Fusion™ – New Machine Readable Polymer for Banknotes

Spectra Systems provides security technologies for use in banknotes, product authentication and gaming using integrated solutions comprised of engineered materials for authentication, and hardware and software systems which verify the unique signatures of the authentication materials.

As a high technology company, it says it seeks to serve customers’ needs and is prepared to think and develop outside the box. This was aptly demonstrated during the early days of the COVID crisis when it developed the Aeris™ and smaller BDS-1000, which can disinfect banknotes to sterile levels at the rate of 5 million per hour (see CN March 2021).

Spectra’s latest technology, Fusion™ was not from outside of the box. It is a natural development of its core expertise in the covert, machine-read protection of banknotes against counterfeiting.

Paper banknotes have security features within the substrate to protect them against counterfeiting – such as watermarks, threads and fibres. In addition, they can also have embedded covert, or level 3, machine readable security features (taggants), such as those supplied by Spectra Systems and G+D (with its M feature). The taggants, rare chemical compounds, are marketed with sensors that detect the unique taggant even at high speeds, ensuring that all, or virtually all, counterfeit banknotes are removed. Such systems are generally only available for central bank use.