Packaging labels secured with molecular-tagged inks

ENSURING customers of better traceability and anti-counterfeit measures, Videojet Technologies and Applied DNA Sciences have announced they are collaborating for a new co-branded Applied DNA SigNature^® molecular-tagged Videojet inks, and a co-branded printer that electronically restricts the use of ink cartridges to only those that contain SigNature DNA inks.

Together their technologies bring the potential to empower the tagging of countless commercial items, all of which are candidates for a CertainT™ licensing agreement, enabling traceability along the entire supply chain.

They can provide a world-class solution that will be offered to various industries in which both companies are already engaged. The 345,000-install base of Videojet printers, which code and mark well over ten billion products each day, is a testament to the power of continuous inkjet printing (CIJ) technology. The initial offering utilizes the newly released Videojet 1860 printer, which will be co-branded with Applied DNA, along with co-branded Videojet inks that will incorporate Applied DNA's unique SigNature molecular tag into each individual ink cartridge. The SigNature-enabled inks will be brand-specific, enabling each brand to tag, test and track their products from source to shelf under a CertainT platform. Gaining this additional traceability, transparency and ultimately trust between value chain partners will allow brands to offer a new level of certainty to their customers that the products they are buying are authentic.  

Using molecular-tagged ink does not affect printer uptime or operations (Photo courtesy: Videojet)

The initial rollout of co-branded SigNature molecular tagged inks includes an aerospace-approved ink. This durable black ink was chosen to qualify first, due to its specific application and use in US military and aerospace industry for unique identifier (UID) tags, for an array of critical components spanning several Federal Supply Groups (FSGs). Initial qualification testing, confirming that the molecular tagged ink does not impact printer uptime or operation, was performed under Applied DNA’s first Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) contract awarded by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. In addition to critical FSG items, this ink is most commonly used as a date/lot code marking solution for food, tobacco, coffee, baby, health and personal care. 

“We are very excited to team with Videojet to bring this combined solution to market and offer a broad range of companies a definitive method to support their brand protection strategies. This is a significant opportunity to increase the universe of SigNature-tagged items, increase our market share and broadly secure the supply chains of complex commercial ecosystems through the use of our CertainT platform,” stated Dr. James Hayward, President and CEO of Applied DNA.

“Applied DNA’s SigNature molecular tags and CertainT platform complements Videojet marking and coding solutions, allowing us to offer a new secure ink option, adding to our robust portfolio of brand protection and industrial track and trace offerings that are used across many commercial industries,” said Fred Susi, Videojet VP of Business and Product Planning.