With more than 300 participants the Technical Forum was well attended again. The lecture of Mr. Daniel Winkler (TEMA) attracted a great deal of attention. Mr. Winkler spoke about future technical prospects. Decision-makers from machine construction and production of coin blanks as well as from mints showed high interest in this matter afterwards.

“The next generation of coin inspection machines should not only increase the throughput while, at the same time, reduce the stress on the coins. It aims at shining a light on all aspects of the blank or the coin: The optical appearance, the height profile and diameter, the material structure and even the weight if required.  

Currently coin inspection is based on a 2D visual inspection.

By stereoscopic imaging or 3D imaging an exact height profile of the coin or blank surface can be created. The qualified absolute measurement values of the blank surface and the coining profile provide valuable information to judge the quality of surface and coining profile. Rim height is no longer a blank spot on the map of the coin. A measurement station with transmitted light isn’t needed anymore. Mechanical handling problems which may occur there vanish into thin air.

Coin validation can provide exact information on material structure at full production speed for every blank or coin, which also means documented evidence of conformity for Central Banks replacing the conventional spot checks.  

Exact weight determination could especially be interesting for collector’s coins and bullions.

Machine concepts show: All this is not just building castles in the air. The next generation of coin inspection machines could change the ways of current practice very soon. “

First Expert Forum “Competence and Quality for Aluminum” on 25 January, 2012 was a great success

They had come from the USA, Canada, Czech Republic, Turkey, Austria, Spain, Greece, France, Switzerland, Slovenia, Hungary, Thailand, Venezuela and Germany to discuss quality standards in aluminum slug production and slug processing: Decision-makers of 20 recognized companies mainly from aluminum slug production but also from aluminum tube and can manufacturing. When Mr. Lutz Büker, the Managing Director of the host company TEMA GmbH, welcomed them all to the first Expert Forum “Competence and Quality for Aluminum” at the headquarters of the parent company Mühlbauer AG in Roding he looked into expectant faces. This forum was a first for both visitors and organizers.

TEMA, producer and provider of inspection solutions including systems for the whole production chain of aluminum packaging products, was predestined to arrange this event. Moderated by Ms. Barbara Lugert (Sales TEMA) the forum started with a live demonstration of the machine SIF 1500 which performs a 100% inspection of surface, rim, diameter and thickness of aluminum slugs. Mr. Jonas Auerswald (Service TEMA) showed and explained the functionality of the machine and answered technical questions. The great majority of the professional audience had not seen the SIF 1500 before and followed the presentation with high interest. When the place in front of the machine became too crowded from time to time, visitors took the opportunity to get first hand information on TEMA’s design check and print inspection solutions presented by Mr. Achim Hartmann (Head of Sales TEMA).

The afternoon was characterized by experience reports and lively discussions. The first section addressed the aluminum slug production process. Mr. Milan Pristovsek (Alucon, Thailand) explained what induced him to establish a fully automatic slug inspection performed by the SIF 1500 in 2011 and how it had supported their zero-defect concept since then. He also pointed out that detection and rejection of defective slugs is only one half of the benefit. Inspection protocols of the SIF 1500 and statistics provide valuable information for optimizing the production process and for building up the next level of slug quality.

Mr. Ulf Porth (Head of Site TEMA) picked up the topic looking at an earlier production stage. He talked about TEMA’s inspection system SI-Web for double-sided surface inspection of metal web and illustrated how this compact space saving system had been built around the requirements of the production process to perform an accurate inspection while coping with high temperatures or other environmental challenges. Mr. Christoph Müller (Semis Rheinfelden, GER) then took over to inform the audience about his experiences with the SI-Web in his aluminum web production and explained how defects on the web are detected at the point of origin, marked and sorted out prior to the slug stamping process. Mr. Müller also mentioned that they had tried vision inspection solutions before without being satisfied until they integrated the SI-Web in 2010. Apart from the excellent inspection performance he emphasized the easy operation of the system and the high acceptance by the operators.

Following a vivid question and answer period and a short break the stage was set for experience reports of can and tube producers. Mr. Lukas Hrabak (Aerocan, CZ) and Mr. Andreas Heck (Tubex, GER) depicted the interrelation between slug quality and the final product. They advocated the zero-defect policy in slug production since poor slug quality can lead to machine failures, production downtimes and, in some cases, considerable financial losses.

The concluding discussions, held in a very professional and open minded manner provided room for exchanging even controversial opinions. The dialog was continued in a rather relaxed and private way during a get-together at the City Hotel in Roding where all attendees of the forum gathered for dinner. In the end everyone agreed upon one conclusion: Let’s have a second expert forum “Competence and Quality for Aluminum" in one or two years. There are still plenty of topics to discuss.