When it comes to 3D printing, the sky is the limit. As 3D printing technology continues to advance, applications can be as far reaching as airplane and automobile parts to medical devices and even anatomically correct, biocompatible models. Although 3D printing technology is developing at a rapid pace, the technology itself is not new. It emerged in the 1980s as a means of creating rapid prototypes. In recent years the applications for 3D printed models have evolved with the available hardware, software, and printable materials. Evolving technology, paired with the creative and innovative minds of scientists, engineers, and physicians, has been the launching pad for developments within 3D printing technology specific to healthcare. One way 3D printing technology is poised to create better patient outcomes is in creating an anatomically and patient-specific models to aid in surgery and medical procedures. With the capability to 3D ...
A company has come up with a way to let original equipment manufacturers, brand owners, and others keep their eyes at all times on their products. The aim is to help manufacturers and retailers deal with product security, counterfeiting, liability, and other issues by keeping track of unique signatures in plastic packaging.
Ampacet Corp. has developed a new type of masterbatch that is chockful of molecular tracers. A masterbatch is a solid plastic, rubber, or elastomeric substance in which pigments are nicely dispersed at high concentrations. The substance is compatible with the plastic with which it will be blended during manufacturing to give the final plastic product the color from the masterbatch.
As reported in Plastics Today, Ampacet goes one step further with the masterbatch. The company loads molecular tracers as well as the pigment into the masterbatch so that the masterbatch becomes essentially a tracking device molded into a plastic product, such as rigid or flexible packaging.
Ampacet refused to reveal the kinds of molecular tracers it was using, but, as the article explains:
Such tracers, previously used primarily with high-value or controlled products such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, currency, agricultural products and explosives, now are being used more frequently for a variety of consumer and industrial products to verify brand ownership, manufacturers’ lots and tamper evidence.
The type, ratios, and concentrations of the molecular tracers in these special masterbatches can be tweaked to give each masterbatch a unique signal that can be measured by visual, audible, or standard laboratory analytical tools. The tracers can be based on UV or infrared radiation, ferromagnetism, and other detection systems. The unique signal of each plastic product can act as a special “product fingerprint.”
A press release by the company says:
Ampacet works with manufacturers to tailor AmpaTraceâ„¢ molecular signatures to their packaging needs. The company also provides analytical services to positively identify the molecular tracer in a package at the store or plant level, if needed. Depending on the complexity of security required, AmpaTrace technologies provide low cost options to high security optimization.
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