A Luton machine plays crucial role in producing new £1 coin

A Luton-based supplier of high-quality punching technology is playing a big role in the production of the new £1 coin.

Bruderer UK, which has nearly 50 years of experience creating world renowned precision, high-speed presses, has installed a state-of-the-art machine into the Royal Mint’s Llantrisant facility, giving the institution additional speed, capacity and flexibility.

Capable of up to 825 strokes per minute, the BSTA 1600-117B2 is responsible for creating the hard cut blanks that form one of the first processes in manufacturing the new pound coin.

Adrian Haller, managing director, commented: “At an investment of over £1m, this is the largest single order ever placed with Bruderer UK and certainly one of the most prestigious in recent years.

“Our relationship with the Royal Mint stretches back nearly 40 years, and as part of its latest round of capital investment, we were asked to tender for a new press.

“After spending time with the production/engineering team, we identified that the Bruderer BSTA 1600-117B2 as the ideal machine to meet their requirements for greater speed and power - taking them from 125 tons up to a special execution of 180 tons press capacity.”

The machine has been specified with an 1170mm press bed length and is capable of feeding material up to 500mm wide by 12mm thick – ideal for tooling relative to different types of currency production now and in the future.

It also comes equipped with a B2 control system, meaning everything can be controlled from the Human Machine Interface (HMI), including full operation setting of the feed and speed, together with monitoring control of the whole stamping operation.

Haller continued: “With the tender won, we then had to complete a three-day factory compliance test with the customer production team ensuring the machine met stringent health and safety and engineering guidelines and delivered the promised performance.

“To give an idea of the machine production speed, it can do 14 coins per stroke and 750 strokes per minute, meaning 10,500 coins every 60 seconds.”

Working alongside the Royal Mint, Bruderer took six months to build the machine and just three days to install the new BSTA 1600-117B2.

Mervyn Evans, engineering manager at The Royal Mint, explained: “The machine is delivering the speed and accuracy we need and is a fundamental part of a production process that will eventually produce over 1.5bn pound coins.”

The Bruderer BSTA 1600-117B2 contains decades of experience and technological advancement to deliver a high-speed, high-performance precision stamping press.

Important innovations have delivered a number of enhanced capabilities that allow the customer to adjust shut height and press speed, together with precision adjustment of the feed pitch accuracy.

These can all be achieved whilst the machine is in operation, allowing the operator to maintain high levels of quality product.

Adrian concluded: “You don’t always get to see what our machines produce, so it’s quite pleasing to know that every time you go to the shops - whatever the coinage used - a Bruderer press will have started the process off!”

Bruderer UK, which employs 13 people, has achieved a record 12 months, with turnover set to pass £5m for the first time in its history in the UK.