Seco/Warwick will deliver a Vector® vacuum furnace to another national mint. The furnace will be delivered to the manufacturer of circulation and collection coins in Egypt.
It is the first contract Seco/Warwick has concluded in the country. The National Mint of Egypt is the seventh mint in the world to choose Seco/Warwick solutions.
The Vector vacuum furnace with 15 bar high-pressure gas quenching is equipment that perfectly fits the operating performance requirements of mints. The Vector enables quick heat treatment, with a working space that is optimum for circulating and collection coins, embossing dies, medals, and special orders. Furnaces with a graphite round heating chamber can be used for a majority of standard hardening, tempering, annealing, solution heat treating, and brazing processes. In the mint industry, Vector vacuum furnaces are very popular as they ensure powerful, uniform gas cooling, which guarantees the high hardness and durability of mint tools. The perfect quality of mint punches and other products is ensured by the very high purity vacuum atmosphere. The parameters of the equipment purchased by the Egyptian Mint are very similar to the solutions delivered by Seco/Warwick last year to the Mint of Poland — one of the most technologically advanced mints in the world. Some of the equipment installed by Seco/Warwick has been operated by this customer for more than nine years.
“Mints are very demanding customers. They manufacture high quality products that require perfect details and production repeatability. Collectors, who are the customers of mints, expect the highest care, durability, and quality of the finished products,” said Maciej Korecki, vice-president, vacuum furnace segment, Seco/Warwick Group. “This makes us even more happy that our flagship product — the Vector vacuum furnace — will be installed in another national mint. The delivery has resulted from great recommendations, which in this industry are a very strong argument for selection. It is worth mentioning that Seco/Warwick solutions have been used in mints across Canada, Poland, Brazil, Turkey, and China. For national mints, Seco/Warwick furnaces are the first choice.”
The Mint of Egypt was established in 1950. After 70 years of operation, the first Egyptian Museum of Circulating Coins was created at the mint. It displays a rare collection of special coins representing important historic figures and events, such as the construction of the Suez Canal and the Aswan High Dam. The Vector furnace will be used by the Mint of Egypt mostly for producing collection seals.
“We needed equipment that would significantly increase our production capacity. With heat treatment in the vacuum furnace, our embossing dies will provide the highest possible quality and the durability that is important for the customers. Mints are very special companies. The ban on carrying embossing dies outside the mint prevents us from using commercial hardening plants. That is why it was extremely important to us that the equipment for upgrading our mint represented the highest quality,” said Hossam Khedr, head of Egyptian Mint Authority.
Worldwide, there are 70 national mints and several dozen privately owned mints, manufacturing almost 800 various coin denominations. The oldest mint in the world that has been continuously operated since 864 and the eighth-oldest company in the world is Monnaie de Paris in France. The British Royal Mint is the 10th oldest company in the world, established in 886. National Mints provide the official currency for their home countries. They need to comply with rigorous standards that guarantee the weight, purity, and face value of the bullion they produce. This guarantee enables the bullion products manufactured by the state to enjoy a global reputation as the ideal source for investment in high-quality noble metals.
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