti-poaching projects is now using his expertise to develop a 3D printed, solar-powered autonomous aerial vehicle that can help catch poachers. His project, the Icarus 3.0, will be released as an open-source design on Thingiverse and is also in the running to win the 2015 Hackaday Prize.
More at 3D Print
Producers increase prices for brown recycled paperboard in Germany
Paper producers and suppliers raised brown recycled containerboard prices on the market in Germany. Price hikes took effect in July. Producers are fairly unconcerned about whether the increase will prove lasting, according to EUWID Pulp and Paper.
More at EUWID Pulp and Paper
Smart packaging experts highlight opportunities
A panel of industry experts provides an inside look at smart packaging that can improve consumer engagement, operational costs and efficiencies and address food safety concerns. The experts agree that connectivity is one of the main factors that will be key for the packaging of the future.
More at Packaging Digest