Future Links November 4th

The 3D printing IP war has begun
Many experts have chimed in on what 3D printing will mean for intellectual property protection but so far, the discussion remained mainly theoretical. That is about to change as 3D printing becomes more mainstream and many businesses are seeing opportunities for revenue growth and profits. To prevent commercial interests from stifling innovation in this field, open-source advocate Joshua Pearce and his team at Michigan Technological University have published a study providing an open-source algorithm that identifies the obviousness and prior use of 3D printing materials.
More at 3D Print

Amazon is opening its first real-world bookstore
‘Bricks and clicks’ as a business model has been around for a while but many retailers still complain about the destruction of their businesses by their online rivals. In an ironic twist, it is exactly the online retailer that was the target of much of the criticism that is now opening a bookstore with printed books, inventory and the like.
More at Wired

The benefits of packaging automation robots
Even small manufacturers can realize the return-on-investment for capital outlay for packaging automation robotics in a reasonable period of time, claims an article in Today’s Tech Insight. Robotics should make it easy to integrate packaging into the line using current equipment. And companies that are considering investing in packaging automation technology need to bear in mind that packaging solutions shouldn’t interrupt but optimize the production flow.
More at Today’s Tech Insight

Emerging business models for newspaper printing companies
A new report by Research and Markets discusses new and emerging business models for newspaper printing companies. There has been a lot of change in the business models in the last decade. Some printers turn their businesses into a publisher-owned profit center, others form joint ventures with several owners, and there remain large and independent newspaper printers in North America and in Northern Europe. There are also hybrid models. Some are extending their markets into commercial printing with the help of retrofits and new technology, new organizational concepts and new skill sets, which include the concept of providing an online printing service.
More at Business Wire

New 3D printing method for objects slimmer than a human hair
Bioengineers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new method of 3D printing that allows production of complex micro-scale objects smaller than the width of a human hair. The technique uses patterned ultraviolet light and a custom-shaped flow of polymer material to create 3D objects that could be used in a variety of biomedical and industrial applications.
More at UCLA

Printed blood vessels are a big step toward 3D printed organs
Many new techniques have been developed to get closer to the elusive goal of 3D printed organs. So far, one main challenge has been the printing of functional blood vessels. Without them, functioning printed organs would not be possible. Lately, there have been several breakthroughs including the one from the Chinese company Revotec. Now, researchers from Rice University and the University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated another method for delivering blood to artificial tissues.
More at 3D Printing Industry 

New on the drupa blog: Lenticular print awards
Entries are open for the third Lenstar Lenticular Print Awards, which will culminate with an exhibition of the world’s best lenticular printing at drupa. Awards organisers DPLenticular and Pacur have teamed up with Messe Düsseldorf, organiser of drupa, to host the awards in the drupa innovation park (dip!). The nominated lenticular work will be shown in a special wall gallery in the dip! in Hall 7 of drupa.
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