3M launches new product

3M has launched a product designed to make data theft or skimming from smart cards and e-passports more difficult.

The company’s ToughShield brand Protective Sleeves are set to maintain reliability while offering data protection for RFID-enabled devices.

Lined with a thin copper-coated conductive polyester, the metallic layer effectively blocks radio frequencies that could be used for unauthorised skimming.

The inside lining of the product is bonded with the company’s acrylic adhesive, to an outside layer made of 3M TufQuin-brand Inorganic Hybrid Insulating Paper, which is water and tear resistant and – following 2000 cycles of abrasion resistance testing – withstands wear more effectively than other materials.

Along with a printable surface allowing the sleeve to be used as a brand and marketing tool, the 3M product can additionally be customised to fit a broad range of devices.

3M’s worldwide sales are reported to be $24.5 billion (16.47 billion pounds), with the company’s operations in the UK and Ireland earning sales in excess of 633 million pounds in 2006.

Employing more than 75,000 people – 3,850 in Ireland and the UK – the company has operations in more than 60 countries, with products sold in nearly 200 countries.

It has 145 plant locations and 188 sales offices worldwide.