Safe, efficient and easy to use

Over six billion Swiss coins with a face value of more than 3.4 billion Swiss francs are currently in circulation worldwide. Swissmint has been producing the coin denominations of Swiss francs in Bern for over 100 years. The fact that the coinage has been produced in the same place for so long has led to structures that have grown organically over the years — some of which no longer meet current requirements. "A routine health and safety check and some information in the Brütsch/Rüegger Tools online shop indicated to us that some of our compressed-air component installations for tool manufacturing and production were no longer SUVA-compliant", states Manfred Schober, Deputy Technical Manager/Project Manager at Swissmint.

Outdated technology: The root cause of many problems

The assessment was used as an opportunity to replace the compressed-air systems at Swissmint. The oldest installation had been fitted over 40 years ago, while frequent repairs as a result of excessive wear and tear and a costly stock of replacement parts were neither in line what was contemporary nor economical. Even connecting a single hose often required many different components that had to be assembled individually — a task that was both time-consuming and costly. 

For this reason, Swissmint decided to first equip its tool manufacturing systems for producing the coin die with new components for supplying compressed air. It then followed this up by launching a second project, which aimed at adapting its production facilities so that they conformed to current standards.

Requirements for the new solution

The aim was to create a standardised system that would make retrofitting or connecting new machines a much easier process. Mr Schober explains: "We wanted the system to be dimensioned so that it could always provide enough compressed air for us to be able to use several sampling stations simultaneously without any loss of performance. Preventing accidents was also an important aspect to consider: The previous black compressed air hoses were tripping hazards; they also lacked protective sheathing, leading to problems with sharp edges in the workshop. The fact that the hoses and couplings were so old repeatedly caused air to leak from the system. 

"Apart from anything else, it's extremely dangerous to have a burst compressed air hose swinging around uncontrollably" says Mr Schober, speaking from his own experience.

Standardised systems simplify installation

All coining tools for circulating coins, special-edition coins and medals are produced in the tool manufacturing facilities at Swissmint. Alongside the CNC machines required for processing metal, smaller tools are also supplied with compressed air, such as pneumatic handheld milling cutters. Approximately 15 compressed air guns are also used at various workstations; for example, compressed air is used to clean the coin dies as they must be completely free of dirt and dust. It is also used to clean machines, tools and the workshop.

The entire compressed-air system at Swissmint has been replaced, from the main line to the supply lines for machines and workstations. Swissmint supplier Brütsch/Rüegger Tools purchased the components from CEJN.

Closed rollers and hi-vis hoses improve safety

"After we made the decision to use components from CEJN, we were advised by a specialist from the company in terms of selection and configuration", says Mr Schober. "The fact that Brütsch/Rüegger Tools handle our technical purchasing for us turned out to not be a problem. In fact, we created a shopping list together with our CEJN consultant and sent it directly to our suppliers".

One of the most striking features of the new system are the safety hose rollers equipped with neon green air hoses. These high-visibility hoses are significantly more visible than the black hoses used previously thanks to their brightly coloured design.

"Slips, trips and falls are some of the most common causes of workplace accidents," says Mr Schober. "The new hoses have been specifically designed to contrast the colour of the flooring to considerably reduce the risk of tripping".  

Thanks to the rollers, the hoses can be stored safely when not in use, which also helps to prevent damage. The rollers also have an optimised feed speed and controlled hose routing, which helps to significantly improve health and safety. There are also other benefits: The hose roller can be easily installed on the wall or ceiling; however, it can be easily removed from the wall mount without any tools if required, for example if the hose needs changing.

As part of the system update, Swissmint also replaced all of its compressed-air guns. The new guns produce significantly lower sound emissions. "Our employees really appreciate this", says Mr Schober.