PAL helps give birth to the Euro coin
PAL helps give birth to the Euro coin
Keywords: Plating, Surface treatments, Corrosion
New Year's Day 2002 saw the new Euro currency go live with coins and notes in use in the majority of EU member countries. PAL – Process Automation International Ltd – has helped in the "birth process" for their enclosed barrel line supplied to Surface Treatment BV in Maasbracht in the Limburg region of The Netherlands and has already plated a staggering 1.5 billion coins (of three types, but mostly 5 cent Euro coins) for the Dutch and Italian mints. The total weight of coinage produced so far is more than 3,500,000kg. The line continues to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that there will be plenty of coins to meet needs within both countries.
"We are delighted that the machine is doing such sterling work," says Bruce Norsworthy, managing-director of PAL UK Ltd – PAL's UK subsidiary."Surface Treatment tells us that the machine is 'doing a great job'."Before investing in the PAL line, Surface Treatment Nederland's managing director, Frans Verheijen, drew up a short list of ten plating line manufacturers. "Working on a venture of this kind has to be a true partnership in every sense of the word, and it was important to us to select a company with a superb reputation and in whom we could have total confidence. We found that company in PAL," he said, when he had made his purchasing decision. And the relationship has proved to be just that – a partnership with a highly successful outcome – near perfect plating of millions and millions of coins a year. Indeed the partnership has been so successful that a video of the line was made and copies are available from PAL UK for anyone interested in finding out more about the capabilities of the PAL line.
Just one man looks after the operation of the machine. The fully enclosed part of the line is 40 metres long and has 26 tanks. With six plating stages of copper, the machine cycle time is about 40 minutes, allowing around four hours'copper plating time. From the moment 500 kilos of steel blanks are loaded into the hopper, the whole process is fully automated.
The coins are separated automatically into loads of a predetermined weight and fed into the hexagonal shelf-type barrels by means of a vibratory feeder. The barrels are made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene for a long life– each one is guaranteed for five years. The initial part of the plating"journey" takes in five cleaning tanks; it is vital that the blanks are carefully cleaned. Then they are electroetched, rinsed twice again, treated to a caustic dip, and rinsed several times more before arriving at the copper cyanide tanks with their submerged anodes and copper anode balls. The anode balls are in titanium anode baskets for ease of lifting; loading is simple and through a chute.
Their return journey takes in passivation – to prevent corrosion and ensure that each coin keeps its shine throughout a long shelf life (anything up to two years before stamping and entering the money chain); and copious rinsing and thorough drying before the shining copper disks go through the counting machine and back into their box. it takes just 150 minutes for 500kg of coins to fill the box.
A retractable drip tray and Henig blow-down system are invaluable features of the machine. The drip tray stops any contamination from one tank to the next and helps to ensure that the machine is kept as clean as possible; and the blow-down system facilitates the removal of drag-out from the barrel. Safety features, in addition to the enclosure, include flashing lights on the transporter, a crash bar and infra-red beams facing down and across the machine that cause an alarm to sound if they are broken.
MMI, continuous removal of sodium carbonate – a by-product of the copper electroplating process – and a reportedly highly efficient and effective fume scrubber are amongst the "behind the scenes" features of the line that are said to ensure efficient and safe operation day-in-day-out.
Details available from: Process Automation (UK) Ltd. Tel: +44 (0)1743 860086;Fax: +44 (0)1743 860022; E-mail: palukca@aol.com;Web site: www.paluk.uk.ws
