TECHNOLOGY | ANTICOUNTERFEITING
security markers either directly into the PPE or into a label. Dotz signed a three-year agreement with Canadian PPE manufacturer Breathe Medical for authentication of its respiratory face masks. The markers may be embedded into the fce mask, or used in packaging bags, boxes and cases. For tracking PPE in packages, the ValiDotz
Above: Tracking and authentication of recycled polymer usage is an area of growing interest. Dotz believes tagging
technology could present a solution
database and returns the information that is associated with this code. If the code does not exist in the system, or has been modified/tampered with, the system will recognise it and register the product as suspicious or fake,” says Dotz’s Chair- man and Interim CEO Bernie Brookes. Dotz provides the markers on a silica carrier for masterbatch production and the company works with a compounder in Europe to offer ValiDotz as a masterbatch or ready-made compound, according to Brookes. He says the markers work well even in black pigmented systems, which can typically be a challenge to mark. Although black pigments absorb a high level of visual light, the ValiDotz “react to UV light and possess high quantum efficiency,” he explains. The InSpec reader excites the surface of the sample with a wavelength characteristic for specific ValiDotz markers and reads its unique emission pattern, he says.
Pandemic protection The markers can be used in various plastics products, including automotive parts, toys, safety equipment, medical devices, and pharmaceutical packaging. Over the past year, there has been a surge in counterfeit personal protective equipment (PPE). US customs agents, for example, seized more than 10m counterfeit face masks between the start of the pandemic and 30 June. “Demand for authentication is primarily being driven by PPE manufacturers, who are looking to improve the transparency of their supply chains to protect their brand reputation during the pandem- ic,” says Brookes. “As the percentage of frontline workers contracting Covid-19 globally continues to increase, healthcare facilities and workers are also seeking to verify they are using high-quality PPE products.”
Dotz is working with PPE manufacturers to authenticate their products by incorporating
56 COMPOUNDING WORLD | December 2020
markers are added to a geo-specified, trackable QR code that is added as a label to polybags, boxes, or the PPE itself. “The Smart Trackable QR codes are a complementary authentication technology that are applied to the surface of the products, either by labels or direct printing. Our Smart trackable QR labels include up to seven layers of digital and physical security features, with full track and trace capabilities, including geofenc- ing, supply chain monitoring, and more,” Brookes says. The label can be scanned along the supply chain, and each item is coded and associated with a digital fingerprint in the cloud. This system can provide real-time alerts on suspicious activity. The company reported a flurry of other agree- ments during the third quarter of 2020 for anti- counterfeiting and tracing capabilities using its “Secured by Dotz” solution. A three-year contract for face masks and other PPE (valued at US$1.6m) with TT Medical Group in Turkey will trace PPE in eight countries across Europe and Africa. Dotz also signed a two-year agreement with Australian distributor V2Tech to authenticate face masks and the company is working with Hong Kong-based distributor UEG to authenticate medical gowns and face masks.
Recycling ideas Like other taggant technology players, Brookes also identifies recycling as an emerging market. He says the company has had multiple requests regarding using the Dotz technology to track recycled plastic and is currently working on developing such a solution based on its ValiDotz technology, which he describes as a good fit for this application because it is sensitive to dilution. “Using ValiDotz it is possible to determine the
exact loading of a marker in the product. For tracking recycled products this makes the most sense, as you will always have a stream of fresh polymer and a stream of recycled polymer. Deviation from the calibrated value may indicate that a product contains more or less recycled material, and that feature can be used by both consumers and regulators to determine how they treat a specific product,” says Brookes. Other benefits include the use of light fluores- cence (rather than radiation) for detection and that
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