Polymer banknote

Plastic bills (also plastic or synthetic polymer banknotes ) replace more and more countries the cash from paper or cotton.

The first certificates were obtained from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA ) and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation ( CSIRO ) developed and put into circulation on January 27, 1988 for the first time. These banknotes are biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), which increases the durability of the banknotes. In addition, they contain many security features that are not possible with paper notes. Thus, the fake security increased.

Together with Innovia Films, the RBA has founded the company " Securency " that sells the plastic money under the brand name " Guardian" to other states. For the previous 25 states without their own printing subsidiary of RBA, " Note Printing Australia ," notes produced.

An alternative of polyethylene ( PE), from DuPont as " Tyvek " marketed, was developed in the early 1980s by the American Bank Note Company. But Tyvek was trying not successful enough, the ink was verwischbar and let it be torn. Only Costa Rica, Haiti and the Isle of Man had notes from PE for some time in circulation; these are collector's items today. With Guardian and Tyvek together there are 31 countries with plastic banknote issues.

Tyvek

Tyvek is a spun-bonded paper-like heat-sealed polyethylene - fibers, inherently white and does not contain any dyes, fillers or binders. It is thus a permanent " synthetic paper " with special properties such as water - and tear strength, flexibility, lightness and environmental friendliness. Tyvek is a joint product of DuPont and the ABNC ( American Bank Note Company).

The aim was to use this material by the durability and the other benefits mentioned over paper for banknotes. It should be used permanently for kleinwertige notes to save enormous costs for banknote printing. This was the late seventies and early eighties was in Haiti ( 1, 2, 50, 100, 250 and 500 gourdes ) so successful that the entire money supply was switched on Tyvek. Other countries such as Costa Rica ( 20, 100 colones ), Ecuador ( 10 and 100 sucres ), El Salvador (5, 10 colones ), Honduras (10 Lempiras ) and Venezuela ( 10, 20 Bolivares ) followed suit and made test prints finished. A short time later, in Europe, more specifically on the Isle of Man, a bill (1 pound) added.

The material Tyvek was further developed, there emerged two other species that have been called Certibond and Bradvek. Since DuPont Tyvek had to be patented, it could produce against the usual royalties and other companies. Thus, attempts have been made to incorporate a type of watermark in the spunbond. A mountain eagle with circular outline was introduced into the fleece, which gives an idea of ​​a watermark. Unfortunately brought Tyvek over time his problems. So reports Dr. Heinz- Wilhelm Thiede by the Association of German banknote and securities collectors in the Yearbook 1996 features: " First experiments revealed, however, that they were accustomed to bite and installation of security techniques in the films used was not guaranteed. In addition, difficulties arose in the ink adhesion: when folded plastic bills flipped the ink at the folding from (...) It was also possible to use these notes to fake so that they were indistinguishable at first glance from the real thing " The banknotes. Tyvek has been recovered, and the test prints of the other countries were not realized and partially destroyed. Low are in collectors hands. Whether other countries test prints actuated in cooperation ABNC, is still unclear. Demands for various banks will not even acknowledge these real-world test prints. But not only the ABNC had undertaken tests with Tyvek, Test Bank notes of Bradbury Wilkinson and Silba International ( DuraNote ) and the ABNC itself have emerged, and more are not yet appeared on the collectors market. This banknote printing presses were sold to each other and Tyvek was no longer producing.

In 2001 Tyvek notes were printed again. In the face of the Millennium resourceful businessmen founded the " Chatham Iceland note Corporation " and announced on 1 January 2000 from the first notes of the millennium, this time in a new type of plastic, the Generic Plastic, these are also in the Guinness Book of Records as the Millennium notes. The following year, a set came into the hands of collectors (3, 5, 8, 10, 15 dollars) in the famous Tyvek material. These are actually any banknotes, but only localized money than " Not Legal Tender ", and thus have the status of a voucher. The State Bank of New Zealand tolerated these notes, as long as they remained on the island, but the state as payment received these notes never, thereby Tyvek was unsuccessful again.

The euro was introduced in 2002, we addressed again with Tyvek. So had a European printing (probably a French ) can print a set of automatic test scores in Tyvek (5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 euros ) with pictures currently valid European banknotes. Each of these notes has an overprint " SPECIMEN" and " Sans Valeur " and "Pour de Promotion de EURO" and the serial number AA0000000.

Dissemination

In Australia, New Zealand and Romania, the cash position has already been fully converted to plastic bills.

Bangladesh, Brunei, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Canada, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Northern Ireland ( see below), Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Samoa lead to either the new notes or have planned this.

Safety Features

Traditional security features of banknotes can be partially used for plastic money. These include offset, gravure and letterpress printing, black-light images, etc.

• New security features that are not on this scale are possible with paper, are as transparent cutouts and diffraction grating. The most popular and most effective is the clear window. It can carry all gradations of transparency. Usually it has to support a complex shape to the other design elements of the note. Often it is provided with a tactile embossing, a hologram or a filter element that is surrounded by complex offset printing patterns.
• The hologram is a mechanism that breaks visible light into its component colors and transmits high-resolution, three-dimensional images sometimes. If it is placed in the transparent window, it can be seen from both sides of the note.
• The self-authenticating function or metameric filters are placed in the transparent window. Microscopically fine, mostly colored lines are used to make hidden pictures of the opposite side visible when the note is folded. This is sometimes combined with an embossment.
• Micro pressure can be read with a magnifying glass. Is usually found in the vicinity of portraits, in the declaration of value or as a narrow line above or below text or graphic elements.
• The latent image is combined with a reflective metallic substrate in order to change colors or shapes for different illumination and viewing angles.
• The latent image is visible only in conjunction with strong light when the note is held flat against the eye. To see the declaration of value and as a bank name.
• The see-through register formed with elements of a page by combining a new image with elements of the other hand, if the note is held against the light.
• The silhouette is similar to a watermark and visible when the note is held up to the light - usually with coat of arms, the value indication or for portraits.
• The imitation of the security thread is also a vacuum and visible against the light. It is often combined with micro-printing. Usually, magnetic, and is read by counting and sorting machines.
• Special ink that changes color from different angles, unusual color mix and the introduction of magnetic particles are used, but rarely described.
• Fluorescent ink is used to color hidden images, numbers, serial numbers, etc. to be printed on a note. Visible only under ultraviolet light.
• Multi-colored fine lines, also called guilloche, anti- copying, anti- scanner patterns are defined as the pressure on each side of the note used.
• Micro- perforation is only visible when the note is held against the light. Usually shows the value specified.
• Iridescent strips. When tilted under a bright light, a brilliant strip but clearly perceptible changes a bit the color appears.
• The diffractive optical element, named DOE is a holographic pattern on the surface of the transparent window. A commercially available laser pointer can project an image onto a nearby surface.
• The metallic patch serves as a platform for further security features. He produced an optically variable color effect when viewed very obliquely on the note.
• The Omron, also called EURion, CDS or forgery deterrent system is a pattern of yellow dots or rings that recognize modern photocopiers and software to prevent copying.

Because of this complexity, it is not possible to reproduce plastic bills by simple means such as color copiers, and fakes are easy to spot.

• Security features that can not be realized in plastic bank notes are, for example, Watermark and genuine security threads.
• An important safety feature that is restricted to realize with plastic money, the intaglio printing. The usual embossing on paper banknotes is not possible with polypropylene. The grain pattern on plastic banknotes stirred only by the application of paint here, which, however, rub off faster than with paper notes in circulation.

Development of banknotes

Even as 1967 in Australia, the first large quantities of counterfeit 10 - $ marks were found and the RBA was not exactly excited about the advent of color copiers, the first considerations to falsification money were begun. The following year, the RBA began a collaboration with CSIRO, and in 1969 the experimental production of markanterem paper was recorded.

The incorporation of holograms which change depending on the angle the image was proposed in 1972. 1974, the lamination was developed as a technique to combine the various materials. As the surrounding material is polypropylene (PP ) was used, whereby holograms could be used without difficulty.

The polypropylene went through the following steps:

• Two layers of ink (usually white color) was applied to both sides, the fields for the holograms have been omitted.
• The cut brought the material to the appropriate size for the printing presses.
• For printing normal offset, gravure and high pressure was used.
• The protective layer made ​​it possible to increase durability.

Production

The first banknotes made ​​of synthetic polymer that have been officially issued as payment, are from Haiti (1979 /80) and are made of Tyvek, a material made from welded together PE fibers.

Today's plastic bills consist of biaxially oriented polypropylene ( BOPP, biaxially oriented polypropylene ), the name for this is the Guardian. The leading manufacturer of BOPP is the Belgian company Innovia Films.

Starting material polypropylene is the hydrocarbon, propene, a gas which is obtained during the refining of petroleum. For the production of BOPP, the propene is polymerized under vacuum. The product of the polymerization, however, it involves only the bad -printable core of the film, which is provided with a coating to improve printability. In this " coating" is polypropylene tacticity and other polyethylene. The polymer coating is deposited to a thickness of about 1 micron generally applied repeatedly surface, whereby only by the coating the polypropylene loses its transparency. At locations where supposed to be a see-through window later, is widely dispensed with the coating. To print the porthole, in an additional step, the coating is applied locally, this is much thicker than at other points.