Consumables
Staying even further ahead of the counterfeiters
Tuesday 10. June 2008 - Kurz adds brand-new security element to OVDs
Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG, a leading international supplier of security elements for banknotes, identity documents and branded merchandise, has further developed its Trustseal optical authentication device, making it substantially more difficult to counterfeit.
“Anyone who rests on their laurels for too long allows counterfeiters time to imitate security features,” explains Juergen Metzger, Global Sales Manager for the Product Protection division at Kurz. “That’s why we are continuously developing our brand protection solutions. This enables us to stay at least one step ahead of the counterfeiters.”
Trustseal is the flagship of Kurz’s brand protection product range. This feature is created using diffractive optical structures generated by means of a proprietary, computer-based method available only from Kurz. This allows Kurz to offer an especially high level of protection against counterfeiting. A Trustseal OVD (Optically Variable Device) displays a variety of clear and striking naked-eye optical change effects. The main characteristics have been complemented with the addition of three new elements: Nanopic; Latent Contrust and Overlapping Dynakey.
The Nanopic feature consists of images with a resolution, in part, of over 50,000 dpi (dots per inch) that can be combined with existing Trustseal features, and authenticated using a simple high-powered magnifier. Dynakey is a hidden element that becomes visible only when a special filter is placed over it. The new Overlapping Dynakey feature is superimposed on the main Trustseal motif, without obscuring the main visual design, and shows a striking movement effect when viewed through the filter. Latent Contrust is a further development of the earlier Contrust Trustseal element, a naked-eye feature which exhibits a positive-negative light-dark contrast inversion when rotated by 90 degrees. The new Latent Contrust element is invisible when the OVD is viewed normally, and takes up no space from the main naked-eye design. However the feature suddenly appears when the OVD is tilted to an extremely low viewing angle. When the design is turned by 90 degrees at this low angle, the contrast inversion is seen as a secondary effect.
To obtain detailed information on Kurz’s Trustseal technology and the new security elements, visit the Kurz booth – C46, hall 3 – at Drupa 2008.