Patent GB-382848-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to can closing machines
IPC: B21D51/32
Filed: 1932-03-05
Abstract: 382,848. Can - closing machines. ARMSTRONG, J. J. V., 12, Church Street, Liverpool.-(Continental Can Co., Inc. ; 100, East 42nd Street, New York, U.S.A.) March 5, 1932, No. 6662. [Class 125 (ii).] A cover-supplying mechanism for a multiple can-closing machine comprises means for feeding a plurality of lines of cans simultaneously to a closing mechanism, a support for can covers extending across the machine at rightangles to the path of travel of the cans, means for feeding covers along said support and for positioning them above the cans and means for withdrawing the support from beneath the covers to allow said covers to drop on to the cans. As shown, the cans C, coming from the filling station, are fed six abreast along a table 1 by chain conveyers 3, 3 carrying spaced bars 4. Covers of the friction plug type are released from a hopper by an oscillating ring actuated by a link 7 from a crank on a shaft 8, and dropped on a table 9 where arms of a turret 12 sweep them through a marking mechanism 13 and below a feed chain 14 where spaced fingers 19 thereon feed them along supporting rails 73 above the row of cans. The chain 14 resting on a bar 85 is driven continuously through the sprocket 15 and its shaft 16, shaft 24, worm gear 25 thereon, shaft 27, gear 28, 29, sprocket chain 31, shaft 33 and sprocket chain 34. The shaft 8 is rotated through a gear wheel 48 thereon, a gear wheel 39, a shaft 38, bevel gear 36 and bevel gear 35 on the shaft 33. The gear wheel 39 is provided with a sleeve 40 which is journalled in the machine frame and carries a driving lug 42. A spring-pressed pivoted driving-dog 44 is attached to a sleeve 43 keyed on the shaft 38. When cans are not being fed a projecting lug 72 on the dog 44 strikes an arm 68 and the end 47 is swung out of the path of the lug 42, whereby rotation is not imparted to the shaft 8 and no covers are fed. When cans are being fed they press down a pivoted trip shoe 49, which may be actuated by one or all of the cans, and, through a double link 64, arm 65, and shaft 67, swing the arm 68 up out of the path of the lug 72 against the action of a spring. The lug 42 and end 47 engage, rotation is imparted to the shaft 8 and covers are fed. The flanges of the covers are supported on ledges on rails 73 carried by arms 76, which, with arms 76a, 82a are mounted for oscillation on short stub shafts 77, 88, carried by brackets 78, 83 mounted on bars 79, 84, extending across the path of travel of the cans. The bars 79, 84 are adjustable for varying cover sizes. Pins 87, 88, in the arms 76a, 82a, engage a slot 90 in a crosshead 89 reciprocally connected by a link 96 to an arm 97 pivoted on a shaft 98 having an arm 99 carrying a roller 100 running in a cam groove 101 in a drum 102 fixed to a gear wheel 103. This gear wheel 103 is fixed to the upper end of the shaft 24 carrying the turret 12. The cam groove 101 has a very short abrupt offset 104 ; when the roller 100 bumps on this the crosshead 89 will be lowered, hence the pins 87, 88 will be lowered and the supporting rails 73, 73 swung away from each other, releasing the covers, which are stripped from the ledges 75 by pins 105 extending through slots 106 in the bars 79, 84, and fall through openings 107 on to the cans C, which are then conveyed to the closing station.