The first 3D barcode which can be built into products during manufacture has been developed by Yorkshire engineers
Moulded tablet case with a 3D printed bar code.Credit: Ben Whiteside, University of Bradford
The anti-counterfeit marker is virtually invisible to the naked eye and cannot be detected by touch. The patented technology is already generating interest from the pharmaceutical sector.
It can be read using a laser scanner, allowing anything from phones to pills to be tracked and verified as authentic.
The technology was devised by Sofmat and has been developed in collaboration with engineers from the University of Bradford. It has been developed with funding from Innovate UK.
The 3D barcode is made up of tiny indentations in the surface of the product, created by pins which are integrated into its mould.
Dr Ben Whiteside, from the University of Bradford, said: “The system enables very small displacements to be made in each pin – each step being just 0.4microns, 100thof the width of a human hair.
“These have to be set with a very high accuracy, and with sufficient force so their position is maintained during the manufacturing process.
“While our system has been developed initially for products made from plastics or composites through injection moulding, it could also be used to stamp or emboss the code onto a product.”
Many pharma companies are now developing moulded tablets, produced using an injection moulding process, into which a 3D barcode could be incorporated.