Before a blank can be considered ready for coining, it must pass through an upset mill. Here the blank is squeezed to a
smaller diameter and is simultaneously provided with a low proto-rim at the outer margin of each face. In this way a blank becomes a planchet.
The upset mill consists of a rotating drum and a fixed half-ring. Each element has a series of V-shaped grooves cut into it. The blank is fed into a facing pair of grooves and is propelled (rolled along) by the rotation of the drum. The distance between the deepest parts of the facing grooves shrinks as the blank moves along the half-ring. This gradually squeezes the blank to the diameter of a planchet.
Above is a picture of an upset mill. This photo is courtesy of Rich Schemmer