Integrated Packaging Solutions, LLC

Verticon, LLC

Michael W Calahan

Kevin Michael Gillest

Kalvis Jaunarajs

William Devere Jones

Jared Scott Jones

Kevin Gillest

Christopher Dale Goldsmith

Richard Lord

Todd Hoffman

Byron Henze

Jared Patrick Jones

Logan Ostrander

Nickolas Youngworth

A process, mechanical and electrical system and data structures, allow high speed sorting of pallets of HFI cans using a depalletizer, a sequence of narrowing transfer conveyors and a single filer making the cans into a single file. Simultaneously, data containers begin a process of compiling complete data on the pallet, the individual cans, can counts good and bad, the inspection events and potentially a marking process. Cans are inspected individually by three or more cameras in three positions, sequentially inspecting the interior, exterior sides, and exterior bottom, and if an individual can fails any one of three tests, the can is individually directed to a can reject chute. A can may be undetectably marked to indicate it has passed the inspection process. By use of comprehensive data flows and inputs, comprehensive data reports may be generated for the can maker but more importantly for the can buyer/user.

Rapid inspection, sort, tracking and tracing of large quantities of cans held for inspection

Industrial production facilities (such as can making factories) may tag with radio frequency near proximity devices their tooling (knockouts, dies, punches, etc) so that the tooling may be instantly located on any particular machine or location in the facility, by known critical characteristics of the tooling, particularly diameter. This is possible because each machine will also have a reader for the tags, and other areas such as inventory shelves, inspection stations, doors, loading docks, shipping departments and even vendors may also have the reading devices. Passive RFID tags and readers may be used for this purpose. The invention may be open to other businesses so inventory may be located across manufacturing systems and/or businesses.

Near proximity non-contact can production tooling and tool characteristics identification and tracking system

An improved device for adjusting spray guns in an IC spray machine. Adjustments may be done using electro-mechanical or pneumatic actuators, and may rotate the nozzles toward an evacuation hood for cleaning, etc. Two actuators are used per spray gun, one mechanically engaged to a slide which moves the gun in translation (traversing in the X dimension), one which is mechanically engaged to a bracket which in turn is mechanically engaged to the gun mount, so the gun may be either moved or rotated. In addition, a Z-axis beam allows control in depth by an additional actuator/motor.

Spray gun adjustment system

A vertical internal coating machine is taught, which may be used with bodies such as cans (2 piece, 3 piece, draw, redraw) and including cylinders, containers and any similar body. In the machine cans or similar bodies are sprayed with the star wheel in continuous motion without stopping and starting. The machine teaches that a plurality of spray guns may be provided for each pocket of the star wheel. By means of the machine an improved line layout is devised which may eliminate the need to raise the bodies immediately prior to a necker by allowing the vertical can internal coating machine and internal bake oven to be disposed on any level of the facility, upper, lower, mezzanine, etc. In green aspects, the machine may use negative pressure cabinets/hoods and positive pressure tunnels to entrain volatile organic chemicals emitted by the spray guns and coated bodies and may send these VOCs to a VOC destruction device, such as an oven.

Continuous vertical spraying of bodies such as cans

The present invention teaches a process of measuring and grinding tools in can/cylindrical body production, allowing reduced production downtime, reduced cost and a predictive tool wear capability, which process allows more accurate stocking of tool inventory by means of tracking individual tools in use and providing advanced diagnostics to the tool room. This includes not just out-of-spec alarms from QA but also predictive alarms regarding cans produced by each tool, in-spec can weights and wall thicknesses, information on tool sizes being used in production, tools in inventory, pulled from inventory and other stock balancing information. The invention further teaches a system of equations for prioritizing grinding to maintain optimum tool inventory levels.

Can production tool, process for controlling can weight, cost, and dimensions

A vertical internal coating machine is taught, which may be used with bodies such as cans (2 piece, 3 piece, draw, redraw) and including cylinders, containers and any similar body. In the machine cans or similar bodies are vertical in the machine's star wheel rather than horizontal, and the bodies are sprayed with the star wheel in continuous motion without stopping and starting. The machine teaches that a plurality of spray guns may be provided for each pocket of the star wheel. By means of the machine an improved line layout is devised which may eliminate the need to raise the bodies immediately prior to a necker by allowing the vertical can internal coating machine and internal bake over to be disposed on any level of the facility, upper, lower, mezzanine, etc. In green aspects, the machine may use negative pressure cabinets/hoods and positive pressure tunnels to entrain volatile organic chemicals emitted by the spray guns and coated bodies and may send these VOCs to a VOC destruction device, such as an oven.

A spray gun mount, and retrofit kit spray gun mount based thereon, and a method of retrofitting, adjusting and spraying based thereon, are structured that the motion of the spray gun occurs about a point of rotation located at the exact nozzle of the spray gun rather than at a location on the gun mount. An arcuate slot may be provided on a fixed mounting plate and extensions (partially threaded screws) pass through the arcuate slot. The extensions in turn are firmly attached to a movable gun mount plate to which the spray gun is affixed. In adjusting the spray gun, all that may be necessary is to loosen a fastener which holds the gun mount plate and gun from rotating relative to the fixed plate, rotating it relative to the fixed plate and fastening it back into place again.

Spray gun mount and retrofit kit

A vertical internal coating machine is taught, which may be used with bodies such as cans (2 piece, 3 piece, draw, redraw,) and including cylinders, containers and any similar body. In the machine cans or similar bodies are vertical in the machine's star wheel rather than horizontal, and the bodies are sprayed with the star wheel in continuous motion without stopping and starting. The machine teaches that a plurality of spray guns may be provided for each pocket of the star wheel. By means of the machine an improved line layout is devised which may eliminate the need to raise the bodies immediately prior to a necker by allowing the vertical can internal coating machine and internal bake over to be disposed on any level of the facility, upper, lower, mezzanine, etc. In green aspects, the machine may use negative pressure cabinets/hoods and positive pressure tunnels to entrain volatile organic chemicals emitted by the spray guns and coated bodies and may send these VOCs to a VOC desctruction device, such as an oven.

Disclosed is an impact extrusion can making system that uses induction heating to preheat an extruder punch and an extruder forming die, to increase yield during a cold start. In addition, a highly precise laser measuring device is used to measure dome thickness, so that stroke length and/or position of an extruder and/or extrusion die can be automatically adjusted in a predictive control system. High quality products with high yield are produced using these techniques.

Impact extrusion can making system

Disclosed is a tool measuring device for measuring the size of tools used for making aluminum can bodies. The tool measuring device utilizes an LED measurement carriage having a central opening so that the LED measurement carriage passes over and around the tools. An LED linear beam is generated by LED linear arrays so that the tools cast a shadow on optical photodetector linear arrays. The distance between the transition points from light to dark on the optical photodetector linear arrays is measured to provide a highly accurate measurement of the size of various portions of the tools.

Growing community of inventors

Arvada, CO, United States of America

Michael W Calahan