Oberthur Buys Into Micro-Optics

Francois Charles Oberthur (Oberthur) has acquired a 65.5% stake in Rolling Optics, a Swedish developer of micro-optics technology, for a sum believed to be in the region of $15-20 million.

Rolling Optics was founded in 2005. It had sales of SEK 28.35 million ($2.5 million) in 2021 (its last reported financial year), resulting in a loss of SEK 12.76 million ($1 million).

The company offers what it terms an Integral Imaging technique based on micro-lens patterns for creating 3D effects in film. Its technology was behind the launch of Portals’ MOTUS thread, a rival to Crane Currency’s MOTION, last year (see CN May 2022).

It is also behind CCL Secure’s CINEMA™ feature for windows in polymer, which made its debut in the Lebanese commemorative 100,000 livres in late 2020 (see CN December 2020) and also appears in the newly-issued commemorative 20 zloty ‘Copernicus’ note issued by the National Bank of Poland. Rolling Optics and CCL Secure have had a technical partnership since 2015.

Oberthur has been active in developing security features for threads for several years, first in partnership with Hueck Folien and then on its own in 2017, when it acquired the VHP paper mill and related IP from Arjowiggins.

Last year the company launched RELIEF™, a thread with unique 3D ‘bas relief’ effects (see CN May 2022). It also offers Pulsar™, which combines colour with movement., along with Combifluo™, which offers a unique combination of UV effects, Dualtrack®, PictureThread and StarSheen®.

But not, yet, a micro-optics product.