Tagging makes RFID labels secure, says Creo
Laboratories, a company that makes conducting ink for printing
radiofrequency identification (RFID) antennas, to address RFID tag
security issues.
Until now, one of the main concerns of the RFID industry has been the ability of counterfeiters to copy RFID tags by duplicating RFID numbering schemes. The new XINK antenna inks eliminate this possibility by integrating Creo's Traceless covert tagging technology, already used for as a forensically-invisible security system for currency.
These new covertly tagged flexographic ink formulations target manufacturers and converters producing RFID-tagged smart packaging for use in supply-chains, according to Creo. This type of smart packaging has been mandated by Wal-Mart and, more recently, was recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pharmaceutical counterfeit protection.
Creo has been working hard to promote the use of Traceless in the pharmaceutical sector, which is seeing a significant increase in the counterfeting and diversion of its products, with a study earlier this year suggesting that up to one in seven drugs sold worldwide is fake. Last week, the Canadian announced a collaboration with Accucote to develop Traceless-tagged labels for the pharmaceutical industry.
Traceless is high-speed machine-readable on production lines using Creo's proprietary handheld readers. These readers are capable of simple pass/fail authentication, or of capturing images of the taggant particle-positioning unique to each tagged antenna.
To create a counterfeit-proof system, the Creo taggant image signature designates the unique spacing relationship of the taggant particles and assigns an encrypted ID to each RFID antenna.
Because Traceless is added to XINK RFID inks at a concentration of less than two parts per million it is nearly impossible to find, much less reverse-engineer, using even the most advanced forensic analysis methods such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), according to Creo.
"Adding Creo taggants to antenna inks allows for full authentication of every RFID tag in the field, using a simple, pen-sized reader," said Kevin Harrell, director of global business development for Creo security, brand authentication and ID systems.
The new technology was unveiled at the PISEC 6th World Product & Image Security Convention (www.pisec-world.com), held in Vienna, Austria recently. The flexographic security inks and RFID tags are available exclusively through XINK and its distributors.
XINK inks print in a single pass on standard printing presses, require no heat curing, and can be printed on a range of heat-seal paperboards used in pharmaceutical packaging as well as other flexible substrates that would not withstand high temperature heat curing.
