ExOne enables precious metals 3D minting

The Pressburg Mint has bought two of ExOne's latest 3D metal printers for precious metals like gold, silver, and platinum, putting a modern stamp on the centuries of coin-making in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

You can read about the release of ExOne's newest printer at ExOne to reveal latest metal 3D printer in the November 10, 2021 edition of Metal Tech News.

With 3D printing, the Pressburg Mint of Slovakia hopes to use cutting-edge technologies to breathe new life into the city's centuries-old tradition of minting coins.

To support these efforts, the company has purchased two X1 160Pro metal 3D printers specifically designed to make silver investment coins as well as high-performance steel parts for other industries.

These printers will be operated by Printy, a division of the Pressburg Mint created to 3D print numismatic (collectible) and investment coins, as well as other goods for customers within their newly launched 3D printing service.

One of the printers will be solely dedicated to 3D printing Silver 925 or sterling silver, with the other to be used for printing parts from 316L stainless steel and other materials for future customers.

Bratislava's coin-making tradition dates back to the early 15th century when it was granted the right of coinage. Over the ensuing centuries, the city would mint coins for the Holy Roman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the 18th century, however, the city's minting activities largely ceased.

Now, the Pressburg Mint hopes to utilize ExOne's 3D metal printers – the largest that ExOne has to offer – to produce collectible and investment coins and perhaps start a trend for other minting companies or even private hobbyists.

"Our two X1 160Pro systems will allow us to take our designs to the next level with full production scale metal 3D printing in Central Europe," said Radoslav Behul, CEO of Printy at Pressburg Mint.

While traditional minting and coinage techniques have limitations in terms of creating three-dimensional designs, the use of additive manufacturing once again unlocks a new realm of potential for one of the oldest practices in history.