Adolph Coors Company

Coors Brewing Company

Other

Roger A Hahn

Harold Cook, Jr

Phillip W Gold

Robert H Schultz

Bruce A Moen

Conrad M Grims

Bert E Johansson

Elmer D Werth

Warren R Williams

Ray L Bowles

Richard C Chu

Frank L Shriver

Michael Edward Bagrosky

Leo W Mayer

Nels P Sale

Larry W Roberts

Cook, Jr Harold

Nick P Relich

Wendel Phelps

Charles A Orlick

Nick A Yerbick

Henry H Heins

David I Biesemeier

Brian J Moreland

Anthony J Tuka

A method is provided for forming an end closure for a surrounding sidewall of a container, such as an aluminum can. The method includes forming a central body panel oriented transversely to the central axis of the can and forming an outer surrounding margin portion joined to the sidewall such that the margin portion has a support section oriented longitudinally relative to the sidewall. A portion of the margin is corrugated to provide a rib structure having longitudinally extending first rib components located on the support section. This method can be accomplished during the ironing and doming of a can.

Method and container having reinforcing rib structures

An end closure for a container, such as a beverage or food can, includes a transverse central body panel and a surrounding outer margin joined to the longitudinal side wall of the container body. The margin portion has a support section, and a plurality of spaced rib structures are located on the margin and have portions that extend longitudinally along the support section to reinforce the margin. The end closure can be a lid or an integrally formed bottom for a can body. The margin can have a U-shaped profile with the rib structures located on either the inner or outer wall portion thereof. The rib structures may be flutes defining tear-dropped shaped depressions. The invention contemplates a can body with the end closure forming the bottom thereof. A method is described for forming such end closures and containers.

End closure structure and method and container having reinforcing rib structures

A coating station for an apparatus and method used to coat at least one side of a pontinuous strip of material includes a housing having a conduit that connects to a source of coating material, a fluid dispensing passageway and a wick that contacts the strip. The passageway has an intake port and a discharge port. A metering member is interposed in the passageway, and a drive rotates it about an axis between the intake and discharge ports. The metering member has a metering bore, and a reciprocating metering piston is disposed in the bore. The metering member may be a cylindrical shaft, and one or more metering bores extend diametrically through the shaft with each being provided with a piston to dispense predetermined amounts of coating material onto the strip.

Apparatus for lubricating the exterior surface of an item as a strip of material

A forming apparatus uses counteracting, hydraulically coupled pistons to form a dome structure in the bottom panel of the container, such as a beverage can. A pressure ring is on one piston, and a doming die is on the other piston. The pistons are received in a piston housing that also provides a primary fluid reservoir so that, when one piston moves in one direction to displace fluid, the displaced fluid moves the other piston in the opposite direction. The pistons are coaxial and one is received in the other. Return springs are provided to bias the pistons into a desired orientation. A secondary reservoir may be provided to receive overflow fluid. Here, a first one-way valve sets a threshold so that fluid will flow into the secondary reservoir when the pressure in the primary reservoir exceeds the threshold. A second one-way valve permits fluid to return to the primary reservoir when the return springs move the pistons to a starting orientation. The secondary reservoir also permits the pistons to have a limit stop for countermovement at which point they undergo common movement with fluid being overflowed into the secondary reservoir.

Double action hydraulic container domer

A forming apparatus for doming containers employs a pair of pistons, a pressure ring and doming die. One piston carries the pressure ring, and the other piston carries the doming die. The pistons are mechanically linked so that they move in a counteracting manner thus reducing the stroke distance necessary to dome the container. This further reduces the impact energy on the container. The mechanical linkage is preferably pairs of rack and pinion gears moving the pistons in opposite directions of travel.

Double action container domer

Apparatus for applying a coating material, such as a lubricant, to the top and bottom surfaces of a continuous strip of material wherein the continuous strip of material is passed between two wicks mounted in each of an upper and lower housings with each of the housings having a plurality of spaced apart bores and wherein metered amounts of the coating material is supplied sequentially to each of the plurality of spaced apart bores by a piston mounted for reciprocating movement. In another embodiment, the wicks apply coating material to the outer surface of an upper drive roll and a lower idler roll so that coating material is applied to the upper and lower surfaces of a continuous strip of material as it passes therebetween.

Apparatus for coating strip material

Apparatus for stripping a cylindrical workpiece, such as a can body, from a cylindrical supporting device, such as a punch in a can body making machine, using a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart fingers which are mounted for radial and linear sliding movement between a non-stripping location and a stripping location.

Apparatus for stripping workpieces

A can body maker apparatus including a stationary support frame; a housing having forming and ironing dies located therein mounted on the support frame; an elongated ram; a reciprocating ram drive; and a redraw assembly which includes a redraw sleeve for supporting a can body preform thereon; a redraw carriage for supporting and axially displacing the redraw sleeve relative the ram; a redraw electromagnetic coil fixedly positioned relative the stationary support frame; and a permanent magnet fixedly mounted with respect to the redraw carriage in displace relationship with the coil along the coil axis for co-acting with the electromagnetic field produced by the coil for controllably reciprocatingly displacing the redraw carriage. Also, apparatus is provided for applying a force on the redraw sleeve while the redraw sleeve is in contact with the can body preform so that the redraw sleeve applies a pressure on the can body preform and control apparatus for controlling the amount of force applied on the redraw sleeve.

Can body maker with magnetic ram bearing and redraw actuator

An apparatus and method for necking tubular members such as cans utilizes an inner die that expands to support a neck portion to be formed by an outer die that travels around the neck. The inner die has a plurality of first die elements which may be retracted after the neck is formed so that the inner die may be removed. Selected ones of these first die elements nest with the others in the retracted state. Drive assemblies operate each of the inner and outer dies, and the drive assembly for the inner die operates to differentially drive the first die elements to allow nesting to occur. Preferably, the inner drive assembly employs a reciprocally retracting cam, and the first die elements have cam followers to allow reciprocation. A wedge cam can be used to support the first die element sin the expanded configuration, and a wedge drive moves the wedge cam into and out of position. Mechanical timing is provided, and a plurality of necking apparatus may be mounted in a turret-type machine that includes mechanisms to advance the tubular members to be formed.

Apparatus and method for necking tubular members such as containers

A can body maker apparatus including a stationary support frame; a housing having forming and ironing dies located therein mounted on the support frame; an elongated ram; a reciprocating ram drive; and a redraw assembly which includes a redraw sleeve for supporting a can body preform thereon; a redraw carriage for supporting and axially displacing the redraw sleeve relative the ram; a redraw electromagnetic coil fixedly positioned relative the stationary support frame; and a permanent magnet fixedly mounted with respect to the redraw carriage in displaceable relationship with the coil along the coil axis for coacting with the electromagnetic field produced by the coil for controllably reciprocatingly displacing the redraw carriage.

A spherical hydrostatic bearing having a ball mounted in a split socket for substantially friction free movement relative thereto and a linear hydrostatic bearing extending through the ball and having a longitudinal axis coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the ball for permitting substantially friction free sliding movement of a rod. Also, apparatus is provided for at least limiting rotational movement of the ball around the longitudinal axis of the split socket.

Hydrostatic bearing apparatus

A can body maker apparatus of the type having an axially reciprocal ram member and an axially reciprocal redraw carriage comprising a ram position sensing assembly for sensing the position of the ram member and for generating a ram position signal in response thereto; an electromagnetic bearing assembly for frictionlessly radially supporting and aligning one end of the ram member with a predetermined ram displacement path; an electromagnetic redraw carriage actuator for applying magnetic force to the redraw carriage for reciprocating the redraw carriage; and a control assembly for selectively energizing and deenergizing electromagnets in the electromagnetic bearing assembly and the electromagnetic redraw assembly in response to the ram position signal, also, an electromagnetic doming apparatus is provided for shaping the bottom portion of the can body.

Can body maker with magnetic ram bearing and domer

A can body maker apparatus of the type having an axially reciprocal ram member and an axially reciprocal redraw carriage comprising a ram position sensing assembly for sensing the position of the ram member and for generating a ram position signal in response thereto; an electromagnetic bearing assembly for frictionlessly radially supporting and aligning one end of the ram member with a predetermined ram displacement path; an electromagnetic redraw carriage actuator for applying magnetic force to the redraw carriage for reciprocating the redraw carriage; and a control assembly for selectively energizing and deenergizing electromagnets in the electromagnetic bearing assembly and the electromagnetic redraw assembly in response to the ram position signal.

Apparatus for stripping a cylindrical workpiece, such as a can body, from a cylindrical supporting device, such as a punch of a can body making machine, using a plurality of pivotally mounted fingers which are mounted between a non-stripping location so that the cylindrical workpiece and the cylindrical supporting device may pass through the stripping fingers without contacting the stripping fingers and a stripping location whereat the stripping fingers will contact the leading edge of the cylindrical workpiece to disengage it from the punch and wherein the stripping fingers are formed from a magnetically conductive material and are moved into the stripping location by electromagnetic apparatus.

The invention is directed to the punch on the reciprocating ram of a can body making machine wherein the punch is mounted on one end portion of the reciprocating ram so that the punch is capable of rotational movement relative to the reciprocating ram.

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Arvada, CO, United States of America

Roger A Hahn