How to Make 99.99 Purity Cast Bar & Minted Bar

How to Make 99.99 Purity Cast Bar & Minted Bar

In the precious metals industry, gold and silver bars are among the most popular forms of investment and storage of wealth. These bars are typically produced using two primary methods: casting and minting. While both methods result in high-quality products, they differ significantly in terms of production processes, appearance, and the equipment used. This article will explore the differences between casting bars and minting bars, as well as the specialized equipment required for each method.

The following will introduce two types of gold bar casting–Cast Bar and Minted Bar, from several aspects:

(Note: The left one is Minted bar, and the right one is Cast bar)

1. Casting Bars

Casting bars are produced by pouring molten metal into a mold and allowing it to cool and solidify. This method is one of the oldest and most straightforward ways to create metal bars. Casting bars are often favored for their simplicity and cost-effectiveness, especially for larger bars.

Characteristics of Casting Bars:

Appearance: Casting bars have a rougher, less refined surface compared to minting bars. They may exhibit slight imperfections, such as uneven edges or surface textures, due to the nature of the casting process.

Weight and Size: Casting is commonly used for larger bars, such as 1-kilogram or 100-ounce bars, where precision and aesthetics are less critical.

Purity: Casting bars are made from high-purity metal, but the focus is more on the metal content than on the visual appeal.

Production Process of Cast Bar

The cast bar is usually produced by the automatic machine. The specifications produced are relatively uniform and the appearance is relatively simple, but the price is relatively low due to the low processing cost. Recommended devices are as follows:

① Gold melting furnace

The furnace equipment is extremely easy to operate, just provide the appropriate specification and size of the graphite mold, through the fire gun to heat the mold as a whole, and then the medium frequency melting furnace can rise the temperature in 5 minutes to 1100 degrees, the yellow financial into water, by quickly pouring into the abrasive, when the temperature cools down below 1064 ℃, the gold will solidified again to get cast bar. The cost of this machine is low, but the gold bars obtained are of poor quality.

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② Vacuum bullion casting machine

This casting machine, in a vacuum and protective gas environment, puts the material into a graphite mold, which is melted and then cooled to form a gold bar. The gold and silver bars produced in this environment have a smooth surface and do not have pores and water ripples on the surface. If it is to be sold on the market, it is necessary to cooperate with the hydraulic press machine and the corresponding hydraulic mold to obtain weight, purity and pattern.

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2. Minting Bars

Minting bars, also known as pressed or stamped bars, are produced by stamping a design or pattern onto a blank piece of metal using high-pressure machinery. This method is known for producing bars with a polished, refined appearance and precise dimensions.

Characteristics of Minting Bars:

Appearance: Minting bars have a smooth, polished surface with sharp, detailed designs. They often feature intricate patterns, logos, or text, making them visually appealing.

Weight and Size: Minting is typically used for smaller bars, such as 1-ounce or 10-gram bars, where precision and aesthetics are important.

Purity: Minting bars are also made from high-purity metal, but the focus is on both purity and visual quality.

Production Process of Minted Bar

Minted bars usually require multiple processes to produce gold bars of various shapes and weights. The appearance of the gold bars produced by this process is beautiful and the workmanship is exquisite. However, due to the need for multiple processes, complex techniques, high processing costs, and relatively expensive equipment prices during the manufacturing process. Multiple devices are required to participate in the production process, and the following are several options to choose from.

（Note: Flow chart of minted bar production）

Step 1: Make Gold Strip

In addition to the melting furnace and the gold bar casting machine that have been introduced, the continuous casting machine is the most common to make gold strip. The material is melted in a melting chamber, and then the required gold strip is continuously pulled downward through a custom mold.

Step 2: Rolling process

The gold strip obtained through melting or casting needs to be rolled to the appropriate thickness by a rolling mill, and the surface of the material should be ground flat to make it smooth and even. After repeated rolling, it finally forms smooth gold strips on the surface.

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Step 3: Blanking process

Punching press is a device used to shape and cut materials through stamping dies, widely used in the coinage industry. The punch press will be equipped with a stamping die, which can be customized according to the required size. The pressed strip will be placed on the die, and after stamping, one blank with a specified size and uniform specifications can be obtained.

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Step 4: Polishing

Put the blanks into a polishing machine with steel balls and polish it repeatedly to obtain shiny gold blanks. Only when the surface of the gold blanks is very clean and free of impurities, can we obtain the best gold bars in the subsequent pressing process.

Step 5: Annealing

For the pressing of larger sized gold bars and coins, annealing the blanks to make it softer and more ductile is generally done using a small annealing oven. CDOCAST annealing oven are made of all stainless steel and are equipped with material frames and stainless steel racks for customers to easily retrieve materials.

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Step 6: Stamping

After annealing, a hydraulic press is used to press patterns, characters, etc. The hydraulic press is a device that uses hydraulic principles to shape and process materials. It transmits pressure through hydraulic oil and can press and shape materials with great force.
Generally, the appropriate tonnage of hydraulic press is selected based on the size and pattern that needs to be pressed. If the size range is too large, two or three hydraulic presses may be needed. For example, using a 300 ton hydraulic press to press 1 gram of gold bar. If the machine tonnage is too large, the starting tonnage is already very large and the force is difficult to control. It is not recommended to press products with significantly different specifications and sizes on one hydraulic press.
CDOCAST is equipped with a professional team of designers and engineers who can help you design patterns for gold bars for free, and also provide you with suggestions for hydraulic presses of corresponding tonnage.

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Step 7: Packaging

1. Plastic sheet blister packaging. The packaging has the highest adoption rate at present, but its disadvantage is that it needs to be equipped with a Zhou Gaobo equipment (about $7429-$9286 ), and each size (gold coins, gold bars) abrasive tools, and requires mass production of blister outer packaging.
2. Injection molding packaging. If it is a gold coin type, there are a variety of sizes of existing abrasive tools on the market to choose from, can be printed on the cap logo, suitable for factory storage inventory use.
3. If you need independent packaging, you need to open the grinding tool by yourself, and the grinding tool cost is about $1500.
4. Paper card packaging, the product requirements are not particularly high, the number is not very large in the case of choosing this kind of packaging is more suitable, double-sided color printing, and the suction shape of the gold coin size in the middle. Put double-sided tape on the card. No equipment required.

3. The Die of Press Machine

(Note: The left is cast bar die, the right is minted bar die)

The die of casting bar

(1) The die of cast bar generally only has one set of hydraulic die.

(2) For the die of cast bar, 2D drawings of gold bars are drawn first, and then dies are made. Only one side has a pattern.

(3) The die of casting bar is relatively simple, and the die does not need to control the size of gold/silver bars.

The die of minting bar

(1) The die of minting bar usually has two sets of dies, one set of blanking die and one set of hydraulic die.

(2) The die of minting bar is also made by drawing 2D/3D drawings first, and then making dies, but generally there are patterns on both sides. If some patterns are more complicated, 3D drawings need to be drawn, and the whole production cycle is longer.

(3) The die of minted bar is a little more complicated than that of cast bar, and the die need to control the size and tooth edge of the gold bar/coin.

4. Price

4.1 Price of cast bar

(1) The price of cast bar is closely related to the gold market price. It is usually based on the gold market price, plus a certain production cost and profit to determine its trading price.

(2) The weight and purity of the cast bar are the key factors in its value, and the buying and selling price is calculated according to the weight and purity of the gold bar, usually in grams.

(3) The production cost is relatively low, including material cost, labor cost and equipment depreciation.

4.2 Price of minted bar

(1) The price of the minted bar is closely related to the gold market price. The market price of gold is determined by factors such as supply and demand in the global financial market and investor sentiment. The price of a minted bar is usually based on the gold market price, plus a certain production cost and profit.

(2) The weight and purity of the gold bar are important factors in determining its value. Under normal circumstances, the greater the weight and purity of the gold bar, its buying and selling price will also increase accordingly. The weight of gold bars is generally calculated in grams, and the purity is expressed in thousandths, such as 99.99% pure gold bars.

(3) The production process of minted bar requires manual operation and fine processing, so its production cost is high. Production costs include material costs, labor costs, equipment depreciation, etc. These costs are reflected in the price of gold bars.

(4) Well-known gold brands or unique designs, due to their high brand premium and collection value, their trading prices will also increase accordingly.

5. Investment

5.1 Investment  of cast bar: The main investment attribute of investing in gold bars is the value of the gold itself contained in them. Gold is widely recognized as a store of value and a safe haven, its value is relatively stable, and it is closely correlated with global financial markets.

5.2 Investment of minted bar: Due to its exquisite appearance and special design, it has a high collection value because of its scarcity, artistry and brand price.

Finally, considering the global economic situation, monetary policy, geopolitical risk, supply and demand and other factors, in order to disperse the risk, the investment in gold bars will be permanent appreciation, and the production and production of gold bars will still be prosperous.

Conclusion

Both casting bars and minting bars have their unique advantages and applications in the precious metals industry. Casting bars are ideal for investors who prioritize cost-effectiveness and larger quantities, while minting bars appeal to those who value precision, aesthetics, and collectibility. The choice of method depends on the intended use, market demand, and the level of detail required. Regardless of the method, the production of gold and silver bars relies on specialized equipment and skilled craftsmanship to ensure the highest quality and purity of the final product