American Can Company

Harold J Jessogne

Edward F Kubacki

Vance B Gold

Harold C Lemke

Frederick G Kudert

Bengt S Backe

Robert P Vandlik

Edward F Archambault

John R Schmidlin

William D Timmins

George Alan Schmidt

An inverted press for producing multiple drawn metal containers combines in one press the functions of cupping and drawing presses. The press includes a blanking and cupping station and several drawing and redrawing stations, disposed one adjacent the other and rendered serially operative by a vertically reciprocable slide assembly. At each stage of operation the material, semifinished article or finished article is under complete control. A method for producing a drawn container by multiple forming and reforming of a drawn article, is also provided.

Scrap ring removal

Work pieces, particularly thin-walled shells of can dimension, are transferred from a magazine at a supply station to another station by a reciprocal shuttle having a pocket for receiving the shells in ready position at the supply station; at the other station, a reciprocal loader transfers the shell laterally from the shuttle to a work station where the work product is produced. The shuttle incorporates a second pocket to receive the work product and includes a surface for gating the supply magazine as an incident to shuttle travel. By locating the path of the shuttle above the path of the loader, it is possible to coordinate shuttle and loader movement for maximum utilization of time. Shells fed to the magazine are constantly aligned inside the magazine to assure effective bottom feed from the magazine to the shuttle.

Shuttle transfer mechanism

Elongated closed bottom shells (cans) are produced in the preferred manner by a double-acting punch body arranged on a horizontal axis and reciprocated between opposed die stations at a substantially constant velocity by a hydraulic force alternately applied to opposite sides of a ram on the punch body; blanks (of cup form) are fed to the die stations at times when the punch body dwells at the end of a stroke. Preferably the applied force is such that punch body attains peak (maximum) velocity before the punch encounters a cup centered at the die station; cup feed, cup positioning, punch body travel and formation of a shell of correct length are monitored (sensed) and in the event a programmed condition of machine function or production criterion is sensed as not satisfied, the machine is stopped. During the return stroke of the punch body, after a shell is formed at one station, fluid under pressure is applied by a unique porting arrangement to a separable part of the punch, which thereby serves as a stripper to hold the completed shell stationary at the die station while the remainder of the punch body is retracted from the shell; concurrently, air under pressure is ported in a unique fashion to break any vacuum inside of the shell. After the shell is stripped, the stripper is retracted at an accelerated rate to re-couple with the punch body as it moves toward the other die station. The main cylinder is so supported that thermal effects will not disturb the alignment of the punch body relative to the dies.

Production of closed bottom shells

Growing community of inventors

Arlington Heights, IL, United States of America

Harold J Jessogne