Future Links July 31st 2015
Today our news roundup from the printing industry covers a 3D printed instant camera, colored conductive inks, Schivo joining Stratasys network, Ricoh India introducing intelligent barcode solution, Herma reporting strong growth and walk-up printing made more efficient with EFI and Ricoh.
Student 3D prints instant camera
This is one practical example how 3D printing can in fact be combined with 2D printing. A student at Linköping Univeristy in Sweden used a 3D printer to create a camera that instantly prints photos using a thermal printer and a Raspberry Pi mini computer. It only cost 170 $ to make and could have been even cheaper if he chose to use a smaller battery.
More at 3D Print
Colored conductive inks
Of course, the main priority for conductive inks to be used for printed electronics like touch screens and wearables is functionality. But sometimes, the appearance of graphics arts is desired as well. For that reason, Creative Materials has introduced a family of electrically conductive inks and coatings in several primary colors. They are designed for application by screen-printing, dipping and syringe dispensing and can be blended to achieve a variety of secondary or tertiary colors.
More at Printed Electronics World
Schivo joins Stratasys network
Expanding Stratasys’ Global Manufacturing Network means that more and more manufacturing service providers can provide localized manufacturing and capacity to reduce costs and lead times. Instead of producing parts in the US and shipping them to Europe, the company can now send the file to Irish Schivo3D to produce locally as the company’s 3D printing division has partnered with Stratasys Direct Manufacturing.
More at 3D Print
Ricoh India introduces intelligent barcode solution
Today, many businesses print barcode and OCR to keep track of inventory and mission critical documents with the help of a separate device or supplementary hardware. Ricoh India has introduced an Intelligent Barcode Solution software that enables a wide range of Ricoh products to print barcode and optical character recognition. In addition, IBS has a built-in function that eliminates the need for programing modification.
More at Express Computer
Herma reports strong growth
Self-adhesive materials, labels and labelling machines by Herma have never been more popular worldwide, says the company. Sales increased 261.2 to 282.0 million euros, an all-time high in the company’s history. As the reason for this they see the investment in manufacturing technology for speciality products and the development of international activities.
More at Packaging Europe
Walk-up printing made more efficient with EFI and Ricoh
Universities, libraries, retail print shops and others can now offer efficient and user-friendly walk-up printing services thanks to an expanded partnership between EFI and Ricoh Americas Corporation, as the companies say. For that, EFI Self-Serve M500 Copy and Print Station and EFI Self-Serve AdminCentral software are available with select Ricoh devices.
More at What They Think