Future Links June 18th 2015
Today our news roundup from the printing industry covers SWISSto12’s contract with the European Space Agency, a printed version of Wikipedia, an emphasis on power savings by Xerox India, 3D printed pills with programmable drug release, Printicular’s launch in Germany, Siemens’ partner program for 3D start-ups and Epson’s plans for growth in the label industry.
SWISSto12 prints parts for the European Space Agency
The start-up SWISSto12 specializes in creating high performance antenna that support high-level data links and has just signed a contract to supply these antennae to the European Space Agency. The antennae are 3D printed in plastic and then metal plated using a proprietary process. With 3D printing, both manufacturing costs and overall weight are significantly reduced in comparison to traditional antennae that are manufactured by machining metallic materials.
More at TCT
Printed Version of Wikipedia for sale
Seriously? A 7471-volume printed version of Wikipedia for 500,000 USD? Well, yes and no. The creator of the art project, Michael Mandiberg admits that the project is largely futile given the nature of Wikipedia — the gargantuan online knowledge base is constantly updated by millions of people around the world, thus rendering any printed version almost immediately obsolete.
More at Venture Beat
Xerox India emphasizes power savings
Xerox India announced that it would focus on machines that consume less power and work more efficiently. The Indian subsidiary said that the company-wide focus was on the environment and that Xerox India is undertaking strong efforts to be and remain eco-friendly.
More at The Economic Times
Scientists develop 3D printed pills with programmable drug release
Scientists at several universities around the world are working on harnessing the power of 3D printing to make better pills with targeted and personalized drug release mechanisms. The newest addition to this growing body of work comes from the University of Minnesota, Princeton University and Washington University in St. Louis. The researchers have developed a 3D printed pill made of smart material that is able to release the drugs one ‘payload’ at a time, due to gold nanorods which are built into the shell structure.
More at 3D Print
Printicular instant photo printing starts in Germany
Printicular, one of the world’s fastest growing mobile photo printing services, announced its launch in Germany as part of the KODAK Photo Service program. Printicular app users can send photos directly from their phones and print instantly on Kodak Picture Kiosks at over 1,600 dm stores. Printicular has been one of the fastest growing mobile photo print services worldwide. In the U.S., six million photos have been printed using its apps at thousands of retail locations.
More at Business Wire
Siemens offers partner program for 3D printing start-ups
The industrial giant Siemens is venturing into 3D printing by offering start-up access to its Frontier Partner Program. Several companies have been named at partners at the launch of the program, including Authentise, a company that makes engineering software to securely stream 3D designs directly to printers and Matterfab, a start-up that develops a metal 3D printer for industrial use.
More at 3D Print
Epson wants to grow in the label industry
The label industry is extremely diverse and even though Epson has had a presence in it, the company is not known as a label press manufacturer. The company has now revealed its plans for growth with new presses. Revealing its investment in the label industry and plans to produce a wide portfolio of products for niche applications, Epson has launched its own digital label technology in the form of the ColorWorks C7500 compact color label printer.
More at Print Monthly