Aluminium security foil

The growth in counterfeit medicines has become a global issue. Pharmaceutical products are major targets for counterfeiters, as they often command high prices and are packaged in materials that are easy to duplicate.

Aluminium foil offers unique barrier properties that, with its cost-effectiveness, make it an excellent option for use as a pharmaceutical packaging material. The new security foil technology allows a mechanical alteration of aluminium with bespoke images, text and logos. This customisation of plain foil creates distinctive optical effects, which are part of the foil and cannot be removed without the material being destroyed.

Aluminium manufactured with the security foil process is no longer an interchangeable raw material that can be bought anywhere. Due to the precision of the process, even micro-features can be integrated into the foil surface. High levels of security are achieved, as the unique optical effects cannot be imitated with common technologies, such as printing, embossing or etching. In addition, aluminium manufacturing is clearly a capital-intensive, mass production process, and as such is prohibitively expensive for small-scale potential counterfeiters.

As no substances are added to the foil and the surface manipulation is well within the tolerances of the foil gauge, the physical properties remain identical to untreated foil. As a result, the packaging performance and machinability are unaffected by the integration of a security feature into the foil. There is no need for time and money to be spent on further stability testing when conventional foil has been replaced by customised foil. Consequently, the implementation of security foil requires artwork considerations only. Security foil will be one of the most cost-effective, anti-counterfeiting solutions for aluminium-based packaging materials once critical production quantities are exceeded.

Further information

Teich AG
Tel: +43 2747 700 332
Fax: +43 2747 700 541
Email: healthcarepackaging@teich.com
Website: www.teich.com

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