Protect Your Print Marketing Tools With a UV Panel
UV coating helps protect your print marketing tools against abrasions, scratches and rubbing from handling. It also extends their lifespan and allows them to stretch marketing dollars further.
A technology called AuREUS, developed by Carvey Ehren Maigue, uses waste materials to turn UV light into electricity, even without direct sunlight. It has won the James Dyson Award’s first-ever Sustainability Prize.
Anti-counterfeiting
The use of counterfeit drugs and medicines is a serious issue worldwide. They cause health problems and can even be fatal, so public health experts have stepped up their anti-counterfeiting efforts. These include tamper-evident seals on packets and bottles, security inks that change colour when seen at different angles and inks imbued with specific micro-encapsulated odours.
Another important way of preventing counterfeits is by marking products with identification labels. These labels can be printed with unique codes and data matrix symbols that make it difficult for a counterfeiter to copy them. They can also be printed on the packaging so that they are easily detected at all stages of handling and distribution.
These anti-counterfeiting measures can be incorporated into any product, whether it is a banknote, credit card or medicine. In some cases they can be found in the form of safety shrink-wraps, stickers and holograms that anyone can see, while others are hidden from sight and require special ID or testing equipment to detect.
To improve the effectiveness of this kind of deterrent feature, it is necessary to create new luminescent materials that change their color when exposed to UV light. These materials may look very similar to the original, but will have a distinctive appearance when viewed under UV light.
In addition to this, these new luminescent materials must have a long life when used as deterrent features. As a result, they must be developed and optimized before they can be added to banknotes to avoid shortening the life of their deterrent effectiveness.
One possible approach is to incorporate a variety of different features into test banknotes and gauge their effectiveness against public acceptability through focus groups. This will allow the bank to decide which features it can implement more quickly, and which should be phased out over time.
While there is no doubt that the problem of counterfeiting has increased at a geometric rate in the past 3 years, the solution will be an ongoing process. To reduce this, the bank needs to design a strategy that can help it respond faster when counterfeits increase.
Security ID cards
The UV panel on some ID card printers allows you to add customized, invisible, and highly secure elements to your cards. These include images, text, or a combination of both that are only visible under a black light or optical scanner and make it difficult for forgers to copy.
These security features are a cost-effective way to increase the strength UV panel of your ID card program while maintaining a high level of integrity and reliability for your business. For example, they can help ensure that only authorized users have access to certain areas of your organization or facilities.
There are many different security ID card options available, and it’s important to consider your specific needs before making a decision about which one is right for you. For instance, if you need to track employee and student identification, you may want a high-security, durable laminate that’s waterproof and won’t fade or peel over time.
You can also add a fingerprint or digital signature to your ID cards to further strengthen their security. Biometric data is extremely difficult to replicate and can help protect your company’s confidential information and assets from unauthorized use.
Another option is to embed holograms or foil patches on the ID card’s surface, which are visible only from a distance and can be used for authentication. These are available for both PVC and composite plastic card stock, and can be easily added with a lamination process or by embedding them between two layers of PVC.
If you need a more covert feature, you can opt to pre-print microscopic details onto the surface of the card that cannot be duplicated with a dye-sublimation or ink jet printer. This is a great choice for high-security applications that require authenticity verification, such as IDs for law enforcement, medical professionals, or private security agencies.
Visual security options can include a variety of software-based features and hardware, including watermarks, ghost photos, UV printing, holographic foiling, custom overlays, and tactile impressions. These features are available for most ID card printers, and you can choose the ones that work best for your design and budget.
Identification cards
Various types of identification cards are issued, such as driver’s licenses, national and government IDs, bank and credit cards, ID documents, controlled access cards and smart cards. These cards typically carry information about the bearer, including personal data and biometric data.
One of the most cost-effective ways to improve an ID card’s security is by adding a UV panel to the printer. The panel is printed onto a transparent film that is then bonded to the ID card’s surface. This helps to protect the card’s image from fading over time and makes it difficult for criminals to counterfeit the card.
The panel contains a solid solution of a thermally diffusible ultraviolet fluorescent dye that is dissolved in the resin. When the full color thermal UV ribbon 204 is heated during printing, the UV dyes in the Z panel 206 diffuse into the PVC 22 of the ID document substrate. This diffusion enables the UV colorant to fluoresce in UV light, rendering the pixel 202 on the ID card visible in UV light.
This technique allows for a variety of color options, including yellow and cyan or magenta, and the option to print a “false two color” image by combining yellow and cyan. This technique is especially useful for printing ghost images, which are invisible to the human eye, but visible under ultraviolet (UV) light.
A number of UV panels are available, which allow for a wide variety of ghost image colors and options. For example, a single panel can be used to produce a blue ghost image, while a multiple-panel configuration can provide a red ghost image.
These ghost images are useful for a variety of applications, including identifying the identity of a person, enhancing security, and increasing durability. They are also suitable for promotional materials, such as brochures and business cards.
Moreover, the ghost images can be printed on a variety of surfaces, including plastic, metal, paper, cardboard and textiles. In addition, they can be integrated into a holographic structure to further enhance security.
In a further aspect, the UV text is backed UV panel by a laminate that splits apart upon an intrusion attempt. The laminate can be made of a material, such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-based composite.
Access control
Access control systems provide an excellent way to limit access to sensitive areas. With a combination of card readers, door strikes, request-to-exit sensors and door contacts, access control systems monitor the movement of people, granting or denying their entry into an area. Each of these components requires a cable that provides continuous power and signal transmission to the control panel.
The cables must be constructed with quality materials to ensure dependable performance. They must be made from pure bare copper conductors, as this minimizes voltage drop and resistance to prevent system malfunctions.
A basic wired access control system has four components that require continuous connectivity: a card reader, a door strike, a request-to-exit sensor and a door contact. Each of these devices requires a different type of cable, depending on its function.
Cards: A typical card reader uses six 22 AWG bare copper conductors for power and signal transmission. These conductive cables also feature a protective shield to keep out dirt, dust and other potential contaminants that could damage or shorten the life of the card.
Door Strike: The door strike, the electromechanical workhorse of an access control system, requires more power than other components, so a heavier gauge cable, typically 18 AWG, provides the necessary power without the risk of voltage drop or other problems.
Request-to-Exit Sensor: The request-to-exit (RTE) sensor senses the motion of someone ready to leave and signals the control panel to release the door strike. The RTE device requires four 22 AWG bare copper conductors to support its power and signal transmission.
The most effective way to protect workers is to use engineering controls that prevent exposure to UV radiation when equipment is in operation. These include enclosing the source of the UV light, installing shields and interlock devices that automatically shut off the UV lights when the door or port is opened, and posting warning signs in an appropriate location. Additionally, PPE is usually required when working near a UV source. Depending on the risk assessment, this can include eyewear, face shields or gloves. The use of PPE should be discussed with the facility’s environmental health and safety (EHS) personnel.
