Montana adopts 3M Confirm Laminate with Floating Image technology to enhance security

ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One of the most prominent new features Montana residents will notice when they look at their new driver’s license is the image of a bear floating across the surface. This bear is part of a 3M security solution, Confirm Laminate with Floating Image, chosen by the Montana Department of Justice’s Motor Vehicle Division to protect against fraud and help increase the ease of identity verification by a large population including law enforcement officers, bank tellers, retail clerks and airline personnel. The use of this 3M technology makes Montana’s new identification cards virtually impossible to duplicate.

“We are very excited that Montana has chosen to use Confirm Laminate with Floating Image from 3M on the state’s new driver’s license,” said Patrick Wheeler, business manager for 3M Security Systems Division. “This decision will further protect the interests of Montana’s residents, businesses and law enforcement by allowing people working in identification verification to do their job with enhanced efficiency and security.”

3M Confirm Laminate with Floating Image combines high security with improved ease of verification through its patented technology. The 3M Confirm Laminate involves 3M’s unique fusion process that encapsulates photo images and security features inside two layers of special materials. A unique 3-D Optically Variable Device (OVD) is built into the Confirm, making it different than any other kind of OVD currently available. The OVD, which can be a customized image such as Montana’s bear, appears to float above or sink below the surface of the document as the viewing angle changes. This dramatic shift in the image can easily be seen by the human eye, allowing documents to be verified quickly and without a tool.

As a result of this technology, counterfeiters cannot get at the card’s information to change it without causing obvious damage to the card. To simulate the feature, millions of dollars would be needed to use the necessary equipment and unpublished “art” would be needed to recreate the customized 3-D image.

Confirm Laminates make verification even easier and counterfeiting more difficult with the unique silky feel provided by the lenticular matte finish. Confirm Laminate’s patented retroreflective background and pattern provides covert security – they can only be seen under ambient lighting conditions, in which case an unmistakable retroreflective pattern is seen.

Montana is the third state to use 3M Confirm Laminate with Floating Image on its driver’s license. Minnesota incorporated this technology on its new driver’s license in 2005, and New York followed soon after. Australia was the first country to use the technology in its passports.

As a leading global provider of innovative security solutions that use proprietary 3M technologies, including light management, optics, films, adhesives and holography, 3M has helped to solve a wide range of security problems for both government and private organizations, protecting everything from passports and drivers’ licenses to electronic components and pharmaceuticals.

3M and Confirm are trademarks of 3M.

About 3M

A recognized leader in research and development, 3M produces thousands of innovative products for dozens of diverse markets. 3M’s core strength is applying its more than 40 distinct technology platforms – often in combination – to a wide array of customer needs. With $24 billion in sales, 3M employs 75,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 60 countries. For more information, visit www.3M.com.

LaBrecheMelissa Howie, 612-392-7611mhowie@labrechereputations.comor3M Public RelationsConnie Thompson, 651-733-8914http://www.3m.com/PressContact