Future Links June 11th 2015
Here are our daily links with the most important news from the printing industry. Today they feature Sutherland Packaging’s direct printing milestone, advances in metal 3D printing, the benefits of 3D printing for the aviation industry, Vistaprint’s discontinuation of its TradeAdvantage printing service, Sun Chemical’s acquisition of Eastern European suppliers, allergy information for food packaging scientists and Heidelberg’s plan to return to solid growth.
Sutherland Packaging announces direct printing milestone
Sutherland Packaging has developed a new direct print technology for both large and small-scale corrugated units, which removes the need for a lithographic label to be applied over corrugated substrates. The method can be used for on-box marketing, point-of-sales display and custom packaging.
More at Food Production Daily
Advances in metal 3D printing yet challenges remain
Metals hold great promise as materials for 3D printing but because most of them require high temperatures to be melted down into a pliable form, 3D printing with metals has been challenging. Now, researchers from the University of Twente in the Netherlands have found a new way to print structures of gold and copper through an additive process.
More at 3ders
3D printing brings tangible advantages in aviation
Savings in weight, production costs and manufacturing time are just some of the advantages that 3D printing promises to bring to the aviation industry. In an interview, Stratasys expert Scott Sevcik shared his perspective about the role 3D printing can play in the story of aviation.
More at Euronews
Vistaprint discontinues TradeAdvantage service
Less than a year after Vistaprint started its TradeAdvantage online printing services for businesses in Australia, the company announced that it is discontinuing the service. TradeAdvantage offered some 120 print and promotional products including t-shirts, mugs and pens to print businesses to resell, in runs as low as one, as well as the usual business cards and flyers.
More at i-grafix
Sun Chemical buys suppliers in Eastern Europe
In a move to consolidate its presence in Eastern Europe, Sun Chemical is acquiring several suppliers. The Sun Chemical Group acquired the remaining shares in ink vendor Druckfarben Hellas Group’s Eastern European operations, giving it complete ownership of the business in the region.
More at Output Magazine
Allergy information for food packaging scientists
As the knowledge about food allergies is spreading, so are the possible precautions food manufacturers have to take to ensure that their products are safe for consumption. While it is required in many jurisdictions that food labels display allergen information, food packaging scientists and engineers are also asked to take care that no cross-contamination occurs through packaging materials or processes. More at Packaging Digest
Heidelberg outlines path to new growth
Heidelberg’s CEO Gerold Linzbach said that the company is doing everything to ensure that the restructuring story of the past three years turns into a growth story again. The goal in the medium-term was to grow consumables and services, which currently make up around 40% of sales, to become the dominant part of the business at over 50% of turnover. He is targeting overall sales growth of 2%-4% in the same timeframe.
More at Printweek