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The transfer-engraving
machine cuts out a tiny metal copy of the epoxy coin, called
a die. This process takes three
days. For 100 years, the mints have been using machines
such as the transfer-engraving machine. They make tons of
dies and look for the ones that don't come out right. Oops!
Only the ones that came out correct are used to make the
new coin. |
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Big
rolls of metal are loaded into the blanking press in the process
of making the blanks. A blank is a coin without a design on it.
They buy blanks for making pennies because they can't make
them. Fabricators make the blanks
for pennies with zinc and copper. The mint supplies these
metals to the fabricators. Blank metal disks come flying out
of the other side of the blanking press. Five football fields
(500 yards) is the length of one of the big metal rolls, which can
make up to 325,000 blanks! The extra metal, called webbing,
is recycled and melted to make new rolls. No waste! |
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