Patent GB-765753-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to the seaming of ends to can bodies
Inventor: STUCHBERY ARTHUR LESLIE
IPC: B21D51/32
Filed: 1954-07-15
Abstract: 765,753. Assembling can heads and bodies. METAL BOX CO., Ltd. April 14,1955 [July 15, 1954], No. 20718/54. Class 83 (4). Seamed joints ; curling.-Apparatus for seaming a dished can end to a filled can without liquid spill comprises a vertical shaft 1, a support 2 rotatable about the shaft axis, a platform 3 carried by the support 2 and freely rotatable about an axis 4 parallel with that of the shaft 1; a chuck support 5. is constrained by the bars 6 to rotate with said support and a chuck 7 freely rotates about an axis coincident with axis 4 and is movable lengthwise of its axis towards and away from the platform to fit within a dished can end applied to a can body 8 on the platform 3, thereby to hold the can end in position relative to the body during seaming operations and to act as an abutment against which the seam is formed; a stationary arcuate seam-forming member 9 has a seam-forming groove 10 and a rotatable arcuate seam-forming member 11 is rotatable about an axis 1b eccentric to the shaft axis and has a seam-forming groove 12 facing the groove of the stationary forming member to co-operate therewith in folding interengaging can end and can body portions to form the seam; the forming members are disposed eccentrically one to the other (Fig. 7) 'to form a convergent path through which a can body and can end engaged between said platform and chuck are moved from the divergent to the convergent ends thereof while being rotated about the axis 4 of the can body by frictional engagement with the forming members coacting to form said seam. The vertically slidable magnetic chuck 7 is located by a roller 13 mounted on a sleeve 14 slidable on the chuck support 5, the roller running in a guide track 15 circumferentially disposed about the shaft 1. The track 15 and roller 13 co-operate to hold a can end in position relative to a can body during seaming operations and to move the chuck into engagement with a can end supported by a can body on the platform 3 prior to seaming and to lift the chuck from the can end subsequent to the seaming operation. The chuck 7 which is mounted on a shaft 16 (Fig. 2) is capable of radial movement relative to the forming members 9, 11 by means of arcuate faces 18 on bearing race shell 19 and its support 20. During such radial movement the chuck is guided by a block 21 slidably mounted in a slot 22 in the sleeve 14 (Fig. 3). Such radial movement of the chuck enables it to clear the forming grooves 10 and 12. Eight chucks are disposed about the shaft 1 and centred upon the shaft axis 1a and four tie bars 6 couple the chuck support 5 to the support 2. In operation, a can body 8 is placed on each platform 3 and the raised chuck is fed with a can end so that when the track 15 lowers the chuck the can end is clamped into the open top of the filled can. The platform support 2 and the chuck support 5 are driven by an annular shaft 23 and the inner arcuate seam-forming member 11 is rotated in the same direction about the axis 1b of the shaft 1 by a second annular shaft 25 so that the can bodies are rolled between the two seam-forming members 9, 11 by frictional engagement therewith. As the can assembly is carried from the divergent to the convergent ends of the path between the seam-forming members the chuck is free to move radially to follow said path. The seam is partially formed in a seaming head CH (Fig. 5) after 180 degrees of travel and then a transfer device TD feeds the partially-seamed can assembly into a second seaming head SH wherein, in a second 180 degrees of travel the double seaming as shown in Figs. 6A, 6B, 6C is completed and the seam ironed. The platform support 2 and the chuck support 5 need not be driven but may be freely rotatable to be rotated by the movement of the cans between the seam forming members one of which is positively rotated. In a modification the chuck is carried at the end of a stub spindle 30 mounted in a lateral projection 34 on a supporting arm 33 (Fig. 8) carried by a sleeve 14. Radial movement of the chuck is effected by angular rotation of the arm 33. An actuating arm 35 co-operating with a cam 37 moves the chuck angularly for receiving a can end from a rotatable turret. The platform support 2 may be driven by complementary gearing instead of through the tie-bars 6.