3M floats new anti-counterfeiting label
with a floating image that is easy to detect and recognise using
just the human eye.
Floating image technology had previously been reserved for secure identification documents such as passports and drivers licenses, but 3M has decided to use it to provide an extra layer of security to its labels.
Authentication of the label is completed easily in seconds, without having to use a tool, by simply moving the label to an angle relevant to the eye.
The label's customized translucent gray image makes this possible with an optically variable device (OVD), an overt security feature which appears to 'float' above or 'sink' below the surface of the label and then disappear as the viewing angle changes.
The overt images will also disappear when tilted to a large angle in any direction, thus adding another level of security and ease of authentication.
Because of the overt technology, images can be verified in most lighting conditions including poorly lit areas such as dark hallways, diffuse outdoor lighting and dim nighttime lighting.
"The label is very easy to authenticate and we are working to produce custom labels for the pharma industry," Bill Markovitz, a marketing development manager for 3M, told In-PharmaTechnologist.com.
"You can put any information you like on the label, the cost obviously depends on the size of the label and the volume of data."
The new floating image security feature is an addition to the inherent covert security of 3M's Confirm authentication labels.
When the label is viewed perpendicular to one's line of sight with a concentrated, focused light source, its bright retroreflective background and custom pattern reveal counterfeits to the user.
The previously hidden retroreflective images appear as light coloured on a light yellow background.
The retroreflective background blocks out visible subsurface graphic printing while surface disruption or tampering to the material would become more evident.
3M points out it is easy to educate end-users for authentication purposes, whether they are manufacturers, wholesalers or the general public.
