Belvac Production Machinery Inc.

Gerald Meador

Erika Sheaffer Love

Dennis E Green

Brian S Gearhart

Paul Whittaker

A method of forming a carrier ring on a metal article having an open end and a sidewall extending therefrom. The method includes contacting an inner surface of the sidewall with an inner roller to form a protrusion and contacting an outer surface of the sidewall with an outer roller to form a first groove positioned below the protrusion. The protrusion forms a gap therein. The method further includes contacting a portion of the outer sidewall with at least one second outer roller to form a second groove below the protrusion. The method further includes contacting a portion of the outer sidewall with at least one third outer roller to flatten the protrusion, such that the gap is substantially reduced or eliminated. The flattened protrusion forms the carrier ring.

Metal container with a carrier ring and methods of making the same

A turret head assembly for forming an article includes at least one smoothing roller. Each of the at least one smoothing roller is rotatably mounted on a respective at least one roller support member. The turret head assembly further includes an upper ring member and a lower ring member. The upper and lower ring members include respective apertures located in the centers thereof. The at least one roller support member extends between the upper ring member and the lower ring member. The turret head assembly further includes a turret head-assembly support member defining a turret-head axis. The turret-head-assembly member extends through the respective apertures in the upper and lower ring members.

Smoothing roller assembly

An expansion tool for expanding an article. The expansion tool includes a lead-in portion extending outwardly from a first end of the expansion tool and a first pilot portion extending from the lead-in portion. The first pilot portion has a first diameter. The expansion tool further includes a second pilot portion being generally parallel with the first pilot portion. The second pilot portion has a second diameter larger than the first diameter. The expansion tool further includes a forming portion bridging the first pilot portion and the second pilot portion. The forming portion is generally sloped. The expansion tool further includes an expansion portion extending from the second pilot portion toward a second end of the expansion tool. The expansion portion has a third diameter larger than the second diameter.

Method and apparatus for can expansion

An apparatus for forming a curl on an article includes a first forming tooling having a first set of rollers mounted on a common head. The first set of rollers has a respective groove having a first groove radius. The apparatus further includes a first rotating turret configured to load the article into the first forming tooling. The apparatus further includes a second forming tooling having a second set of rollers mounted on a common head. The second set of rollers has a respective groove having a second groove radius. The second groove radius is larger than the first groove radius. The apparatus further includes a second rotating turret configured to load the article into the second forming tooling. The apparatus further includes a first transfer star wheel configured to transfer the article from the first rotating turret to the second rotating turret.

Growing community of inventors

Hardy, VA, United States of America

Gerald Meador