Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (hereafter Toppan Printing; head office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo; President & Representative Director: Shingo Kaneko) and NEC Toppan Circuit Solutions, Inc. (hereafter TNCSi; head office Minato Ward, Tokyo; President: Keiji Miyajima)have developed a "Secure Printed Wiring Board" which is highly effective in preventing counterfeiting.

With the Secure Printed Wiring Board, an invisible ink, which cannot be seen with the naked eye, is used on the main body of the printed wiring board, and an individual ID number is engraved through a combination of printing and laser engraving. With this individual ID number, it is possible to identify individual products and determine their authenticity, thus making counterfeiting difficult.
As the ink is managed very carefully from the stage of raw materials, the level of security is extremely high, and the product is very effective in preventing counterfeiting.
The anti-counterfeit processing used for this product differs from conventionally employed indirect countermeasures, such as attaching security stickers to packaging, in that counterfeiting and forgery of the printed wiring board itself can be prevented because the anti-counterfeit processing is applied directly to the wiring board.
In applying the anti-counterfeit processing to the main body of the printed wiring board, Toppan Printing and TNCSi have employed the know-how they have built up over the years to develop a method that does not adversely affect the performance of the wiring board, and maintains the functions required of a printed wiring board, including insulating properties and heat resistance.

By adopting the Secure Printed Wiring Board, companies will be able to prevent counterfeiting of printed wiring boards, maintain the reliability of products, and protect and enhance their brands. With identification of individual products and determination of authenticity by purpose-built inspection devices, it will also be possible to immediately check whether a product is one that is made by a certain company and provide appropriate quality assurance.

Sample of the Secure Printed Wiring Board and an engraved ID number Copyright 2012 TOPPAN PRINTING CO., LTD.

< Background >
In recent years there has been an increase in counterfeiting of printed wiring boards, which are the circuit boards for electronic devices. When defects in electronic devices occur due to inferior printed wiring boards, damage is significant and the inability to provide appropriate quality assurance has become an issue because it is not possible to confirm whether a printed wiring board is one made by a certain company or not.
However, because labels easily peel away from the solder resist (insulation) used on the surface of the printed wiring board and it is not possible to attach a sticker directly to the main body of the board, products have been managed by attaching IC tags or security labels using devices such as holograms to the packaging. With these indirect anti-counterfeit measures, it is not possible to manage the printed wiring boards themselves, and therefore a need has arisen for countermeasures to counterfeiting that can be applied directly to printed wiring boards.

< Features of the Secure Printed Wiring Board >
- By using security ink that is difficult to obtain, it is possible to apply anti-counterfeit processing directly to the printed wiring board.
- This product is highly effective in preventing counterfeiting because specialist manufacturing know-how is required to apply anti-counterfeit processing directly to printed wiring boards.
- Through the combination of special security ink and laser engraving, it has become possible to immediately confirm whether a product is made by a certain company or not via individual identification using a purpose-built inspection device, and therefore appropriate quality assurance can be provided.
- The performance of the printed wiring board, such as insulating properties and heat resistance, is maintained.
- As counterfeiting and forgery is difficult, the reliability of products is maintained and brands can be protected and enhanced.

< Future developments >
Toppan Printing and TNCSi will improve the product based on market research, and target the prompt launch of mass production.

* The Secure Printed Wiring Board will be displayed at the TNCSi booth at JPCA Show 2012 (Sponsored by the Japan Electronics Packaging and Circuits Association), which will be held from June 13 to 15, 2012 at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center.


* The names of companies, products and services featured in this press release are the trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.
* The information in this press release is current as of the date of publication and is subject to change without notice.