News in Brief

RBNZ Encourages Public to Look for Hologram on Suspected ‘Forged’ Notes

An urban myth circulating in Christchurch, New Zealand about polymer banknotes has led to genuine notes being refused and damaged. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has urged the public to look for a hologram featuring a fern and a map of New Zealand to tell real from fake notes.

The rumour emerged recently that a fake bank note can be spotted if it shows plastic after being scraped with a coin. Retailers, community groups and members of the public reported the supposedly counterfeit notes to the RBNZ.

It seems people were discovering what they thought were counterfeits but were actually genuine banknotes with a little bit of wear on them. In some cases, people had been scraping the notes with a coin and that showed plastic underneath, which is exactly what it should do as they are polymer substrate notes.

Instead of relying on the scratch off method, Peter Northcote, a spokesperson for the RBNZ’s money and cash department said: ‘distinct security features are present in real notes. So, for instance, the notes with the larger windows on them, there’s a little bird in the corner. If you tilt the note, there’s a sparkle that moves up and down the bird. The windows in the notes, whether they be older or the newer notes, they’ve got embossed or hologram features in them which are easy to tell.’

New Zealand’s Series 7 banknotes (released between October 2015 and May 2016) are printed by Canadian Bank Note Company in Ottawa, Canada. Series 6 polymer banknotes were produced by Note Print Australia in Melbourne. Both sets of notes have been printed on the same polymer substrate and are still in circulation.

New Family of Optical Features from OpSec

OpSec Security has launched OpSec® SuRe, a new family of surface relief effects for security and brand protection applications that provide striking Level 1 features.

According to the company, OpSec SuRe leverages cutting edge optical technologies that appear three dimensional and offer high security performance, without compromising the integrity of the document or product.

Created with (patent pending) proprietary technology, the graphic imagery is visible in all lighting conditions and is simple for the public to recognise and verify. Distinctly different to a hologram and more easily viewable in any lighting, OpSec SuRe can be easily integrated with any of OpSec’s existing coloured and dynamic features.

OpSec® Cameo is the first in a series of forthcoming products within the OpSec SuRe family. Cameo creates the visual illusion of a three-dimensional bas relief sculpture that appears raised and sculpted or moulded on the surface with a depth of several millimetres. Cameo imagery can be integrated with multiple holographic techniques from OpSec to produce designs with varying levels of security for overt public, covert inspector, and forensic investigator level verification.

The OpSec SuRe range is targeted at banknotes, brand protection programs, identity solutions, security documents, tax stamps, and other high security applications.

3D Veterinary Imaging System

Flat panel X-ray source (FPS) provider, Adaptix, has launched the 3D veterinary imaging system, which the company says has the potential to transform dental and orthopaedic imaging both from a clinical perspective and a financial one.

Unlike a normal 2D X-ray system, Adaptix’s system fires very low dose X-rays from many different positions in a sequence. This allows the system to reconstruct a stack of slices through the patient which can be reviewed like the coronal slices from a CT scan, with only marginally more dose than a single 2D X-ray.

Adaptix says this means each side of the affected bone structure can then be seen separately and clearly, in a much easier workflow than taking multiple 2D X-ray images.

Dr Conrad Dirck, Director of Product Management at Adaptix said: ‘the system is both lightweight and simple to install in an existing radiology or treatment room, and it is also very useful for orthopaedic imaging. It reduces the workflow time for dental imaging from about 12-20 minutes to less than three.

‘On top of that, it offers veterinary surgeons access to advanced 3D imaging for most complex orthopaedic cases without having to buy a CT scanner and sacrifice a treatment room or refer the patient away.’ 

The system is also being offered with an innovative pay-per-study pricing model, through which Adaptix installs the system with no capital outlay, and charges on a ‘per-study’ basis which also covers maintenance.

HN is Going Live and Online

Reconnaissance International, publisher of Holography News® (HN), is pleased to announce that with effect from February HN will be moving to a new online platform, incorporating a regular newsfeed service alongside the monthly newsletter.

The new platform means that you will be able to view industry news, views and opinions as separate, searchable articles on a visually appealing and easy-to-navigate website. What’s more, we will be posting new articles on a regular basis throughout each month, accompanied by email alerts advising subscribers about the new posts.

This doesn’t mean that we will be dropping the PDF or printable versions of HN. These formats will continue as part of the overall HN offering, and full details of the different subscription packages will be published very soon.

The new HN platform also interfaces with Reconnaissance’s new eCommerce site, meaning that you will be able to manage your subscription online (including upgrades and renewals), and purchase and download special reports and other related publications at a discount – including the new report ‘Printing Beyond Colour: Commercial Innovations for Security Print’.

We will be sure to let you know when the website goes live for you to view, including the list of subscription packages, and we will of course welcome any feedback on this new way of delivering HN to your ‘doorstep’.