RAPID® - DETECT
Crane Currency (United States of America)
Type: Machine-readability enhancement layer integrated into Crane Currency micro-optic security threads
Overview
DETECT is a proprietary machine-readability enhancement developed by Crane Currency in collaboration with Crane Payment Innovations (CPI), applied as an integrated layer within Crane's micro-optic security thread family. It is not a standalone security thread but an optional configuration available across the RAPID® platform — currently offered on RAPID®, RAPID® HD, and RAPID® Vision — adding automated Level 2 machine authentication to threads that already provide Level 1 public authentication. For the visual micro-optic characteristics, form factors, and deployment details of each thread variant, refer to the relevant RAPID® technology profile.
Technology
DETECT adds an invisible IR-absorbing material embedded within the micro-optic thread structure during manufacture. The material is exclusive to the currency industry and is wholly undetectable by the naked eye — it does not alter the colour, movement effects, or any visual characteristic of the host thread. The security concept rests on an unexpected pairing: the micro-optic structure is IR-transparent, while the embedded DETECT material is IR-dark. This combination is clearly detectable by near-IR sensors but provides no visible surface cue that could be identified or targeted by a counterfeiter. Metallised colour-shift films — a common counterfeiting reference material — are by contrast IR-dark and opaque throughout, properties that are readily simulated. The DETECT material is integral to the thread construction and cannot be removed or degraded independently of the thread itself, ensuring consistent machine detectability throughout the full circulation life of the banknote, including in heavily worn and soiled notes.
Machine Compatibility
DETECT was developed jointly with CPI, Crane's sister company within Crane NXT and the world's leading currency validator, processing approximately four billion transactions per week. This partnership ensures DETECT-enabled threads are optimised across the full spectrum of cash processing equipment — from high-speed central bank sorters to retail point-of-sale validators. DETECT relies on near-IR sensing, which is the dominant and growing standard across modern banknote equipment manufacturers (BEMs), and is deliberately positioned as future-proof as magnetic detection is progressively phased out of ATMs, cash acceptance terminals, and automated POS systems.
Security Levels
DETECT adds Level 2 machine authentication to the Level 1 public authentication provided by the host micro-optic thread. The two layers operate simultaneously and independently — the IR signal does not depend on the visual micro-optic effect, and vice versa — ensuring that both authentication channels remain functional even as the banknote ages in circulation.
| Security Feature | Banknotes |
|---|---|
| 416 | Thread | Front | Windowed | Wide | 4mm | Micro-optics | RAPID - HD Detect | 3 |
| 371 | Thread | Back | Windowed | Wide | 3mm | Machine readable IR & Micro-optics | RAPID - HD Detect | 5 |
| 236 | Thread | Front | Windowed | Wide | 3mm | Machine readable IR | RAPID - Detect | 1 |
| 34 | Thread | Back | Windowed | Wide | 4mm | Micro-optics | RAPID - HD Detect | 1 |
| 295 | Thread | Front | Windowed | Wide | Machine readable IR & Micro-optics | RAPID - Detect | 1 |
| 297 | Thread | Front | Windowed | Wide | Machine readable IR & Micro-optics | RAPID - HD Detect | 12 |
| 252 | Thread | Front | Windowed | Wide | 4mm | Micro-optics | RAPID - Detect | 1 |
| 299 | Thread | Front | Windowed | Wide | Machine readable IR | RAPID - Detect | 2 |
| 296 | Thread | Front | Windowed | Wide | Micro-optics | RAPID - Detect | 3 |
| 48 | Thread | Front | Windowed | Wide | 3mm | Micro-optics | RAPID - HD Detect | 2 |
| 266 | Thread | Front | Windowed | Wide | 5mm | Machine readable IR & Micro-optics | RAPID - Detect | 1 |
| Total Unique Banknotes | 32 |
- Name
- RAPID® - DETECT
- Category
- Security Feature
- Effect Types
- Machine readable IR
- Company
-
Crane Currency
Company Website - Product Page
- View on Supplier Site
- Linked Features
- 11 security features