Anti-counterfeit technology news in brief

Anti-counterfeit and serialisation updates from InfraTrac, Systech, Applied DNA Sciences, Eurocontrol Technics, StealthCo and Sproxil.

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Cardinal Components has teamed up with authentication company InfraTrac to deploy a fingerprinting technology for electronic components which "marshals millions of possible chemical codes." The fingerprint code is invisible to the human eye and can be incorporated in non-visible coating, embedded in plastic, on sealed packaging or on a finished circuit board and is tested using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, which gives a pass/fail result. The system is low cost and can be easily detected in the field, says Cardinal, which has licensed the Lutracore system and will offer it to the electronics industry, and also sell the spectrometers used to authenticate products. The company expects the first Lutracore-based components to be available in December.

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Systech has upgraded its cloud-based serialisation platform - Citadel - to meet the traceability requirements of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) in the US and other regulatory initiatives involving medicine track-and-trace around the world. In the US, for example, the DSCSA requires manufacturers to send Transaction Information, Transaction History, and Transaction Statement (TI/TH/TS) in the form of an advance shipping notices (ASNs) to their wholesalers, and this is now catered for via a plug-in module.

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Applied DNA Sciences (APDN) has revealed that two European automotive manufacturers have started deploying its SigNature botanical DNA-based marker technology to help prevent the theft of spare parts, adding to its existing clients in the electronics, textiles and plastics sectors. The marker technology provides absolute identification for the vehicle, while also recording the name of the owner of that vehicle in a secure database. The marks are covert and difficult to remove, says APDN and - if found - vehicles and their component parts are traceable back to the owner and location from anywhere on the globe.

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Eurocontrol Technics says it has extended its business collaboration with Ramot at Tel Aviv University for the rights to a patented technology based nano-imprinting for security and authentication applications. The US-patented technology was developed the Israeli university, and is based on a polymeric replication method that combines the resolution of lithography methods with the inexpensive mass production capabilities of nano-imprinting, said Eurocontrol in a statement. The result is a “highly secure yet low-cost authentication tagging solution," it added. Eurocontrol signed an agreement covering the use of the technology for fuel authentication in September.

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StealthCo has said its StealthMark system will be deployed in its first commercial implementation - protecting against fraud, forgery and theft in the art gallery and museum sector - later this month. The microparticle technology provides "unbreachable security, accurate reference data, unique combinations of covert and overt markings, and track and trace capabilities that can be used on highly valuable pieces of art and objects such as paintings, ancient artefacts, sculptures [and] historical documents, said the firm. "With brisk forgery activities, 350,000-plus pieces of stolen artwork to date, and more than $10bn in losses, the need for a bulletproof solution has never been greater," it added.

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Mobile authentication specialist Sproxil has now been certified to ISO 27001 (for information security controls) and ISO 9001 (for quality management systems) after a comprehensive review of its internal processes.  "Becoming ISO-certified further solidifies our position as the global leader in mobile-based product protection technology and demonstrates commitment to our clients," said Vivian Tang, who led the certification process at Sproxil. Sproxil uses mobile technology to combat counterfeiting and direct-to-consumer marketing purposes.