Infrared-absorbing materials are extensively used in the security document industry, particularly for applications in banknotes and other high-security documents. However, their use in developing new, innovative machine-readable security features is often limited. This limitation arises from several challenges, including reproducibility in manufacturing, chemical durability, constraints on particle size due to printing processes, scalability, absorption efficiency, and the need for backward compatibility with existing machines. Additionally, various physical property limitations further constrain their effectiveness.
The development of new machine-readable materials with unique characteristics presents an even more formidable challenge. These innovative materials must meet the demanding requirements of the banknote cash cycle, where infrared-absorbing features need to function seamlessly across a wide variety of cash processing machines. These machines, each with their own specifications for reading and detecting security features, must be able to reliably process and authenticate banknotes in diverse operational environments.
Another key challenge is finding the right balance between the efficiency of infrared absorption and the impact on visual appearance. Achieving this balance is essential for making these innovative features viable for widespread use in the security industry.
SICPA, with its extensive expertise in developing high-quality pigments, inks, and authentication platforms, has been at the forefront of securing a wide range of security documents. This presentation marks the next step in SICPA’s journey towards advancing infrared absorbing machine-readable features. We will introduce a set of innovative infrared-absorbing materials that incorporate emerging technologies, such as oxides, inorganic minerals, photonic crystals, metal organic complexes, and organic molecules with highly tunable spectral properties. These new materials, along with their associated authentication platforms, represent a significant leap forward in the development of secure, machine-readable features.
In this presentation, we will demonstrate how these new materials can be integrated into the existing security ecosystem, addressing the demanding technical requirements of the cash cycle. We will highlight how these advanced features can be made fully compatible with the machines and detectors currently in use, ensuring their effectiveness and reliability in the field.