Product owner: Jarden Zinc Products LLC and the Singapore Mint
Increased Efficiency, Safety or Environmental Protection
ZincSecure™ encompasses zinc-based alloy compositions and processes involved in the manufacturing and finishing of high quality and secure coin blanks. ZincSecure™ is a class of plated zinc-based alloys manufactured at Jarden Zinc Products and its licensees.
ZincSecure™ shows improved efficiency on several levels compared to other coinage materials:
- Requirement of lower press tonnage,
- Improved coinability,
- Longer die life,
- Lower weight.
The above attributes of ZincSecure™ lower the cost of mints/banks without compromising on security. Coining ZincSecure™ blanks require lesser energy and leads to lower die wear rates compared to manufacturing of steel and high cost solid alloys(HSA) coins. Mints can improve overt security by imprinting complex images on ZincSecure™ coins due to its improved coinability. Another advantage is its lower density compared to steel and HSA. Lower density translates to producing more coins per kilogram with ZincSecure™ than other coinage materials. This reduces the transportation cost for the mint/central banks.
ZincSecure™ coins can be plated with nickel, making them resistant to environmental conditions thereby increasing the coin-life. Tests conducted by National Research Council of Canada(NRCC) and internal testing showed that ZincSecure™ coins meet/exceed the typical requirements for coinage products. NRCC reported that the wear tests on plated ZincSecure™ coins showed comparable wear rates to Cupronickel and lower wear rates than Aluminum Bronze. These results prove to be advantageous for the mints as it reduces the need for replacement of circulation coins that are damaged due to use in the public domain.
Notably Improved Quality of a Product or Process
ZincSecure™ is an excellent material for currency coinage product in terms of cost, security and controlled manufacturing process. The European Vending Association(EVA) tested and made observations on ZincSecure™ materials. The material and process to manufacture ZincSecure™ is patent pending.
The controlled and sophisticated manufacturing gives ZincSecure™ coins high degree of security. They have unique and narrow electromagnetic signature(EMS) with density distinct from other coin material. EVA confirmed that the tested ZincSecure™ materials have narrow EMS range, reducing the risk of counterfeit coins from easily procured materials that require broader EMS range to pass through the system.
ZincSecure™ alloy variants offer a range of EMS that enables mints and central banks to use ZincSecure™ alloys for multiple currencies. Unlike, steel, plating on ZincSecure™ alloys has very little influence on EMS. Due to this, mints can maintain a narrow window for ZincSecure™ coins while for steel-based coins, a wider window would be required to ensure steel coins with different degrees of wear can pass. This leaves steel coins vulnerable to coin counterfeiters. On metal/alloy price scale, ZincSecure™ alloys are uniquely positioned. ZincSecure™ alloys are not heavily priced like brass, bronze, nickel alloys that can be a financial burden on the mints but at the same time they are higher than steel to deter counterfeiters from using it. In short, ZincSecure™ is an apt candidate, amongst other metals, for circulation coins as it strikes a balance between creating seigniorage value for the mints and ensuring high level of security for the currency coin.
