Plastic anti-counterfeiting process sought

COVENTRY, England, April 1 (UPI) -- British scientists said they've devised an inexpensive technology that adds anti-counterfeiting markings to plastic products as they are molded.

"There is an enormous amount of interest in anti-counterfeiting technology for plastic products," said lead researcher Professor Gordon Smith. "We at the University of Warwick are working on several processes to prevent plastic components being copied and this 'in mold' process is the first of them to be developed for use."

Smith said the watermark used in the process is being considered for use by an unidentified company that is plagued by the failure of a counterfeit plastic-based, safety-critical product that is made to look exactly like the company's product.

The watermark is created as an intrinsic part of the plastic product as it is being molded. Smith said it would require very detailed technical knowledge and equipment to even attempt to replicate the watermark process.

Smith said he expects the new technology to be of significant interest to manufacturers of such products such as DVDs, CDs and other discs in the entertainment and computing markets, as well as plastic containers used by a range of consumer industries.