Composites allow creation of custom materials for unusual applications

June 1, 2008  |  Features, Management, Marketing

It sounds like science fiction: portable airport hangars supported by columns of air, paper that conducts electricity and synthetic mother-of-pearl that can be bent without breaking. We have now entered The Matrix, but don’t expect to see Keanu Reeves in a black coat defying gravity and leading a …
Developing sustainable products and practices

June 1, 2008  |  Business, Features, Projects, Upholstery

From magazine articles to seminars to trade show floors, the topic of sustainability has worked its way into business consciousness. And most manufacturers and distributors are starting to realize that implementing a few green elements here and there is not enough. Is it possible for a business to b…
Marine shops sail with CAD systems

May 1, 2008  |  Business, Features, Marine

Speed. Accuracy. Replication. This is what you hear when you talk to marine fabricators about CAD (Computer-Aided Design) systems. The time from concept to finished product is faster than ever before. Modification is minimal, if not completely eliminated. Fit is perfect the first time, repeating a p…
Rosania takes a risk to expand products and improve processes

May 1, 2008  |  Advanced Textiles, Features, Management, Marketing, Perspective

Sometimes the greatest risk and greatest opportunity for a company is in daring to imagine a different way of doing business. By Sigrid Tornquist “It’s easy to talk about change. It’s much more difficult to implement it,” says Robert Rosania, IFM, CPP, and CEO of Ehmke Manufacturing Co. Inc.…
Tent graphics create their own audience

May 1, 2008  |  Features, Graphics

Picture a tent, pure white and large enough in which to park a Boeing 747. What would you notice about it? Probably that it was very large, and very white. But what could you notice? “The tent by itself says something special is going on here,” says John Schlueter of Karl’s Event Rental. “Bu…
Examining UV-curable inkjet printing

May 1, 2008  |  Features, Graphics

UV-curable inkjet printing has been available for a while now, and the number of printers using UV-curable inks consistently grows. Yet, in inkjet printing, the total number of printers is very small compared to solvent and other types of inkjet printing. Although UV-curable inkjet is exciting and s…
Working with textured fabric creates new printing partnerships

May 1, 2008  |  Features, Graphics

Printing on textured fabrics has introduced a world of new applications. Thanks to the ability to print on non-smooth surfaces with the end result of bright, unified colors and sharp, high-resolution graphics, industries such as exhibition, retail, film, interior design, and fine art reproduction ar…
Wayfinding attracts sign companies

March 1, 2008  |  Features, Graphics

From high profile sports, to airports and hospitals, sign companies thrive in this niche architectural market. By Jamie Swedberg The word “wayfinding” means exactly what you’d think it might mean: it’s the process people go through when they’re orienting themselves in a…
The finesse of post-print finishing

March 1, 2008  |  Features, Graphics

Proficiency in post-print finishing is a balance of art and science. By Jeff Sanders with technical assistance provided by Mike Sanders It has often been said that digital fabric printing is 50 percent science and 50 percent art. It is in the area of post-production finishing that this maxim is most…