UniNet updates e-newsletter format

May 22, 2013

Toner and components manufacturer announces new weekly e-newsletter format to improve user experience.

The new UniNews is designed to provide subscribers with an improved, seamless and friendly user experience as well as its usual role of providing streamlining information resources UniNet offers to the aftermarket industry.

Among the e-newsletter’s features are its customary new product of the week, latest releases, ready-to-view remanufacturing instructions and product trends; with new additions to the newsletter including capabilities to access UniNet’s complete range of products and services by engine or by remanufacturing components.

Categories : Rank 5

Tags : Marketing Technology UniNet

Fuji Xerox enhances product distribution worldwide

May 21, 2013

The OEM has signed a deal to work with two business integrators to help improve its supply chain and product distribution. 

The two companies, GXS and NEC Support, offer business-to-business and IT integration services, and are working with the OEM to offer “full visibility into its global supply chain to effectively track global product distribution”. Fuji Xerox will use GXS’s management services and NEC’s cloud offerings, and will gain “greater insight into inventory information and the location of goods as they travel through the supply chain from the production base to domestic and international distributors”.

The OEM noted that “in recent years” it has become “increasingly challenging […] reporting the status and delivery estimations on products”, and for each enquiry it received from partners, the OEM “needed to email or phone factories and transportation carriers in order to report back on a delivery status”, with some distributors even “securing extra stock to offset transportation delays”.

The two companies’ services will now allow Fuji Xerox to “track the shipments” between itself and over 1,600 carriers and partners globally, with the first system for shipments used between China and Japan in February earlier this year. Shipments between China, Europe and the USA are now live and are “planned for greater expansion across Asia” soon. The systems allow Fuji Xerox to “accurately locate and report on the status of each shipment”.

Yoshi Tanaka, Vice President of Japan Sales at GXS, stated: “As business globalisation increases, so does the sophistication of logistics involved in doing business. Companies need to be able to track the flow of goods throughout their supply chain and to effectively manage and deliver inventory.

“The solution for Fuji Xerox combines NEC’s database with our experienced B2B integration team to deliver a solution that allows customers to continue to meet the growing demands of international business.”

Categories : Rank 5

Tags : Business Fuji Xerox Technology

Worldwide hardcopy sales see 9.7 percent decline

May 16, 2013

IDC’s latest global report notes that the year-on-year decline in both units and shipments value is the third consecutive quarter of decline.

The statistics, from the analyst’s Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, states that the global market decreased by 9.7 percent in the first quarter of 2013 in comparison to the year before, with 25.8 million units shipped. The shipment value also declined by 5.7 percent to a  value of $14.3 billion (€11.1 billion).

Colour laser MFP markets saw the largest growth of 3.2 percent in 1Q13, followed by monochrome laser MFPs with a growth of 0.9 percent. Monochrome laser devices also ranked second in terms of units shipped with 7.8 million, and first in shipment value with $5.5 billion (€4.2 billion), giving them a 30 percent share of the global market in unit shipments and 39 percent share in terms of value.

Colour laser meanwhile represents 42 percent of the shipment value market, whilst conversely holding only a seven percent share of shipments in 1Q13. Colour inkjet MFPs however continue to hold a majority of the market with a 50 percent share in the first quarter. 15 million inkjet units were shipped worldwide, with 13 million of these colour inkjet MFPs.

In terms of OEM market share, HP remains in first place with a global market share of 38.7 percent, despite a decline of 13.4 percent in shipments, down to 10 million units. The OE< also dominated in the USA, with a one percent gain in shipments on 1Q12. Canon achieved the best shipment growth with 13.7 percent, and shipped 5.3 million units, maintaining its position in second place, and it also saw growth in all regions except Japan.

Epson, despite a decline of 26.8 percent in units shipped, remains third with 3.9 million units shipped, with the US its strongest region. The OEM also saw its Workforce WF and Pro models enjoy a “significant uptick” in sales. Brother meanwhile consolidated its fourth place standing with a growth of 10.6 percent in sales, giving it a 20 percent share in the market, with no growth only in Japan, the Middle East and Africa.

Finally, Samsung remains in fifth place with 1.7 million units shipped and a fall of 2.7 percent over 2012. The OEM did however gain sales in the US and western Europe despite losing sales in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. The Recycler reported earlier this week that the western European hardcopy peripherals market had seen a drop of 14.5 percent in sales.

Phuong Hang, IDC’s Program Manager for Worldwide Quarterly Hardcopy Peripherals Tracker, stated: “Markets are changing and this is bringing about changes in strategy and product portfolios. The key areas of focus for many vendors are mobility, the cloud, and how users access material for printing.

“With many workers either working from home or working remotely several times per week, they must be able to access their company information and, in many cases, print this information from a variety devices and locations. The key for manufacturers will be the ability to offer this in a format that makes it simple and easy for the business and its users.”

You can view the tables and statistics from IDC’s latest results below.

 

Categories : Rank 1

Tags : Business Market Data Technology

PowerVip highlights issue of clones in chip technologies

May 15, 2013

Chip manufacturer releases report providing information on cloned chips for printer cartridges, emphasising that it is not just the cartridge itself that people should be wary of.

In a report developed by PowerVip Management, the company recognises that while efforts have been made by ETIRA and other remanufacturing associations to inform and warn the industry about clone cartridges present in the market, little has been said about the issue of clones in chip technologies.

As a result, PowerVip has issued a report, ‘Clones for Microcontrollers & Chips’,  aimed at informing the remanufacturing industry about how to recognise clone chips and help uncover clone chip suppliers, using PowerVip’s knowledge of the chip manufacturing industry.

The report details the two different types of chips that are found in cartridges – Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips, which are custom-designed, dedicated to a specific function and require a big start-up investment to manufacture; and Microcontroller Unit (MCU) chips, which are bought from an open market and then programmed for general purposes such as printer cartridges and telecommunications.

PowerVip states that while ASIC chips are suitable for manufacturing in large volumes such as for HP printers, MCU chips are better suited for smaller products such as chips for Samsung, Lexmark and Epson cartridges, with initial investment needed for engineering, assembling and programming, but not for the manufacture of the chip itself.

The report also warns that chips with a “big black dot” that can appear to be ASIC chips could in fact be MCU chips with a plastic cover.

PowerVip explains how it decided to test lots of MCU chips after noticing an increasing number of cheap prices on the market from Asian competitors to see of the companies were doing something better. The company claims that many of the MCU chips were discovered to not be original and that the competitors had not “achieved more efficiency or got lower rates by buying large quantities”, thus concluding that the chips were clones.

Drawing upon its findings, PowerVip emphasises the need for businesses in the industry to decide carefully on who supplies their chips, and that “if everybody knows and recognises that there are clone cartridges, it is now time to reveal that there are also clone MCUs”.

Have you encountered any clone chips? Email news@therecycler.com

Categories : Rank 5

Tags : Clones PowerVip Technology

New high-quality graphene ink developed

May 14, 2013

Researchers use graphene flakes to make highly conductive ink.

A new type of high-quality ink has been developed by US researchers that uses graphene patterns for creating highly detailed and highly conductive electrodes, with the newest study of this type of ink having around 250 times the conductive property of previous patterns created.

Headed by Ethan B Sector of Northwestern University in Evanston, the study has resulted in the graphene inkjet being highly tolerant to the stresses brought through bending; only losing a small amount of conductivity.

Noting that inkjet printing is a useful method for handling components composed of electricity due to the cost-versus-range dynamic and the ability to print substrates, the researchers recognise that the printing of such highly conductive electrodes is challenging due to the high level of resolution required. However, graphene was chosen for its high conductivity, chemical stability and flexibility compared to alternative inks.

According to the researchers, one of the most important aspects of printing with the compound is the gathering of such large quantities of graphene; but while there are a handful of mass-production methods available, the inkjet printing comes with additional benefit of exfoliation – the use of graphene oxide to produce flakes.

Mark Hersam, a professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University and co-author of the study, which was published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, said: “Essentially all electronic devices and circuits required high-conductivity and high-resolution electrical contacts and interconnects. Therefore, our graphene inks have the potential to impact a wide range of applications, especially printed electronics, flexible electronics, and affordable electronics. Example downstream applications for these types of electronic devices include smartphones, tablets, flat panel displays, and photovoltaics.”

Explaining how far the ink development has progressed so far and where it is heading, Hersam said: “Thus far, we have achieved the graphene ink development and characterization. On the other hand, our future research will focus on integrating our printed graphene inks into fully fabricated electronic devices and circuits, including the downstream applications listed above. In this manner, we can fully exploit our fundamental research advances for real-world technology.”

Categories : Rank 5

Tags : Ink North America Technology

Xerox printers to become exam-marking systems

May 9, 2013

The OEM’s machines will utilise software to mark exam papers in the United States.

USA Today revealed that the Ignite software package, which is due to be rolled out by Xerox later this year, “turns the numerous copiers, scanners and printers it has in schools” across the USA into “paper-grading machines”, grading work where answers are written by students.

The news outlet explained the system as “turning those answers into analysable data” through turning right and wrong answers into “web-accessible data for teachers”, providing reports that say if a student or group “are consistently having more trouble” with certain questions. This in turn allows teachers to tailor their classes towards dealing with the problematic scenarios.

The software will allow the OEM to provide teachers with the ability to assign “specific tests or homework assignments” that are “tailored to academic strengths and weaknesses”. Ignite was invented by Xerox researchers who had worked in its research and development department, and who had worked at the school where it “arguably was born”, DeWitt Road Elementary School in Webster, New York.

The researchers had noticed that teachers weren’t able to always assess such weaknesses due to time pressures, and the OEM responded by utilising information analysis to help teachers pinpoint problem areas. The software does not automatically grade work, and questions need to be tagged with data so that Ignite knows what the question refers to, but once the test has been put in once, the system can use it repeatedly.

Eric Hamby, Principal Scientist at Xerox, stated of the discovery: “They went and lived in the school and started to get a sense of, in a teacher’s day-to-day life, what keeps them from doing what they do best. [Teachers] want to know who’s getting it, who’s not getting it and how can they adjust their instruction on a day-to-day basis.

“We saw a jumping off point for Xerox. We know things like document workflow management; we know how to lift information stuck on the page off the page where we can do all sorts of things with it, like analytics.”

Jan Barrett, retired Principal of DeWitt Road Elementary, stated: “It is a major game changer. It really elevates instruction in the classroom to a much more empirical level. You have tools now at your disposal to adjust, make changes, immediately on a day-to-day basis on the curriculum you’re teaching that day.”

Deborah Drago-Leaf, Xerox’s Education Support Manager and also a teacher, added: “I used to try to organise piles, ‘everybody got this concept incorrect.’ It takes a lot of time when you’re doing multiple assessments for 20-plus kids every week. That’s time the teacher can spend creating the instruction for students [...] rather than just chugging through a predefined lesson plan. It’s a shift from [...] paperwork to meaningful work.”

The system is planned to be offered to all schools in the USA for the start of the next school year, with schools able to pay for the service on a subscription basis.

Categories : Rank 5

Tags : Technology Xerox

Toner powder converted into weed killer

May 7, 2013

Powder Recycling’s Angus Carnie claims waste toner powder can be recycled for use as a weed killer.

Carnie explains that the technique of converting waste toner powder into an effective weed killer has taken the company’s experts “many years to perfect”, but that the end result is “extremely effective and long lasting”.

He emphasises that “simple, low cost additives” must be added to the toner for the conversion to work, but that the discovery is “great news for remanufacturers and recyclers as they can instantly convert waste toner powder into weed killer” on-site, cutting transportation costs.

Those requiring further information should contact Carnie by emailing angus.carnie@virgin.net

The Recycler also reported earlier this year on Carnie’s announcement that he had developed a method of converting waste toner powder into commercial flooring described as “extremely hard-wearing”, with Carnie claiming that the method “will work every time” and “in every country”.

Categories : Rank 5

Tags : Environment Technology Toner

OCP releases new Canon and HP inks

April 30, 2013

The ink manufacturer has launched inks for both OEMs, including HP’s Officejet Pro X.

The Canon inks are designed for use with Canon’s PGI-550, CLI-551, PGI-250 and CLI-251 cartridges, and include a new black pigment ink, photo black ink, grey ink and “three new colour dye-based” inks for “OEM-like printing results”. The company added that “all cartridges are available as standard and XL cartridges”, and that “amples are – as always – available” in 250g packaging.

The manufacturer also announced the release of inks for use in HP’s Officejet Pro X machines, which are said to be the fastest inkjet machines released at this time. The four machines in the range include the single function Officejet Pro x451dn and x551dw, as well as the multifunction Officejet Pro x476dn and x576dw.

The machines use HP’s PageWide Technology, “enabling single pass prints with speed of up to 70 ppm in General Office quality mode” according to OCP, with “high quality prints at up to two times the speed and half the printing cost of laser”. The cartridges, 970 and 971, are single ink cartridges containing “all-pigment inks” that are “vibrant”, “water-resistant” and “will last for decades”.

OCP noted in turn that its research and development department developed “brand new Pigment inks for the HP 970 and 971 cartridges, giving OEM-like properties”, and added that the new cartridges “are also equipped with a chip which is recognized by the printer”, for a which a “replacement chip as well as a reset solution currently does not exist”, adding that it doesn’t have information “about if or when such a solution will be available”.

A full list of products available from the manufacturer can be found the Products and Technology section of issue 245 of The Recycler, which will be available for subscribers next month.

Categories : Uncategorized

Tags : Inkjet OCP Technology

Edible image printing demonstrated in videos

April 30, 2013

Company produces videos demonstrating use of edible inks for decorating cakes.

The three-part series of videos, produced by Canadian Cookies, Cupcakes and Cardio, offers tutorials to educate sugar artists on how products from edible imaging supplies distributor Icing Images can be used to decorate cakes.

Titled “Edible Printing 101”, “Edible Printing: Layout and Design”, and “Designing a Butterfly Cake”; the videos feature Jenn Johns of Cookies, Cakes and Cardio and were filmed, edited and produced by her partner, Paul Dalcanale.

Through watching the videos, viewers can learn what equipment is best for edible image printing, how to install the edible ink cartridges into edible image printers and how the icing sheets work in the printer; as well as receiving instructions on laying out pictures and designs to print on icing sheets using Adobe Photoshop and Icing Images’ online template printing feature, iiPrint, which allows artists to upload images and print them without needing to install any image printing software.

Icing Images also provides its customers with iiDesigns, an online subscription program that allows access to thousands of designs licensed for edible printing; which is also demonstrated in the videos.

The final video provides instructions on how to decorate a cake using the edible images printed on icing sheets from Icing Images.

Commenting on the videos, Johns said: “We feel Icing Images produces quality products and we have been using their edible inks and icing sheets for a number of years with successful results so we knew the viewers of our videos would get the same results.”

Debbie Coughlin, owner of Icing Images, said: “We are delighted with the videos done by Cookies, Cupcakes and Cardio. We believe they give viewers a great snapshot of how they can be successful with edible printing and edible paper art using our products.”

The three videos can be viewed here.

Categories : Rank 5

Tags : North America Printing Technology

Toshiba introduces “invisible ink” printer

April 24, 2013

Eco MFP Studio 306LP can “erase” specially designed toner to enable reuse of paper.

Techradar reports that the printer from Toshiba is able to “scrub clean” pages that have been printed using Pilot’s FriXion ink already used in the stationery company’s erasable pens, changing the blue toner into white so that paper looks almost new.

Noting that “80 percent of everything printed is discarded within half an hour”, Toshiba applied the FriXion blue ink to a laser printer so that users can save money whilst also helping the environment by reusing resources.

Able to print on both sides of a page on any printer paper, the printer comes with a separate RD30 erasing unit which uses heat and pressure to erase the toner on a printed page, turning it white so that what was printed becomes almost invisible, although the article states that “if you squint, you can see the shapes of some of the letters under a bright light”.

Toshiba says that paper can be reused “five or six times”, with one employee claiming that he was able to reuse some pages up to fifteen times.

In addition, pages are scanned by the printer before they are erased so that users are able to recover a copy from the hard drive should they find that they need it again; and scans the page again once text has been erased to check for any marks that have been missed, with pages that are deemed too messy being diverted to a different paper bin to prevent it from being used again by mistake.

While Toshiba has only used the technology on large business printers, it hopes that if the idea takes off it could become “an option for home printing as a separate toner cartridge”.

Categories : Rank 3

Tags : Environment Technology Toshiba