One code for each individual product

KOMDRUCK AG from Fürth is impressive proof that innovation does not always have to come from the giants of the technology sector. The medium-sized company is currently developing a special marking and decoding module for plastic products together with its project partners Formconsult Werkzeugbau and the Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences in Thuringia. The abbreviation PUDIS stands for “Plastic packing Unique Device Identification System”. This involves the unique traceability of plastic products or packaging.

To support their innovative research in this field, the federal government is now contributing 948,000 euros. Dr. Michael Meister (CDU) handed over the funding decision on Wednesday in his capacity as Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research at the KOMDRUCK offices in Fürth. The funds come from the “KMU-innovativ Produktionsforschung” (SME-innovative production research) funding pot, which aims to strengthen the innovative power of SMEs.

Science and business

“At the same time, the aim is to build a bridge between science and industry,” explained Dr. Meister. He hopes that in two years’ time, at the end of the funding period, there will be a product whose development will pay off. He confirmed that PUDIS has great potential on the international market. Stefan Schneider, CEO of KOMDRUCK, agrees. “Research funding is nice, but we want to use what we develop now to make a profit later on,” says the company founder.

To ensure this, KOMDRUCK has brought specialists on board whose expertise complements its own. Thomas Seul, Professor of Production Engineering and Tool Design, joined the event online from Thuringia. He explained the idea behind the project.

Put simply, the aim is to develop a marking and coding system that allows clear traceability, for example for medical products, but also for the automotive industry and other sectors of the plastics processing industry. Complete traceability is of great importance, particularly in terms of protection against plagiarism and claims for damages. However, there is currently no cost-effective marking system for plastic products that covers the entire process from coded marking during injection molding through to verification of the marking.

The aim of the PUDIS project is therefore to develop a process module for a new type of marking and demarking system that guarantees the application of forgery-proof coding to plastic components during the injection molding process. This system thus enables clear identification and traceability of each individual product.

Prof. Seul is certain: “We are creating faster, safer and less risky production processes. Mix-ups can no longer occur”. Seul’s colleague Professor Andreas Wenzel from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Schmalkalden University of Applied Sciences also emphasized the clear identifiability already in the manufacturing process. He sees KOMDRUCK AG as a competent partner for building a corresponding demonstrator, which will then be tested and validated by associated companies.

Before the test phase

Stefan Schneider doesn’t want to give too much away, but explains that they have found a way to realize the idea. Schneider: “We are now facing a long test phase. Although the first steps have been taken, Mount Everest still looms ahead of us.

District Administrator Christian Engelhardts described the Fürth-based company as a technology leader in the Bergstrasse district. And Mayor Volker Oehlenschläger promised that KOMDRUCK would continue to have a good home in Fürth, even in the event of expansion. Oehlenschläger: “We will make this possible.”