Major additions to the capabilities of CCL Secure’s production lines worldwide are being driven by a brand new type of polymer banknote and new security technologies.
The new banknote is SPARTAN™, engineered specifically to meet the demand for an ultra-durable, polymer banknote that operates cost-effectively on the note/coin boundary. Complete SPARTAN banknotes are printed on a wide web gravure printing press, using multiple printing stations to create the design. Additional functional layers are also applied inline to provide tactility and ensure the notes perform in circulation.
The new security feature is CINEMA™, a groundbreaking development first introduced in 2020 on the Banque du Liban’s 100,000 Livres note. Using Double Soft Emboss Technology, CINEMA creates both 3D and movement effects that are instantly recognisable with the naked eye. CINEMA – described as a new dimension in banknote security – is available only with banknotes using CCL Secure’s GUARDIAN™ substrate.
GUARDIAN is already used in more than 75 billion banknotes in circulation worldwide. In the past 12 months alone, new GUARDIAN notes have been issued by the Reserve Bank of Australia, Banco Central de Costa Rica, the Bank of England, Banco Nacional de Angola, Banco de México, Banco Central de Nicaragua, and the Saudi Central Bank.
The creation of SPARTAN benefited from close co-operation with another CCL Industries company, Innovia Films. “There are many polymers available. But the polymer films for GUARDIAN and SPARTAN – made by our sister company Innovia Films – are the only ones made exclusively for banknotes anywhere in the world. These bank-grade polymers are engineered specifically for CCL Secure with our active cooperation. SPARTAN and CINEMA are the latest innovations that have been created as a result of this partnership,” says Dr. Berridge.
With new security features such as CINEMA that can only be achieved in polymer and the introduction of SPARTAN, CCL Secure say that the investment is needed to meet global demand using their existing production lines, based on three continents.
Although GUARDIAN is already renowned for its durability, the engineering brief for SPARTAN was to create a polymer that would be even tougher in order to stand up to the rigours experience by a high transaction velocity banknote, constantly changing hands.
SPARTAN banknotes have already achieved impressive lab test results, making it easily the most durable polymer banknote yet tested by CCL Secure. The new material is available exclusively as a SPARTAN banknote, aimed at the note/coin boundary and likely to be of most interest for lower value denominations. For CINEMA, Innovia Films produced a variant of the Clarity™ C film used in GUARDIAN notes.
“This major investment in production capability across both our Australian and UK facilities underlines CCL Secure’s position as the world’s leading provider of polymer banknote solutions,” says Dr. Tim Berridge, CCL Secure’s Director of R&D, Marketing and Design. “The scale of the investment also shows the importance of us being part of the C$5.2 billion CCL Industries group, providing global strength in depth to support our highly specialised operations.”