Europe's (Austria's) first ever 3D printed stamp

Europe's (Austria's)  first ever 3D printed stamp 

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About Edelweiss Reloaded
The edelweiss is inextricably linked with Austrian culture, and it also holds a special place in philately.

Twenty years ago, Austrian Post dedicated a stamp to this rare Alpine flower and it was no ordinary issue: the country’s very first embroidered stamp, featuring a white edelweiss on a green background.

Now the edelweiss makes a return this time not embroidered, but produced using a new technique: 3D printing. Once again, the Vorarlberg-based company Hämmerle & Vogel is the producer. In this innovative process, a specialised 3D printer applies liquid photopolymer in microscopic droplets through ultra-fine nozzles onto the stamp sheets. Each layer is cured with UV light before the next is added. In this way, the edelweiss blossom is built up layer by layer, complete with printed hairs in varying shades and heights with the yellow florets at the centre standing slightly higher than the white bracts. The printed flower is soft and flexible, with a velvety feel reminiscent of a real edelweiss. Even the green lettering on the gummed stamp is rendered in relief using the 3D printer.

With this new issue in cutting-edge technology, the edelweiss has finally shed its somewhat kitschy image and made the leap into the modern age as “Edelweiss Reloaded