KURZ Moves on With KINEGRAM DYNAMIC®

KURZ has been a pioneer in the use of diffractive optical anti-counterfeit features on banknotes since its earliest developments on the Australian dollar and the Austrian shilling. Its acquisition of OVD Kinegram (OVDK) in 1999 added proprietary optical features to its existing strengths in materials technology. And now, it has made another ground-breaking step forward with its latest optical technology, KINEGRAM DYNAMIC® – a new micro-lens based feature with depth, movement and multiple colours.

In its more than 30 years’ experience of making and applying diffractive materials to banknotes, KURZ has established a modular banknote protection strategy which takes into account, amongst others, the form factor (patch, stripe, thread), the degree of metallisation (all the way to zero tolerance between the diffractive feature and the metal area – the so-called KINEGRAM ZERO.ZERO®) and unique KURZ technologies, such as the ‘reveal the image’ KINEGRAM REVIEW®, which shows different images when viewed from the front and the reverse.

The introduction of KINEGRAM DYNAMIC is, according to KURZ, the next building block in this modular approach as it introduces micro-lens-based features into the banknote protection strategy.

Unlike some micro-fabrication techniques that rely on a regular array, KINEGRAM DYNAMIC has a structure where the lenses are arranged in a freeform array and the shape and size of the lens surface can be individually adapted to the customer’s design requirements. The resulting properties of the array allow design control over the colour, movement, depth, magnification, inversion, and light & shade of image elements.

The design and security functions of the new optical device is further strengthened by its modular integration with the existing palette of KINEGRAM features and registration with the surrounding print on the banknote.

To launch KINEGRAM DYNAMIC, KURZ ran a webinar on 16 February 2022. It was led by Peter Mühlfelder (Head of Business Area Security, KURZ) and Dr Harald Walter (Head of Micro & Nano Engineering at OVDK), who confirmed that the novel technology, based on proprietary technology, is a micro-lens based optical feature that provides multi-coloured, deep 3D, dynamic movement effects, allowing limitless design integration.

It can be applied in the normal form factors that you would expect on banknotes – patch or registered stripe. Threads are likely to follow in a second phase of development, but the current priority is centred on those types of security features offering the most ‘real estate’ for innovative use of the new feature.

According to KURZ, ‘KINEGRAM DYNAMIC technology is the ultimate combination of security and looks. In combination with unique optical security effects created by the non-holographic KINEGRAM technology, the security level of KINEGRAM DYNAMIC is unrivalled amongst lens-based security solutions for banknotes. Multiple colours and striking depth effects created by spherical lenses are certain to grab the public’s attention, allowing the authenticity of banknotes to be verified at a glance and within seconds. When the banknote is tilted, the 3D effect literally takes the viewer into the design’.

There is a saying, ‘seeing is believing’ and in the webinar Kurz presented a range of different KINEGRAM DYNAMIC designs and features on a range of banknotes, both in static and video formats. Two of the banknote designs are illustrated here, whilst the dimensionality and movement of the features can be viewed at https://www.kurz-banknotes.com/kurz-technologies/kinegram-dynamic/#c993.

Also KURZ disclosed that they are open to commence projects with industry partners to trial the new device in additional form factors (including windows) and on different substrates.