Future Links May 28th 2015
Today our news roundup from the printing industry covers GE Ventures investment in a 3D printing start-up, new magazine formats to accommodate new reading habits, De La Rue’s currency woes, 3D printed lens shades for high-end cameras, QuadTech and ColorConsulting’s partnership, Walki’s planned sales of its industrial packaging business and Sun Chemical’s new color management centers in Latin America.
GE Ventures invests 5.75 million USD in 3D printing start-up
Metal 3D printing has great potential in the manufacturing industry but there are still technological challenges that need to be overcome. The start-up MatterFab wants to change the way metal 3D printing is done by making the process more scalable and affordable. To support the company’s product development, GE Ventures now invested 5.75 million USD in the company.
More at Tech Crunch
Magazines try new designs and formats
Computer and tablet screens are changing the way we are looking at text and images. In an effort to accommodate new habits and attract some attention, the June 8th edition of Crain Communications’ Autoweek will be published horizontally instead of vertically, making it look more like a responsive design. Other magazines have gone further in their effort and included video screens and interactive content.
More at Media Post
Banknote printing business not crisis-proof
Recently, the money printing business De La Rue has won a 10-year contract with the Bank of England to print sterling at the Bank’s printing plant at Debden in Essex. Yet the weak Euro has affected De La Rue’s business, leading to a downturn in profits not only in its money printing business but also in its microchip and passport processing systems unit.
More at The Independent
Alpa introduces 3D printed lens shades for high-end cameras
The Swiss company Alpa specializes in high-end cameras and allows customers to combine different digital or analog backs with a range of different lenses to create their own personalized and custom camera system. It has now started to use 3D printing processes to manufacture custom lens shades that were expensive and difficult to produce using more traditional methods.
More at 3ders
QuadTech and ColorConsulting team up
QuadTech, Inc. and ColorConsulting S.r.l. have announced a formal partnership that will combine their years of expertise in color quality and waste reduction, along with their knowledge of the package printing and converting industry. The two company who have collaborated before will combine their understanding of prepress and pressroom workflows, thus enhancing printers’ efficiency by automating the exchange of color data within workflows.
More at Graphic Repro Online
Walki to sell large parts of its industrial packaging business
The Walki Group is planning to sell its Pietarsaari facility in Finland and the Wroclaw facility in Poland. These two mills constitute the major part of Walki’s Industrial Packaging business, producing primarily packaging material for the paper industry as well as for the corrugated board industry.
More at EUWID Pulp and Paper
Sun Chemical is opening six color centers in Latin America
Sun Chemical is expanding in the Latin American region by providing color management expertise in six new color centers in San Salvador, El Salvador; Mexico City, Mexico; Cali, Colombia; Lima, Peru; São Paulo, Brazil and Santiago, Chile. The color centers will build the foundation for customers in the region to implement a digitally color managed workflow.
More at Ink World Magazine