Coin Manufacturing Assessment and Technology Development

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Fraunhofer USA CMI worked with a major coin manufacturer to assess their current manufacturing operations for coinage and to evaluate and develop alternative manufacturing technologies for higher production efficiency.

Objective

To reduce production cost and improve quality of coins manufactured. 

Methodology

Fraunhofer USA CMI worked jointly with their partner to evaluate the current coin production facilities and methods, proposed alternative technologies, evaluated the financial and technical impact of proposed technologies, prototyped solutions and tested the quality of the coin blanks produced with the alternative solutions. Technologies explored included laser processing and pushback blanking as a means of streamlining the coin blanking process. The resulting coin blanks were subjected to a range of metrology tests including microhardness, sectioning/polishing/etching, and profilometry to evaluate their quality. An economic analysis and environmental impact study were also performed.

Results

High quality coin blanks were produced with alternative process technologies. Some of the solutions proved to be economically competitive while others were a wash. Fraunhofer USA CMI wrote several reports summarizing the results along with a complete financial and environmental impact analysis as well as recommendations.