Transcript: Polymer bank notes

Transcript of Audio

Polymer bank notes

Hey hey, Dr Rob dollars!

Why, it’s not such a far-fetched idea. Plenty of scientists have had their faces on our currency. All I need to do is come up with something that revolutionises the way we do things – just like the scientists who invented polymer bank notes.

Hi, I’m Phillip. I’m a physicist, and I make lots of money.

A lot of hard work goes into making money, and here at Note Printing Australia we have researched, designed and made polymer currency for more than 20 countries around the world.

Most countries in the world still use paper money, but paper has many enemies.

There are lots of advantages to polymer bank notes, like it’s water resistant, so more hygienic than paper … and tear resistant. But the biggest advantage of polymer bank notes is that it’s hard to copy.

Polymer bank notes are made from a similar kind of material to the packaging that keeps food fresh on the supermarket shelf. But don’t try passing off a bread wrapper as a $50 note.

These beauties have more built-in technology than you can fit in a sandwich.

How to frustrate counterfeiters, Lesson 1.

The beauty of plastic means we can allow complex security features that can’t be reproduced by scanning or photocopying.

This clear window has the distinctive white printing known as vignette. You can also see the fine embossing on the surface of the note, which is just visible.

This [effect] is called the see-through register. Half the pattern is printed on this side of the note, and the other half on the reverse. When you hold it up to the light, you can see the complete pattern.

On this $10 note you can see the diamond-shaped patterns combining to form a seven-pointed star.

How to frustrate counterfeiters, Lesson 2.

All of our bank notes have security features that can’t be instantly noticed with the naked eye.

This [printing] is known as microprinting. It just looks like part of the pattern, until you look at it under the microscope.

Higher denomination notes have a UV patch that becomes visible under a UV light. This note also has a shadow image of Australia’s coat of arms that can be seen when held up to the light.

How to frustrate counterfeiters, Lesson 3.

The feel of a note is very important.

How to frustrate counterfeiters, Lesson 4.

We’ve come a long way since the first polymer bank notes were made for the Australian market, and we’ve had a lot of time to experiment. Who knows what the next wave of technology may bring?

At the moment, we’re working on bank notes that glow when put next to an electric field, like your mobile phone.

It’s tough keeping one step ahead of the counterfeiters, but maybe one day we’ll put them out of business for good.