Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2020-2021).

The Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) produces the circulation coins for Canada and has produced coins for overx000D
75 other countries around the world. They are a global leader in the minting industry and their ground-breakingx000D
and patented multi-ply plating (MPP) technology is one of the most advanced electroplating technologies in thex000D
world, which has been also adopted by over 25 other countries. In addition to the cost savings and improvedx000D
coinage quality enabled by the technology, it also produces coins with enhanced security feature through ax000D
more reliable electromagnetic signature. Nevertheless, continuous innovation is required to address thex000D
ever-increasing need to reduce costs as the prices of metals keep rising. A possible approach with thex000D
application of the MPP technology to further reduce production costs, without compromising the quality andx000D
durability, is to creatively replace the currently used binary alloy coating on coins with ternary alloys.x000D
Therefore, the RCM is collaborating with the University of Manitoba, in this proposed research, to developx000D
new electroplated copper-tin-zinc (Cu-Sn-Zn) and copper-nickel-zinc (Cu-Ni-Zn) ternary alloys. The results ofx000D
the research will lead to lower production costs, without jeopardizing coinage quality and durability, which willx000D
translate to increased seigniorage and revenue generation for Canada. Aside from the RCM, electroplating isx000D
widely used in the manufacturing of coated metallic products in other key industry sectors, includingx000D
automotive, aerospace, bio-medical and energy, which are vital to the Canadian economy. In addition to thex000D
HQP that will be trained, the realization of more economical and effective electro-plating procedures, as ax000D
contribution from this proposed research, will certainly be beneficial to these industries. Dissemination of thex000D
research results will lead to improved manufacturing procedures, which will potentially result in cost reduction,x000D
increased business from outside of Canada, job creation and enhanced Canadian economy, while also aidingx000D
Canada's competitiveness in advanced electroplating technology.