Quality control automation for minting coins has passed the stage of being a ‘nice to have’ and is now a necessity. Many of today’s mints produce items that must adhere to strict specifications and guidelines. Their customers have high expectations when it comes to quality and investment-grade products.
Whether a mint produces circulating currency or sells retail-ready gold coins and bars, the advantage of consistent and automated quality control is to provide the highest level of protection for a brand, minimize waste and allow for greater production speed. Here are some effective tips:
1. Establish Clear Specifications and SKUs
The first step to successfully implement sensors and robotics in your minting operation is to develop solid and quantitative product definitions such as size, weight, relief depth, surface finish, edge characteristics and SKU tolerance.
Keeping these specifications in one digital repository allows for access from engineering, QC and operators within the entire minting operation.
This should also be your starting point to accurately define what is required for customers purchasing investment-grade products. If customers can browse gold bullion online, they expect the specifications to match exactly what is published.
The starting point for automating quality control is creating documentation that clearly identifies what your technology should be looking for within the production process.
2. Use Machine Vision to Perform Surface and Dimensional Inspections
Machine vision provides an automated way of conducting quality control. By using high-resolution cameras, LED lights, and AI-supported software to analyze images, machine vision can spot flaws far earlier than the human eye. Machine vision detects:
- Scratches, dents and die cracks
- Uneven edge Milling
- Missing or misaligned letters
- Incorrect pattern or offset strike
- Excess materials or burrs
- Minor flaws due to the loss of lustre or clarity
3. Implement Laser Metrology for Accurate Tolerance Levels
Laser measurement devices provide accurate measurements of thickness, diameter, height and weight when evaluating coin and bar dimensions to a fraction of a millimeter.
The technology enables manufacturers to achieve statistically correct quality control on their products and will revolutionize production practices for coins and bars.
4. Install Robotic Equipment to Minimize Errors
Using robotic equipment allows you to control all aspects of coin handling, spacing, loading, and orientation throughout the quality control and packaging process.
This will minimize the potential for human error such as oil from your skin, tiny scratches, and misaligned trays to compromise the quality of the coins.
Robotic equipment helps with:
- Automated pick and place during inspection
- Orientation for machine vision
- Automated stacking or presentation for the packaging process
- Automated sorting of defective and approved coins
In addition, using robotic equipment will improve ergonomic and safety conditions on high-volume minting lines.
Endnote
Automating the quality checks on coin minting makes it easier for manufacturers to produce coins with less waste while maintaining the consistent level of precision required by consumers today. By combining the above tips, coin mints can provide consistently high-quality coins that meet or exceed expectations.
Establishing clear specifications for high-value coins to be marketed to consumers who browse online will provide a foundation for the production of consistently high-quality coins.
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