Refrigerant producer DuPont has taken a further step to protect its intellectual property rights and protect customers from the damaging effects of counterfeit refrigerants by instigating a labelling programme using its 3D Izon technology.
DuPont holds patents for R410A and R407C in various countries and, along with other manufacturers including Honeywell, has been fighting a running battle in recent years with counterfeit gas emanating from China.

Some of the gases have been branded and packaged to resemble leading brands, and analysis has shown them to contain flammable cocktails containing CFCs, HCFCs and hydrocarbons.

Although there has not been any instances of counterfeit refrigerants finding their way to the UK, DuPont has warned that those in possession of air conditioning equipment containing unauthorised refrigerants face the possibility of seizure and destruction of equipment and monetary damages.

To address this concern, DuPont has developed the Suva Refrigerants Labelling programme as a quick and easy way to verifying that equipment contains DuPont's 410A or Suva 407C and therefore can be exported and used worldwide, including EU countries, without concern of patent infringement.

The label uses DuPont's own Izon technology to prevent counterfeiting and copying a full-parallax, 3D imaging device which allows viewers to see around all four sides of an embedded image. Said to be extremely difficult to replicate, the Izon labdel allows instantvisual verification of a brand's authenticity.

Leading Chinese air conditioning equipment manufacturers TCL and Chigo have already instituted the Suva Refrigerants Labelling Programme on all of their R410A and R407C equipment.