Patent GB-276724-A (GB)
Title: Improvement in machine for crimping plastic caps on bottles
IPC: B67B3/02
Filed: 1926-05-27
Abstract: 276,724. Marks, E. C. R., (American Machine & Foundry Co.). May 27, 1926. Capsules, applying.-A machine for crimping plastic caps on bottles comprises means for feeding successively the plastic caps to a heating device for progressively heating a number of caps simultaneously, and a crimping device for progressively crimping the heated caps on the bottles. The machine is shown as a whole in Fig. 1 and comprises generally the following parts, viz. : (1) the cap magazine and stacker 60. 61, (2) the cold-cap transfer and printer 57, (3) the cap heater 56, (4) the hot-cap transfer 55, (5) the crimping turret 47, (6) the bottle conveyers 49, and (7) the drive and control mechanism. Cap magazine and stacker. The caps are supported in two cylindrical magazines 60 by curved fingers 62 which are periodically displaced by the vertical movement of a sector-shaped plunger plate 61, Figs. 1 and 4, so as to allow a quantity of caps to drop upon the plunger plate where they rest between vertical pins 76 carried by the plate. Besides rising and falling, the plate 61 also oscillates in such a way that while one corner of the plate is beneath one or other of the magazines 60, the other corner is in position beneath a suction head 63, as shown in Fig. 4, which lifts the caps one at a time and deposits them on the cold-cap transfer plate. The vertical reciprocation of the suction head 63 is timed in cooperation with the horizontal reciprocation of the transfer plate for this purpose, while the valve controlling the suction is automatically operated by the rise and fall of the suction head. Cold-cap transfer and printer. The reciprocating transfer plate is formed with two steps, as shown in Fig. 11, and the upper surface is inclined transversely as shown by the dotted lines representing the caps in successive positions. The end cap 105 is held in position by buttons 103 and as the slide 97 carrying the plate reciprocates, the caps pass beneath stationary pivoted strippers 108, 114 having bevelled and hooked ends which allow the caps to pass to the left while preventing them from moving to the right. While moving from position 105 to position 107 the caps pass under a printer (not shown) which marks them with the day of the week or the date. From the position 110 the caps are fed into the heater 56 at slot position 116. Heater. The heater comprises a steam-heated intermittently-rotated drum having a number of inclined slots, Fig. 14, closed at the sides by spring-actuated guards 128 which are held open at the charging position 116 and discharging position 117 by pins 129 carried by the transfer mechanisms. The peripheral ends of the slots are closed by a cylindrical sleeve 130 having a number of slots 132 which are normally set between the slot openings in the drum but can be brought into register therewith to enable the slots to be cleaned. The drum is provided with a scoop device to remove water condensing within it. Hot-cap transfer. After passing once round the drum, the caps arrive in a heated condition at slot position 117, from which they are ejected by a plunger 118 reciprocating with the cold-cap transfer. The hot caps drop on to a swinging plate 152, Fig. 11, operated by an oscillating arm 55, Fig. 1, mounted on an arm 54 carried by the bracket 53 of the crimping turret 47, and are then deposited on a stationary plate in position 121, Fig. 11, just above the crimping dies, by a stripper 163. Crimper. Each crimper comprises a shell 178, Fig. 18, carrying a plunger 186 having a spherically mounted head 187 which fits on to the top of a bottle. Crimping fingers 181 are pivotally mounted in a ring 188 and normally pressed inwards at their ends by a continuous coil spring 192. As a bottle is raised into the capping position, it is centered by centering fingers 206 in the cap support 162, picks up the cap deposited thereon, and pushes it against the head 187, which is then raised against the spring 202 until stopped by the screw 201, the rollers 191 on the fingers 181 in the meantime pressing the cap around the neck of the bottle. The position of the cap support 162 is determined by a cam roller 184 working on the upper surface of a cam track 183 against which it is pressed by a spring 203, provision being thus made for variation in the thickness of the caps. When the capped bottle is ready to descend, the ring 193 rises so as to withdraw the fingers 181 by contacting with their projecting upper ends and at the same time a cam 216 operates mechanism which withdraws the centering fingers 206 so as to allow free passage to the capped bottle. Crimping turret. The crimpers are carried by a revoluble shell 180, Fig. 29, mounted upon a stationary column 220. Between the column 220 and the shell 180 is slidably mounted a revoluble cage 225 carrying the bottle rests 48, the shell and cage being keyed together by a key 226. The bottle rests are raised and lowered by rollers 243 working in a stationary cam track 228. but the height of the cam track can be adjusted for different heights of bottles by turning a shaft 52 which rotates a screw 231 and raises or lowers a sleeve 230 which is connected to the cam track by a pin 229. The shell 180 is clamped to the cage 225 after each adjustment for bottle size by a bolt 237, and a pointer is provided visible through an eye-piece 238 to indicate the adjustment. A bracket 256 attached to the cam 228 automatically adjusts the height of the bottle conveyers feeding the bottles to and from the bottle-rests 48. The cage 225 is rotated by an internal gear 246 by a pinion 247 mounted on a shaft 250. Bottle conveyers. The bottles are carried to and from the capping turret by endless chains 49, 51, Fig. 31, supported upon adjustable guides operated from the bracket 256 already referred to. Adjustable side guards 280 are provided to accommodate various diameters of bottles. The bottles are carried to and from the bottle-rests by star-wheels 65, 66, and in order to prevent two or more caps from being fed to the same crimping unit in the event of one or more bottlerests being empty, a cam-operated shoe 289 is provided which bears against the bottle as it enters the star-wheel 65. If no bottle is in position, the shoe moves forward into the empty bottle space under the action of a spring 291, and the consequent movement of a rod 292 disengages clutches which stop the stacker suction, the' coldcap transfer and the heater until the shoe is again pressed outward by the next bottle. Between the star-wheels is mounted a rod 311 from which is suspended a sheet 312 of leather or other resilient material which rests on the top plates of the bottle-rests and wipes them clean of milk spillage before each new bottle is deposited thereon.