Security in Stripes

ATN making Giesecke & Devrient eurocheque cards ready to sign

As we all know, forging bank notes ist not just illegal, it can land those who are tempted with a lengthy gaol sentence. The fact that German prisons are not overflowing with forgers is undoubtedly due to the stringent security parctices of banknote printers, making the forgers' craft a real nightmare. In addition to printing Euros, Giesecke & Devrient GmbH, one of the largest banknote printers, also handles orders for money printing from all around the globe. And what's good for paper money also applies to plastic money. Making eurocheque and bank cards secure while guaranteeing low-cost production requires a high degree of automation.That brings us neatly to another ATN division, Specialised Mechanical Engineering. Working closely with G+D, ATN developed a machine which automatically applies the signature stripe to the plastic eurocheque cards in a lamination process (the stripes are not simply adhesive bonded). It's quite easy. All you need is halb a tonne of stainless steel, a piece of plastic, a couple of sensors, a little compressed air, video cameras, a computer, various computer programs, thermal stamps, a few other bits and bobs and, of course, a good idea of how to make use of these ingredients. Then you end up with a piece of kit that lets you boost production from 20 million to 50 million eurocheque cards in a single year. No mean improvement by anybody's standards.

back       next       Scientific paper