Laser engraving for data cards, passports

Minnetonka, MN - Datacard Group, a provider of secure ID and card personalization products, has unveiled a passport issuance system with an option for laser engraving for extra security.

The Datacard PB6500 system offers a wide variety of inline personalization technologies, including inkjet printing, secure lamination and perforation, multilevel hardware, software, and data security. It also features a "second-generation" fiber laser engraving module (1.3A at 230V 871 BTUs/hour, no external cooling) that allows passport issuers to engrave high-quality images and text with up to 200 passports/hour throughput using grayscale fiber laser technology. This includes support for laser ablation, 3D photo engraving, tilted laser images (changeable laser image or multiple laser image), text, barcodes, logos, other graphics, and Datacard's own "PersoCurve" capability to display text in a wavy line -- called "Level 1" security features because they are easy to detect but difficult to counterfeit. For number perforation, the laser drills conical alpha/numeric characters through the entire booklet from the data page to the back cover. A variety of substrates can be used with laser engraving, including thin polycarbonate pages.

"There continues to be new threats every day that push governments to elevate security and integrate the most advanced technologies into their passport programs," said Russell St. John, SVP of global marketing for Datacard Group. "The challenge is for these organizations to cost-effectively implement new technologies that help combat these threats while also protecting their investments and systems. [...] With the PB6500 system, our customers get consistent and efficient production, reduced booklet waste and true field modularity that contribute to a lower total cost of ownership."