Weirton Steel Corporation

National Steel Corporation

Other

Stoffel Technologies, Inc.

Weirton Steel Company

William T Saunders

James A Bray

Hans F Stoffel

Anthony J Sporri

Kevin Hanley

Warren D Livingston

Lowell W Austin

William H Dalrymple

John R Smith

William D Bingle

Robert L Applegate

Gordon L Peters

Method and apparatus are disclosed for fabricating a one-piece can body, with profiled closed end, from flat rolled steel of selected thickness gauge and tensile strength. Such steel substrate is electrolytically metal plated to facilitate sidewall ironing into an elongated sidewall can body for pressurized beverage packs. An axially-recessed bead is formed in the endwall of a drawn cup by pulling sidewall metal for movement into such endwall. That preformed bead being symmetrically positioned in the drawn cup such that a bodymaker redraw of the drawn cup positions sheet metal of the preformed bead so as to constitute a closed end angled portion, which extends from a circular configuration base support toward contiguous sidewall. Following subsequent sidewall ironing of the bodymaker redrawn cup, a substantially-planar endwall panel, radially inward of such base support, is formed into a concave dome by moving sidewall sheet metal into the closed end of the sidewall ironed can body, thus substantially avoiding thinning of closed end sheet metal and providing desired bulge and implosion resistance. Also, reforming steps for such closed end, subsequent to can body fabrication, are eliminated.

One-piece can bodies for pressure pack beverage cans

New technology for fabricating a one-piece cup-shaped can body which is formed free of side wall ironing from can stock comprising flat-rolled sheet metal substrate precoated with protective organic coating and forming lubricant. A plurality of successive diameter-reduction operations are carried out on a planar blank and cup-shaped work product during which side wall height is increased and side wall substrate is decreased in thickness to provide controlled uniformity in side wall substrate thickness over about 85% to about 95% of side wall height for such can body. The fabricating tooling provides for a preselected clearance between a punch peripheral wall and a die cavity internal wall in each of such plurality of diameter-reduction operations to achieve a desired decrease in side wall thickness as the precoated substrate is moved into a die cavity by relative movement of its respective punch. In a flat-rolled steel embodiment, one-piece can bodies for carbonated beverage packs require less metal than that currently being used to produce the commercially drawn and ironed product from flat-rolled steel, and can body finishing steps are diminished.

Fabricating one-piece can bodies with controlled side wall elongation

Apparatus for use in chime seam joinder of a sheet metal convenience-feature end closure (133) to a sheet metal can body (153) having a non-cylindrical sidewall. Countersunk panel (112) with unitary chuck wall (100) interfit within an open end of the can body. A peripheral scoreline (102) in the countersunk panel, which contiguous to the chuck wall, defines the separable endwall panel. After that separation, substantially no obstruction to removal of solid-pack contents, as a single piece, remains. Seaming chuck tooling (172) provides continuous backing support peripherally along the inner surface of the chuck wall during chime seam joinder. Cutaway shaping (180) of seaming chuck portions 176, 177 eliminates registry concerns as to whether a single longitudinally-rigid integral opener (148), with its working edge (136) contiguous to the panel peripheral scoreline and the chuck wall, is located at either distal end of a centrally located axis (174) of the end closure.

Apparatus for joining sheet metal convenience-feature end closure to

New technology for fabricating a one-piece cup-shaped can body is formed free of side wall ironing from can stock comprising flat-rolled sheet metal substrate precoated with protective organic coating and forming lubricant. A plurality of successive diameter-reduction operations are carried out a planar blank and cup-shaped work product during which side wall height is increased and side wall substrate is decreased in thickness to provide controlled uniformity in side wall substrate thickness over about 85% to about 95% of side wall height for such can body. The fabricating tooling provides for a preselected clearance between a punch peripheral wall and a die cavity internal wall in each of such plurality of diameter-reduction operations to achieve a desired decrease in side wall thickness as the precoated substrate is moved into a die cavity by relative movement of its respective punch. In a flat-rolled steel embodiment, one-piece can bodies for carbonated beverage packs require less metal than that currently being used to produce the commercially drawn and ironed product from flat-rolled steel, and can body finishing steps are diminished.

Draw processing flat-rolled sheet metal substrate preselectively precoated on each surface with organic coating and draw lubricant into one-piece can bodies ready for assembly into sanitary packs free of any requirement for washing, organic coating or repair of organic coating after fabrication and before such direct usage. Selective organic precoating includes embodying a blooming compound which is made available as draw lubricant responsive to heat and/or pressure of draw forming; also, surface application of a draw lubricant after curing of the organic coating. Combined lubricant on each surface is verified before start of fabricating. Draw-forming of tensile strength sheet metal is controlled over side wall height by clamping solely between planar clamping surfaces and by interruption of draw to establish a flange at the open end of cup-shaped work product. Surface area of the cavity entrance zone for each die is preselected along with curved surface transition zone on draw punch in relation to sheet metal substrate starting gage. Nesting of curvilinear clamping surfaces of the prior art is eliminated during redraw of work product. The curved transition zone of cup-shaped work product is reshaped prior to redraw.

Draw-process systems for fabricating one-piece can bodies

Convenience-feature sheet metal end closure structure and tooling apparatus including a new scoring tool configuration (94) which enables a peripheral scoreline (102), which defines a separable convenience-feature endwall panel (112), to be located contiguous to the end closure chuck wall (100) which interfits about its periphery with the open end of a container side wall. The resulting convenience-feature endwall panel is separated such that substantially no obstruction to removal of solid-pack contents as a single piece remains. The separable panel (112) can be formed with a multiple-layer fold (127) of sheet metal extending along its periphery so as to shield torn residual metal remaining with the panel after severance along such peripheral scoreline. An elongated, longitudinally-rigid integral opener (148) is placed at a selected designated location on non-circular configuration endwall panels which, in cooperation with novel shaping of chuck wall tooling (170), enables desired chuck wall support, free of registry concerns, during chime seam assembly of the end closure with a container body of matching non-cylindrical configuration.

Convenience-feature sheet metal end closure and tooling apparatus

One-piece draw-process can bodies

New tooling technology for deep drawing one-piece can bodies from flat-rolled sheet metal can stock (58) which is precoated on both surfaces with an organic coating and draw lubricant. A draw die curved-surface cavity (122) entrance is formed using a radius of curvature (132) with a practical maximum of about five times nominal sheet metal thickness gage; and, preferably is formed about multiple radii of curvature (R.sub.L, R.sub.S, R.sub.L) to increase surface area (140) without increasing projection on the clamping plane. Die cavity wall (156) is tapered about 1.degree. to provide increasing cross section with increasing penetration of draw punch (160). Redraw die (90) has a sleeve-like configuration in a cross-sectional plane which includes its central longitudinal axis (70); such configuration enables increase in production rate by enabling coaxial relative movement of such die into work product registry (98,99) which position cups for redraw. The outer juncture (168) of such die sleeve is also formed about multiple radii of curvature (174, 180); and, the clamping space, between respective planar surfaces (96, 104) of die (90) and clamping ring (101) is tapered so as to decrease in vertical cross section in approaching die cavity (62).

Draw-process methods, systems and tooling for fabricating one-piece can

New technology for fabricating a one-piece cup-shaped can body having a protective organic coating as formed. Such can body is formed free of side wall ironing from can stock comprising flat-rolled sheet metal substrate precoated with protective organic coating and forming lubricant. A plurality of successive diameter-reduction operations are carried out on a planar blank and cup-shaped work product under tension during which side wall height is increased and side wall substrate is decreased in thickness to provide controlled uniformity in side wall substrate thickness over about 85% to about 95% of side wall height for such can body. The fabricating tooling provides for a preselected clearance between a punch peripheral wall and a die cavity internal wall in each of such plurality of diameter-reduction operations to achieve a desired decrease in side wall thickness as the precoated substrate is moved into a die cavity by relative movement of its respective punch.

Methods and apparatus for forming a convenience-feature, sheet metal end closure structure (133) for a container body (153) having a non-cylindrical side wall. A new scoring tool (94) configuration enables a peripheral scoreline (102) defining a separable convenience-feature panel (112) to be located contiguous to the closure chuck wall (100) which interfits about its entire periphery with the open end of the side wall of such a container. Separation of such panel leaves substantially no obstruction to removal of solid-pack container. The separable panel (112) is formed with a multiple-layer fold (127) of sheet metal which is nested against the interior periphery of such panel, so as to shield torn residual metal remaining with the panel after severance along such peripheral scoreline. And, preselected placement of an elongated integral openers (148) as designated on various non-circular configuration endwall panels, along with novel shaping of chuck wall tooling (170), enables desired chuck wall support for chime seam assembly of such sheet metal end closure to a container body.

Convenience-feature end closure for container body with non-cylindrical

Composite-coated flat-rolled sheet metal substrate subject to surface oxidation, after surface cleaning and oxidation removal is cathodically E-coated with minimal organic coating to stabilize such surface to prevent oxidation prior to application of protective organic coating finish to provide a total coating weight on each surface selected in the range of about 3 to about 20 mg/in.sup.2 of organic coating per surface. Such E-coat being applied to such substrate after removal of surface oxidation so as to enhance coating adhesion of end product protective organic coating. Lubricant for draw processing is embodied in the protective organic coating as a 'blooming compound' or can be precoated after such organic coating to enable draw-processing of articles such as a unitary cup-shaped can body while maintaining desired full surface protective organic coating to meet requirements for such article.

Composite-coated flat-rolled sheet metal manufacture

New technology for deep drawing can bodies for use in the manufacture of two-piece cans for food and beverage products from precoated flat-rolled sheet metal can stock in which damage to can stock precoated on both surfaces with an organic coating is avoided and draw-forming of the side wall is controlled to decrease metal requirements. A draw die cavity entrance (47, 74) is selected to provide at least a major portion of its curvilinear surface having a radius of curvature of about five times nominal sheet metal thickness gage, or less, e.g. a maximum radius of curvature of .04 inch is used for the more commonly used can stock materials. During cup redraw, nesting of curvilinear clamping surfaces (21, 26) of the prior art is eliminated; the compound curvilinear juncture of a work product cup, between its endwall and side wall, is reshaped about a clamping ring compound curvilinear transition zone (72) of smaller surface area than the cup juncture, and the sheet metal is clamped solely between planar clamping surfaces (63, 71) during redraw to a smaller diameter utilizing a male punch (66) with a punch nose ( 79) having a significantly larger surface area than that of the cavity entrance zone.

Drawn can body methods, apparatus and products

Forming a convenience-feature, sheet metal end closure structure (180, 216) for a container having a non-cylindrical side wall (250). Scoring and back-up tooling enable peripheral scoring (102, 130, 142) on either surface of such end closure to define a separable panel (160, 218) with its peripheral scoreline located contiguous to the end closure chuck wall (132, 144); which interfits within the open end of the container body. Separation of such endwall panel leaves substantially no obstruction to removal of solid-pack contents. The separable panel is provided with means to prevent tear-out of a segment of the endwall panel and retain an integral opener (148) with the panel. Preselected placement of such elongated integral opener as designated on various non-circular configuration endwall panels, along with novel shaping of tooling chuck (270), enables desired chuck wall support for chime seam assembly of the end closure a container body as well as desired placement of the opener working end contiguous to such chuck wall and peripheral scoreline.

Convenience-feature non-circular end closure with interrupted panel

Methods and apparatus for forming a convenience-feature, sheet metal end closure structure (133) for a container body (153) having a non-cylindrical side wall. A new scoring tool (94) configuration enables a peripheral scoreline (102) defining a separable convenience-feature panel (112) to be located contiguous to the closure chuck wall (100) which interfits about its entire periphery with the open end of the side wall of such a container. Separation of such panel leaves substantially no obstruction to removal of solid-pack container. The separable panel (112) is formed with a multiple-layer fold (127) of sheet metal which is nested against the interior periphery of such panel, so as to shield torn residual metal remaining with the panel after severance along such peripheral scoreline. And, preselected placement of an elongated integral openers (148) as designated on various noncircular configuration endwall panels, along with novel shaping of chuck wall tooling (170), enables desired chuck wall support for chime seam assembly of such sheet metal end closure to a container body.

New tooling technology for deep drawing one-piece can bodies from flat-rolled sheet metal can stock (58) which is precoated on both surfaces with an organic coating and draw lubricant. A draw die curved-surface cavity (122) entrance is formed using a radius of curvature (132) with a practical maximum of about five times nominal sheet metal thickness gage; and, preferably is formed about multiple radii of curvature (R.sub.L, R.sub.S, R.sub.L) to increase surface area (140) without increasing projection on the clamping plane. Die cavity wall (156) is tapered about 1.degree. to provide increasing cross section with increasing penetration of draw punch (160). Redraw die (90) has a sleeve-like configuration in a cross sectional plane which includes its central longitudinal axis (70); such configuration enables increase in production rate by enabling coaxial relative movement of such die into work product registry (98, 99) which position cups for redraw. The outer juncture (168) of such die sleeve is also formed about multiple radii of curvature (174, 180); and, the clamping space, between respective planar surfaces (96, 104) of die (90) and clamping ring (101) is tapered so as to decrease in vertical cross section in approaching die cavity (62).

Growing community of inventors

Weirton, WV, United States of America

William T Saunders