In today’s precious metals industry, innovation in minting technology is no longer a competitive advantage but a strategic necessity. Rising demand for efficiency, cost control, sustainability, and consistent quality is pushing mints and refiners to reconsider long-established production models. The T-Sintermint Line, developed by Tera Automation in collaboration with ABC Bullion and Coinatec, represents a step forward in this transformation, introducing a new approach to coin and bar production based on metal powder sintering and full process automation.
Presented at the IPMI 49th Annual Conference, the T-Sintermint Line challenges traditional assumptions in minting by re-engineering the entire production workflow rather than incrementally improving individual machines.
From traditional minting to process re-engineering
Historically, minting technology has evolved through gradual mechanical refinements. The introduction of rolling mills in the 18th century, followed by automated presses and annealing furnaces in the 20th century, significantly increased productivity and precision. Nevertheless, the overall production logic has remained largely unchanged.
Conventional minting relies on a multi-stage, fragmented process: metal is cast, rolled into strips, punched into blanks, annealed, cleaned, rimmed, surface-finished, and finally struck. This sequence typically involves up to eleven separate steps and ten different machines, each requiring handling, alignment, and quality checks. As a result, production times are long, operational complexity is high, and material scrap rates can exceed 50%.
The T-Sintermint Line takes a different approach by applying Business Process Re-engineering to minting. Instead of optimising each individual stage, it eliminates entire phases of the traditional workflow.
Metal powder sintering as a new production paradigm
At the core of the T-Sintermint Line is the use of metal powder sintering, a technology widely proven in other high-precision mechanical industries but unprecedented at this level of integration in minting.
The process begins with the atomisation of molten metal using high-pressure water jets, producing a controlled metal powder. This powder is then dried, sieved, and classified to achieve a precise and repeatable particle size distribution. From this point onwards, the powder becomes the primary raw material for production.
Instead of rolling and punching metal strips, precisely weighed doses of powder are compacted and sintered under controlled mechanical and thermal conditions. The result is a near-net-shape blank that already meets tight tolerances for weight, density, and geometry, significantly reducing downstream processing.
By adopting this approach, the T-Sintermint Line reduces the number of production stages from eleven to just six – simplifying the process while increasing repeatability, control, and overall robustness.
Full automation and robotic integration
Beyond the process innovation itself, the T-Sintermint Line is notable for its end-to-end automation. After powder classification, the entire production flow is managed by a robotic system designed to operate on a 24/7 basis with minimal human intervention.
Anthropomorphic robots handle powder dosing, transfer to cold compaction presses, movement through the sintering furnace, optional rimming, and final coining. Integrated weighing systems verify each piece before palletisation, ensuring full compliance with strict quality standards.
This high level of automation delivers several strategic advantages: human error is virtually eliminated, production consistency is enhanced, and all critical parameters can be monitored and adjusted in real time. The result is a stable, predictable process aligned with Industry 4.0 principles, where data, traceability, and digital control are integral to production.
Operational performance and efficiency gains
Material efficiency represents one of the most significant improvements. While traditional minting processes can generate scrap rates exceeding 50%, the sintering-based approach reduces waste to approximately 10–15% of remeltable powder, resulting in considerable savings in precious metal consumption.
In addition, the sintering process enables high-proof surfaces and high-relief designs, opening new possibilities for premium numismatic products. It also allows the production of large-size coins and bars, complex geometries, and non-standard formats that are difficult or uneconomical to achieve with conventional minting technologies. The compact footprint of the entire line – less than 48 square metres – further enables installation in facilities where space is at a premium.
Lower capital expenditure, reduced operating costs and shorter production cycles – as well as a significant reduction in working capital tied up in raw materials and work-in-progress inventories – collectively improve the economic sustainability and financial efficiency of minting operations.
Implications for the precious metals industry
By reducing waste, simplifying workflows, and enabling full digital control, this technology aligns minting operations with broader trends in advanced manufacturing. It also supports greater operational flexibility, allowing producers to respond more rapidly to changing market demands, product specifications, and opportunities for high-value, differentiated products.
Through the integration of metal powder sintering, robotics, and full automation, minting can be transformed into a leaner, more efficient, more flexible, and more sustainable industrial process.
