Rotary cup infeed

Apparatus for forming elongated metal cans from relatively short cups by utilizing a reciprocating ram to drive the cups one at a time through a die pack, is provided with a continuously rotating feeder that transfers the cups from the exit of a gravity feed chute to a receiving station where each cup is indexed for engagement by the ram as it moves forward in its working stroke. The feeder rotates through one complete revolution for each forward-return cycle of the ram and during each revolution thereof a pocket in the feeder receives a cup from the chute, which cup then moves downstream through a guideway to a receiving station. Prior to being seated in a registry formation at the receiving station, the cup is engaged by a stripper that removes the cup from the feeder pocket. The feeder continues to drive the cup toward the registry formation while the cup is being stripped from the feeder pocket. A tensioner device and a formation on the feeder maintain the cup seated fully on the registry formation during the initial engagement of the cup by the ram while the latter moves forward in its working stroke.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to rotary type cup infeeders and more particularly 
relates to an improvement of the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,928,511, issued May 29, 1990, entitled Rotary Cup Infeed, with E. Sirvet 
as the inventor. 
Incorporated herein by reference are the teachings of the aforesaid U.S. 
Pat. No. 4,928,511, as well as the teachings of those prior art patents 
mentioned in and/or cited against the application for U.S. Pat. No. 
4,928,511. 
According to U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,511 a continuously rotating feeder is 
utilized to transport cups from a feed chute to a receiving station where 
the cups are indexed for engagement by a reciprocating ram mounted tool 
that moves parallel to the axis of rotation for the rotating feeder. 
In the art prior to the invention of U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,511, maintenance 
problems were present and/or production rates were limited because of 
reciprocated and/or rocking type feed mechanisms that were used to 
transfer cups from the feed chute to the receiving station through which 
the ram travels. While those problems are alleviated by utilizing a 
continuously rotating feed member as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,511, at 
ultra high production rates and/or because cup sidewalls are very thin, 
problems may arise in stabilizing cups at the receiving station. 
Contributing to these latter problems are slightly out of round conditions 
that may exist at the portion of the relatively flexible sidewall adjacent 
the open end of the cup and/or tool coolant that is being discharged 
against the back surface of the cup. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The instant invention overcomes the foregoing problems by providing a 
tensioning device that extends upstream from the receiving station and 
applies a sideways directed force against the cup so that even if the cup 
is slightly out of round near its open end the cup remains in contact with 
the rotating feed member that pushes against the relatively rigid sidewall 
portion of the cup adjacent the closed end thereof. When the cup is fully 
seated in the indexing formation at the receiving station, force exerted 
by the tensioning device contributes to maintaining the cup fully seated. 
An edge formation on the rotating feed member also contributes to 
maintaining the cup fully seated. 
Accordingly, the primary object of the instant invention is to provide an 
improved continuously rotating mechanism for feeding round sided blanks to 
a receiving station through which reciprocating tool means passes to 
operate on the blanks. 
Another object is to provide feeding means of this type that is adapted for 
a drawing and ironing machine which transforms metal cups into one piece 
can bodies. 
Still another object is to provide a feeder of this type that includes a 
tensioning device to stabilize the blanks while they are seated at the 
receiving station in position to be engaged by a reciprocating tool. 
A further object is to provide a feed mechanism of this type having a shoe 
biased against the side of the cup to provide a tensioning force that 
cooperates with a formation on a rotating feed member and with registry 
means to stabilize a blank in position for engagement by a tool. 
These objects as well as other objects of this invention shall become 
readily apparent after reading the following description of the 
accompanying drawings in which:

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
Now referring to the Figures. Rotary feed mechanism 10 (FIG. 4) of this 
invention is incorporated in otherwise conventional drawing and ironing 
machine 11, otherwise known as a body maker of FIG. 1. The latter includes 
main frame 20 having main drive mechanism 22 mounted thereon for 
reciprocating ram 24 (FIG. 2) along a horizontal feed path from a rearward 
reversing position which is to the right of ram 24 in FIG. 3, forwardly 
through receiving station 25 of feeding mechanism 10, the forward 
direction being from right to left with respect to FIG. 2. Forward of 
feeding mechanism 10 ram 24 passes through die pack 33a-33d and, upon 
reaching the position illustrated in FIG. 2, reverses and returns to its 
other (rearward) reversing position. 
Body former 11 receives shallow cups which constitute blanks 30 that are 
disposed side-by-side in gravity chute 26. Blanks 30 exit one at a time 
from the bottom of chute 26 and are transformed into elongated one piece 
can bodies 32 (FIG. 2). That is, the cylindrical sidewall of cup 30 is 
elongated and ironed by passing through a series of ring-shaped dies 
33a-33d, being driven by ram 24. During initial forward movement of ram 24 
in its working stroke, ram 24 is preceded by blank holder pad 34 (FIG. 3). 
The latter is mounted to the movable end of holder frame assembly 98 
positioned in front of cross-arm 99 of main frame 20. As assembly 98 moves 
forward relative to cross-arm 99, from its return or retracted position to 
its clamping position of FIG. 3, pad 34 enters blank 30 through its rear 
facing open end and clamps bottom 31 of blank 30 against the first die 
ring 33a. Then ram 24 moves forward through assembly 98, including central 
guide bore 35 of pad 34, and engages cup bottom 31, driving it forward 
through die rings 33a-33d and finally into engagement with doming 
formation 36 (FIG. 2). 
With particular reference to FIGS. 4 through 12, it is seen that feed 
mechanism 10 includes rotary feed member 40 that is keyed to continuously 
rotating horizontal shaft 41. The periphery of feed member 40 is disposed 
to move below and in proximity to the bottom or exit end of chute 26 to 
support blanks 30 and control their downward movement while in chute 26. 
Blank 30 shown in phantom in FIG. 4 is positioned at the bottom of chute 
26 for removal through the exit thereof. At this time, blank 30 is 
supported by lead-in surface portion 40a along the edge of feed member 40. 
Lead-in surface portion 40a is so shaped that it supports cup (blank) 30 
as the latter gradually moves downward through the exit of chute 26. 
Finally, blank 30 is received in pocket 40b of feed member 40 and is 
driven along the upper arcuate portion 42 of outer guide wall 43. Portion 
42 is an edge surface of guide 144. The lower or terminal portion of outer 
guide wall 43 is generally straight and generally parallel to inner guide 
wall 46 formed by an edge of stripper 45. This terminal portion of outer 
guide wall 43 is formed by member 44 and shoe 101 of tensioning device 100 
which shall be described below. 
When blank 30 moves between guide member 44 and the upstream end 89 of 
inner guide wall or stripper edge surface 46, stripper 45 forces blank 30 
out of pocket 40b. However, feed member 40 continues to drive blank 30 
downward until it reaches receiving station 25 where arcuate indexing or 
registry formation 48 arrests movement of blank 30 in a seating position 
aligned with ram 24 and clamping pad 34. While clamping pad 34 moves 
forward from its rear reversing position to the clamping position of FIG. 
3, edge portion 40c of member 40 that extends immediately upstream from 
pocket 40b acts to lock blank 30 in a seated position against registry 
formation 48 (FIG. 12). As will hereinafter be seen, while edge portion 
40c locks blank 30 against formation 48, this same function is performed 
even more effectively by shoe 101 of tensioner device 100. 
Edge portion 40c which constitutes a holding means, is the part of feed 
member 40 that is most distant from the rotational axis thereof, and shaft 
41 is positioned so that no portion of continuously rotating feed member 
40 passes across the feed path of ram 24. This means that the latter 
cannot engage feed member 40 in the event these elements are out of 
synchronization. In the event of a malfunction, solenoid operated plunger 
55 (FIG. 4) is actuated to extend into feed chute 26 and stop blanks 30 
from moving therethrough. 
Tensioner device 100 (seen best in FIGS. 4-6) includes retainer 102 that is 
fixedly secured to a stationary portion of the machine frame by a pair of 
screws 103. Central bore 104 that extends rearward from inner or forward 
surface 105 of retainer 102 houses coiled compression spring 106 which 
surrounds plunger 107 whose curved forward end abuts support member 108 to 
bias the latter forward. Seated on the inner surface of support 108 is 
shoe 101 which is constructed of relatively low friction plastic material 
and is fixedly secured to support 108 by a pair of screws 109. A pair of 
studs 110 extend from the row or outer surface of support 108 and through 
oversized slots 111 at opposite ends of retainer 102. Enlarged heads 112 
on studs 110 engage the outer side of retainer 102 to limit the extent to 
which spring 106, acting through plunger 107, is able to move support 108 
and shoe 101 mounted thereon forward into the downstream extension of the 
guideway between stripper surface 46 on the one hand and the inner 
surfaces 42, 43 of curved guide 144 and its straight downstream extension 
44, respectively. 
Bolt 114 fixedly secures extension 44 to curved guide 144 at the downstream 
end of the latter. Extension 44 is provided with a longitudinal bore 
containing coiled compression spring 115 which biases pin 116 downstream. 
The downstream end of pin 116 protrudes beyond the downstream end of 
member 44 and engages the upstream edge of shoe 101 so that the effect of 
spring 115 is to bias the curved downstream edge of shoe 101 against one 
end of seating member 120. The latter includes arcuate registry formation 
48 formed therein. Formation 48 is of uniform radius and extends for 
approximately 180.degree.. 
As seen in FIG. 8, when tensioner device 100 is not engaged with any blanks 
30, the entire inner surface 121 of shoe 101 extends into the can guideway 
along the rear of stripper surface 46. This position is established by the 
biasing action of spring 106 which causes fixed elements 44 and 120 to be 
engaged by the respective upstream and downstream portions 122, 123 of 
support 108. 
Using the axis of shaft 41 for rotary feed member 40 as a center, and 
considering a vertical line extending upwardly therethrough as a zero 
degree marker, the lower or outfeed end of gravity chute 26 meets curved 
guide surface 42 at approximately the one o'clock position. Receding 
surface 40a of rotary feed member 40 controls lowering the bottom blank 30 
in chute 26 until such blank is engaged by feed member seating formation 
40b, at which time this blank is below feed chute 26. This blank 30 in 
seat 40b is conveyed in a clockwise direction by feed member 40, with 
radially outward movement being limited by curved guide surface 42. Blank 
30 remains in Seat 40b until blank 30 reaches the guideway portion defined 
by parallel surfaces 42 and 46 which are spaced apart by slightly more 
than the diameter of blank 30 (FIG. 7). As blank 30 moves downstream 
between surfaces 42 and 46, it begins to separate from seat 40b (FIG. 8), 
being driven downstream through the engagement of rotary feed member tip 
125, at the radially outward end of seat 40b, with the outer cylindrical 
surface of blank 30. 
As seen in FIG. 6, rotary feed member 40 and curved guide 144 engage the 
cylindrical outer surface of blank 30 adjacent the relatively rigid closed 
end 199 of blank 30. On the other hand, straight guideway extension 44 and 
stripper 45 engage the cylindrical surface of blank 30 near the relatively 
flexible open end 198 of blank 30. 
As blank 30 continues downstream of extension 44, the cylindrical sidewall 
of blank 30 engages the inwardly slanted lead-in ramp surface 127 of shoe 
101 (FIG. 9), causing shoe 101 to pivot clockwise about engagement point 
128 as a center. Now spring 106 acting through lead-in ramp 127 biases 
blank 30 inward to force the cylindrical sidewall thereof against the 
straight guide surface 46 of stripper 45. By the time blank 30 engages the 
central connecting section between inwardly slanted lead-in ramp 127 and 
outwardly slanted run-out ramp 129 at the downstream end of shoe 101, shoe 
101 begins to tilt clockwise about point 128 as a center, 10 thereby 
providing room for blank 30 to pass between the guide surface 46 and shoe 
101 (FIG. 10). Finally a point is reached where engagement between blank 
30 and shoe 101 is downstream Of plunger 107, and shoe 101 pivots 
counterclockwise about pivot point 131 where member 44 is engaged by end 
122 of shoe support 108. Thereafter, blank 30 moves downstream in 
engagement with run-out ramp 129 and becomes fully seated in arcuate 
indexing formation 48 at receiving station 25. Now, at location 133 (FIG. 
12),.shoe 101 is still biased against the cylindrical sidewall of blank 30 
and is effective to block any tendency of blank 30 to bounce outwardly 
cross-stream or upstream. At this time edge portion 40c of rotary feed 
member 40 is adjacent the cylindrical surface of the fully seated blank 30 
in a position that blocks upstream motion of the latter should it seek to 
bounce from this position fully seated against indexing formation 48. 
Although the present invention has been described in relation to a 
particular embodiment thereof, many other variations and modifications and 
other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is 
preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by the 
specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.