Tests for Bank Notes

We analyse the printing technical characteristics of bank notes:

• Printing method
• Coloring
• Register
• Functionality of the security features

Besides all printing related tests we teset the following characteristics of bank notes:

• Compositon of paper
• Weight per unit area
• Thicknes of paper
• Double crease number
• Tearing strength
• Ash content
• Opacity
• Cobb test
• Water absorption ability
• Tearing resistance
• pH value
• Life cycle simulation test

The life cycle simulation test gives an answer about how a banknote will look like after beeing in circulation for about half a year in Europe. This test can show and compare very well the wear, feel and look of different banknote qualities.

Tests for Passports

Besides the print and the paper tests we carry out the self-developed pageturn test. Here a passport book is opened and reclosed 10'000 times by a self-constructed machine. Then a page is peeled off and the peeling strength is measured. This value is compared with a unstressed passport book. This test is meaningful also for special pages, which for example contain RFIDs or magnetic strips and are not manufactured from paper but from plastic materials.

This test is also meaningful with pages, which are differently developed than normal passport sides, because they contain e.g. a RFID or a magnetic stripe and are not made of paper, but e.g of PVC.

Besides Ugra has developed a stamp test, which can determine, how an built-in chip (RFID or contact) can endure the stampings at the custom.

Tests for ID Cards

We test ID-cards according to the ISO standards 7810 and 10373-1.

We test the geometrical and physical characteristics of ID cards and their resistance against the 10 chemicals described in the standard, such as artificial sweat or saltwater.