With its new viscose fibres “with a fingerprint”, renowned viscose speciality fibre manufacturer Kelheim Fibres presents an innovative solution for composites at this year’s Composites Europe trade fair.

The objective is to protect plastic products against forgery, to ensure product traceability and supply chain control – and to avert fraudulent warranty claims.

By incorporating luminescent pigments from Tailorlux, the specialist in inorganic phosphors, in the viscose fibre matrix during the spinning process, Kelheim Fibres has intrinsically bound the pigments to the fibre and created a durable effect.

The pigments are customised from a range of more than 300 billion different combinations. They can be precisely identified by light spectroscopy, a widely recognised and uncomplicated method. The pigment can be detected in a non-destructive or a destructive examination (for example in the ash of a product). For quick checks in the field, Tailorlux offers a simple hand scanner.

The particular advantage of Kelheim’s viscose fibres with a fingerprint: the “detour” via the viscose fibres allows for a very economic dosage of pigments in the plastic, so that in the end, there is less pigment required than when added directly.

The customer benefits from a significant economic advantage. With these new fibres, Kelheim Fibres offers a solution for all manufacturers of composites (for example in the automobile industry), who have been searching for affordable protection against forgery for some time.

Kelheim Fibres is able to manufacture various types of viscose fibres incorporating Tailorlux’ luminescent pigments, based on the customer’s specific needs, which allows a perfect match to the end product and to the customer’s production process.