SPARK® Flow
SICPA (Switzerland)
SPARK® Flow is the third generation of SICPA's SPARK® technology platform, publicly released in May 2023 and representing a fundamental advance in the design sophistication and optical performance achievable with optically variable magnetic inks.
SPARK® Flow marks a new level of performance combining design sophistication and breakthrough process capabilities, providing enhanced brightness, 3D depth, and innovative printing functionalities. This new generation of overt security builds on an unprecedented level of control over pigment alignment, prior to and during the creation of the dynamic effect. Using biaxial pre-alignment, it improves contrast, saturation, and sharpness of the feature. Using biaxial simultaneous alignment, it enables a new family of stunning effects with a customisable and impressively realistic 3D appearance, adding dimension on a flat surface.
SPARK® Flow is available in two primary variants. PRIME delivers the enhanced colour shift and sharpness improvements enabled by the new pigment pre-alignment process, producing a more vivid and higher-contrast version of the classic SPARK® effect. DIMENSION takes the technology further, using the biaxial simultaneous alignment process to generate genuine three-dimensional visual depth within a flat printed feature — an effect that creates the impression of relief and encourages the user to touch and verify.
SPARK® Flow is manufactured with high-performance nickel-free magnetic material and contributes to reducing the need for banknote replacement thanks to its chemical and physical resistance, which preserves clear visibility even on heavily circulated banknotes.
The feature is applied by screen printing, retains the machine-readable magnetic properties of the broader SPARK® platform, and is designed to integrate closely with other security elements on the note — particularly complementing foil features and holographic stripes where design coordination between the two elements strengthens the overall authentication experience.
- Name
- SPARK® Flow
- Category
- Security Feature
- Effect Types
- Colour shift
- Company
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SICPA
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- Linked Features
- 2 security features