A novel approach to passport and ID card concepts

Manufacturers of identity documents such as passports and ID cards continue to face major challenges due to the increasing threat of forgery and manipulation. Identity documents must be highly forgery-proof, quickly checkable, and as durable and efficient as possible. Covestro is among the leading suppliers of special films for identity documents, it develops and offers solutions for these requirements and will be explaining the latest developments in passport and ID concepts at the virtual conference "Identity Week 2020". Covestro will showcase its comprehensive and integrated concepts for the production of highly secure ID documents.

"The world is changing rapidly – this also brings new challenges for ID documents," says Henry Leung, global head of the Identification segment in the Specialty Films division at Covestro. "The global trend is increasingly to take advantage of the best of two worlds, physical and digital identity. A perfect ID would be based on a balance of security, fast identification, durability and efficiency." At this year's Identity Week virtual conference, Covestro is introducing a new, integrated passport concept with a passport cover, polycarbonate data page and hinge.

Security features for fast and efficient checks

Covestro is shareholder of the French start-up company Crime Science Technology (C.S.T) and makes use of its Optical Variable Material (O.V.M) technology. Covestro has developed its Makrofol^® ID O.V.M color shifting polycarbonate film for clear window and transparent areas in polycarbonate ID documents. In conjunction with the film, the O.V.M technology enables completely new color-shifting effects for security features in levels 1, 2 and 3, which makes ID documents more forgery-resistant, easier to inspect, remember and verify. The Makrofol^® ID O.V.M polycarbonate film can be integrated into existing ID document manufacturing processes without the need for further modifications.

There is also strong demand for ID documents that show only low fluorescence under UV radiation. To meet this demand, Covestro has developed the polycarbonate film Makrofol^® ID Low Fluorescence, which enables a consistently low level of fluorescence to be achieved for polycarbonate ID cards and ID pages. The film can also be used to achieve a level 2 security feature for laser-engraved tactile characters. This provides additional counterfeit protection that can be easily verified when checking ID documents.

Effective protection of passport chip and antenna

The innovative passport cover is scratch and tear resistant and contains Platilon^® ID films made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). They contribute to better protection of the embedded chip and antenna within the eCover. These innovative passport covers can be equipped with various security features and produced in different surface textures and colors.

Such TPU films can also be applied in a passport hinge application. This creates a flexible passsport hinge that bonds well with the polycarbonate data page films and offers increased tear resistance when passports are opened and closed frequently.

Polycarbonate data page – doing more with less

Covestro also already offers its so-called Superlaser technology to increase counterfeit protection. It is based on a composite of three particularly laser-reactive layers within a single polycarbonate film, saving energy and time during laser engraving while yielding a very high-contrast image. In addition, thin high opaque white Makrofol^® ID polycarbonate films from Covestro unite the advantages of accommodating sophisticated designs for clear windows and transparent areas in ID documents together with simplified production processes.

On this topic, Covestro experts Henry Leung and Georgios Tziovaras, together with Gautier Alloyez, Managing Director at C.S.T, are organizing a roundtable discussion at Identity Week 2020 on November 17, 2020, from 4.10 p.m. CET.