OEM: Trüb AG, Schweiz, Aarau

Part design:

Trüb AG, the well-known Swiss security card manufacturer, is going to be using Makrofol® ID to make over 40 million drivers licenses for the UK. Our polycarbonate film helps the credit card sized licenses set new global standards in terms of protection against counterfeiting. Unlike other card materials, for example, it enables very high-contrast personalization using laser engraving, including a photo and the signature of the license holder. The print image is created inside the card and cannot be modified without damaging the film.

Some of the security features used were specially developed and optimized for the new drivers licenses. Engineers at Trüb refined the patented DynaPrint® color printing process for kinegrams. These hologram-like features are applied to the surface of the card using the changeable laser image (CLI) or multiple laser image (MLI) techniques. This creates a very marked color contrast when looking at the kinegrams, making it virtually impossible to counterfeit the drivers license. In addition, a transparent kinegram is laminated into the film structure, producing a two-dimensional sequence of movements with special new effects according to the angle from which the card is viewed. The fact that the individual layers of Makrofol® ID are fused firmly together during the lamination process is a great advantage, virtually turning the driver’s license into a single compact piece of polycarbonate. This means that a counterfeiter cannot tamper with the kinegram from outside without causing a great deal of damage to the card. If necessary, the new driver’s licenses can also be equipped with a contact chip or dual interface chip as an additional security feature.

With its excellent mechanical properties, Makrofol® ID makes the driver’s license extremely strong and durable in day-to-day-use. The film is very stiff and tough, even at low temperatures, giving the cards good long-term flexural strength. Even after regular bending, they still return to their original shape. Thanks to polycarbonate, the film is heat resistant up to 145 °C. This means the cards do not become warped or wavy at high temperatures.