FR2546811A1 - Machine for manufacturing containers - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for manufacturing a container made from a sheet material. According to the invention, it comprises a drum 52 carrying mandrels and which rotates about its longitudinal axis of symmetry; the drum contains a certain number of individual mandrels 56 in radial alignment; each mandrel rotates about its longitudinal axis, while it forms a cylinder-shaped container preform (blank); the drum carries the mandrels on an arcuate path thus enabling the work to be accomplished on the preform (blank) of the container while it passes by a series of stations. The invention applies especially to ice cream packaging.

Description

CONTAINER MANUFACTURING MACHINE
For some time it has been recognized that various containers such as bowls and in particular containers for dispensing ice cream can be formed from various plastics. In addition to plastics, a very popular material for a container has been made of paper products. A well known container of the type mentioned above is the cup which is pushed upwards, which is essentially a cylindrical external body with a movable piston placed inside. A stick is attached to the inner piston, allowing the user to push the contents of the cup upward while consuming it. Cups of the push-up type have been made not only from paper but also by the well-known injection molding technique. Until now, "rickshaws" have not been successfully made from polystyrene beads because you need a certain degree of resistance beyond that offered by polystyrene beads. In order to form drawer-like sections, it was necessary in the past, in order to impart adequate strength and rigidity as well as a surface finish, to construct such sections with a relatively thick wall and periphery. . As a result of this added thickness of the side wall, it is not possible to package as many products per container as can be accomplished when the side wall is relatively thin. Thus, from a total storage and relative strength standpoint, a more desirable material is required.

 Paper containers to be pushed up have the required strength while the paper remains in a dry condition, however, when the paper is inherently saturated with a wet product, it quickly loses its strength.

 The push-up container molded in a drawer box has another drawback, in fact an inherent consequence of its method of manufacture, the external surface of its wall. side can only be decorated after the manufacture of the container to push up.

The required or necessary post-decoration and printing techniques are considerably slower and more expensive than the flexographic and other printing techniques which can be used to decorate various sheet materials before incorporation into shaped containers. cutting. As a result, the majority of molded cups in a drawer box currently sold, do not have a decorated exterior simply because this decoration must be applied after manufacture of the cup.

 Likewise, cups and cup-shaped containers have been made of insulated or expanded thermoplastics, by cutting a suitable arcuate blank from sheet material and forming it into a cylindrical container with techniques which are well known in the art of forming these paper cups and ice cream cones. This method of manufacturing the container allows the outer side wall of the container to be decorated while the plastic or paper is sheet-shaped and before cutting side wall blanks of rectangular shape. By controlling the density of such a plastic sheet, it is possible to manufacture a container of resistance, rigidity and impermeability to suitable liquids, having a considerably thinner side wall than for example a molded cup in a drawer box. Likewise, the ease with which the exterior of the side wall of such containers can be provided with attractive information and sometimes required by pre-decorating the sheet from which the side wall blanks are formed, has made it possible to decorate a substantial number. such containers in a manner which has proven to be quite popular in the trade.

 One of the inherent disadvantages of such containers is the manufacture of the return lip at the bottom of the container to be pushed up. This particular geometry of the return lip requires that the material be moved over a considerable distance, thus subjecting it to tears and also to cracks which reduce its peripheral resistance to a marked degree. Another known type of insulated or expanded thermoplastic container which has met with some commercial success and which is somewhat similar in structure to the push-up container is the cut into a seamless piece produced by deep drawing, which is produced by the well known thermoforming process. Such cuts can be formed to a very precise manufacturing tolerance and with excellent stacking characteristics, if desired. Again, the decoration of thermoformed containers produced by deep drawing must be obtained following their manufacture .

 As can be seen from the above, each of the well-known types of insulated and indicated containers has certain inherent advantages which make it well suited for certain uses and certain limits which make it less suitable than one of the other types. for other uses.

 Another variant in the manufacture of push-up containers is also currently possible.

This particular insulated push-up container combines a wide range of desirable properties, without compensating for limitations such as those found in cylindrical paper containers. This new variant of the push-up container is well suited to a wide range of applications for single cups to push up. The side wall of such a container can be formed of rectangular blanks, therefore, without any appreciable amount of waste and additional expense for cutting side wall blanks of specially shaped containers of a sheet or piece of material. The side wall of such a push-up container can be provided, relatively inexpensively, with high-quality and highly decorative designs. In addition, such a cup can, if desired, be provided with a very slight taper which improves the movement of the piston contained inside which moves the edible product upwards. Relatively inexpensive and good quality push-up containers were made from rectangular shaped blanks. The side wall of the container to be pushed up is formed from a piece of polystyrene or other thermoplastic polymeric sheet material which has a substantial degree of orientation or possibility of heat shrinkage incorporated in the machine direction of the machine. piece of material. A decorative material is applied to the oriented part and after printing, the part is broken into long strips, each containing the repeating pattern of the blanks of the individual containers. The strips of material are then broken into blanks of the individual containers which are then formed into sleeves cylindrical with the machine direction of the original part extending circumferentially around the sleeves to be pushed up. In the formation of the sleeve, a liquid type overlap seal is made by heat or solvent sealing techniques.

A sleeve winding mandrel is used to form the sleeve to be pushed up to the desired diameter to obtain the required side seal. The complete sleeve is then placed on a mandrel, if it is not formed in situ on said mandrel, and having an external shaping surface which corresponds to the desired configuration of the internal surface of the side wall of the container, whether this side wall is substantially straight or tapered, as in a cup or container to be pushed up. Part of the sleeve can be cantilevered beyond the free end of the mandrel in order to form the periphery at the bottom of the container to be pushed upwards or its entire bottom if desired. The remaining part of the sleeve can be conformed to the outer surface of the mandrel by the application of heat. The manufacture of a one-piece push-up container according to the present invention is effective in forming a container which can be used for frozen or semi-frozen food products. Of course, the container is also suitable for edible products which are not frozen but which are of semi-liquid consistency.

The device for manufacturing a one-piece container to be pushed up according to the method of the present invention comprises a drum mechanism which moves on an arcuate path and which carries a number of spaced apart mandrels. Each mandrel has an external configuration which corresponds to the internal contour and the configuration of the container to be pushed upwards. The drum carries the mandrels by a series of active sub-assemblies which operate in a sequenced relationship over time with the mandrels to form the container of the present invention. In addition to rotating with the drum, each individual mandrel is capable of rotating about its own axis to wind the cylindrical sleeves from a flat sheet of tape. With the method and the device of the present invention , push-up containers with exceptional properties can be produced at a relatively low price and at high production speeds. As the operation of the present device is of a continuous nature, its operation is extremely regular and it makes it possible to obtain excellent production speeds during the manufacture of the containers.

 The present invention relates to a device for the manufacture of cup-shaped containers.

 The present invention further relates to a machine for manufacturing push-up containers, which are made of foam plastic.

 These objects and others have been achieved according to the present invention by the fact that a rotary machine for the manufacture of push-up containers made of a thermoplastic material which shrinks in a controlled manner under the influence of heat. , is planned. The present invention also has the characteristic of providing a method and a device for the thermal manufacture of a container to be pushed upwards from a rectangular blank of an oriented thermoplastic material, without losing any part of the material in such a draft. More particularly, the present invention has for characteristic a method and a device for manufacturing a container from a rectangular blank of oriented thermoplastic material where the lower periphery of the container to be pushed up is formed simultaneously with the remainder of the container.

Containers of one type or another, particularly in the form of disposable cups, have been produced by different techniques and types of machines. Such a container manufacturing machine is illustrated and described in US Patent No. 3,969,173 of July 13, 1976. The machine includes winding a rectangular blank in foam sheet material into a sleeve of cylindrical configuration. The blank for the sheet product is taken to a sleeve winding station where the sleeve is wound on the outside of a sleeve for winding a hollow cylindrical sleeve. The completed sleeve is then transferred to a shrink mandrel where, under the influence of heat, it is forced to shrink to the external configuration of the mandrel. In this particular case, a bottom closure is placed adjacent to the edge of the sleeve just before removal, thus giving a bottom to the container. The container with its bottom then passes through a border forming station where a standard border of the type # bourrele # t is produced on the container. The finished container is then removed from the shrink mandrel. A related device for forming a container, somewhat analogous to the push-up container of the present invention is illustrated in the patent
US No. 4,053,346 of October 1, 1977. Cylindrical sleeves made from pre-decorated rectangular preforms are produced by introducing the leading edge of the rectangular sheet to a vacuum sensor accumulated in a winding mandrel vertically oriented sleeve The blank is then wrapped around the mandrel until the leading and trailing edges overlap. Heat is then applied, along with pressure, to make a liquid tight seal along the length of the cylinder. The cylindrical sleeve is placed in the sleeve and the subsequent application of heat forces the cylindrical sleeve to shrink in a controlled manner, into a container. A subsequent prepositioned perimeter formation station completes the container by forming a standard perimeter having the appearance of a bead or cord. The entire container is ejected from the shrink mandrel. U.S. Patent No. 3,970,492 of July 20, 1976 describes the process for producing a container where a rectangular sheet of thermoplastic material is formed into a tube having overlapping end portions which are sealed to each other by directing heated air between the end portions to soften the facing surfaces and pressing the end portions together to form a weld. A two-piece container can be formed by sealing a bottom or bottom disc member of foam material at the end of the side wall and a one-piece container can be formed by collapsing and melting the end of the sleeve. the side wall to close and form the bottom of the container.

 Another U.S. patent in connection no. 3,995,750 of December 7, 1976 shows an article in the form of a container produced from a cylindrical butt welded sleeve. Either a two-piece container or a one-piece container is revealed.

 U.S. Patent No. 4,072,549 of February 7, 1978 discloses a device and method for manufacturing a container made of a cylindrical sleeve. This particular sleeve is of conventional shape but however it is wound on a mandrel whose longitudinal axis is oriented in a horizontal attitude.

A container and a part is illustrated in the patent
US No. 4,108,347 of August 22, 1978. The container is produced by allowing a sleeve in an oriented sheet to protrude beyond the end of a shrink mandrel and forming an elongated neck of small diameter. Subsequent pinching closes the elongated neck, removal of the remaining piece and pressure from the bottom results in a container which can be provided with a periphery in a conventional manner.

 Another technique and device for forming a container into a foam sheet can be found in US Patent No. 4,077,829 of March 7, 1978. A cylindrical sleeve is formed on a mandrel and a bottom closure is placed in the confinement of one end of the sleeve. While remaining on the mandrel on which it has been wound, the sleeve and the pre-positioned bottom closure are subjected to heat, thereby making the sleeve shrink in accordance with the mandrel. Subsequent pressure applied to the bottom of the container guarantees the integrity of the junction between the side wall of the container at the bottom of the closure.

 Another attempt at forming a container made of a rectangular sheet of foam material is indicated in the. U.S. Patent No. 4,121,402 dated October 24, 1978.

In this manufacturing version of the container, the rectangular blank is broken from its continuous strip. The blank is then transferred, at right angles to its original direction, to a stationary and elongated mandrel where the blank is essentially gradually folded around the mandrel as it moves below and along the mandrel. The finished manchin is coupled to an extreme closure, placed on a shrink mandrel and subsequently formed under the influence of heat, in a container.

 Another version of a device for forming a container can be found in the current patent application No. 92 892 filed on March 9, 1979. The device of this particular invention comprises a frame which supports a driven drum. by a motor adapted to stop at predetermined arcuate intervals while it rotates around a central axis of rotation. The drum supports an arrangement of radially oriented shrink mandrels. Jointed sleeves made of oriented plastic are preformed and then placed like a telescope, on the mandrels which radially project from the drum. A part of the sleeve may protrude beyond the free end of the mandrel. The mandrel and the accompanying sleeve are transferred on an arcuate path which subjects the sleeve to a selected heat treatment from mounted heating elements. adjacent, thereby forcing the oriented sleeve to shrink in a controlled manner to a similar configuration on the outside of the mandrel. The part of the sleeve which is cantilevered beyond the end of the mandrel shrinks into a tubular structure of small diameter which is closed by the compression action of a bottom pinching mechanism. Following the closing of the bottom of the heat-softened sleeve, the mandrel transporting the sleeve is brought to a work station where the pinched bottom material is pressed against the end of the mandrel to form a liquid-tight bottom, in The force used to form the bottom of the container is also used to form a pressurized periphery on the container. The mandrel carrying the entire container is then brought to an ejection station where the finished container is removed from the mandrel on which it was formed.

 As can be determined from the above description, each of the known types of insulated plastic containers indicated has certain advantages which make it well suited for certain particular uses, and certain limits which make it less suitable than another of the other types. for other uses. The device according to the present invention is well suited to the manufacture of a one-piece container to be pushed up. The container is essentially of cylindrical configuration although it can be tapered or conical if desired. The present invention includes a frame which supports a motor driven drum capable of stopping at predetermined arcuate intervals while it rotates about a central axis of rotation. The drum supports a series of shrink mandrels which are oriented radially.

Each mandrel can rotate around its individual axis. A ribbon of oriented plastic is directed to each mandrel at a loading station. A selected length of plastic material is broken from the ribbon and is gripped by the mandrel and wound by the rotation of the mandrel while the mandrel, in turn, is driven on an arcuate path by the movement of the drum on which it is supported. While the mandrel and the accompanying sleeve receive a translational movement over an arcuate path, the sleeve is subjected to a selected amount of heat, thereby forcing the sleeve to conform to the outside of the mandrel. In addition, part of the sleeve extends beyond the mandrel and narrows around the end of the mandrel and is softened so that the bottom periphery of the container can be easily shaped. After the bottom periphery of the container is formed when pushed up, it is injected from the mandrel and is transported, by pneumatic means, to another work station which is distant from the present device.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows of an embodiment given by way of indication but in no way limiting with reference to the appended drawings in which
Figure 1 is a general perspective view of the device for shaping a container, some parts being removed for clarity
Figure 2 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the rear vertical support plates and the drive train mounted therein;
Figure 3 is an elevational view, looking towards the back of the rear vertical support plate; ;
Figure 4 is a vertical view looking in section and made along lines 4-4 of Figure 3 t
Figure 5 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the material feeding and breaking mechanism
Figure 6 is an elevational view, partially in section, of the material grabbing mechanism, taken along lines 6-6 of Figure 5;
Figure 7 is a plan view, partially in section, looking at the material-breaking mechanism, taken along lines 7-7 of Figure 5;
Figure 8 is a plan view similar to Figure 7 except that the knife is shown breaking the foam sheet material
Figure 9 is a perspective view, taken along lines 9-9 of Figure 1, which shows the knife assembly and its cam operated control mechanism
Figure 10 is a perspective view, taken along lines 10-10 of Figure 1, which shows the cam control for the operation of the clamping fingers of the material shown in Figure 6
Figure 11 is a perspective view, partially in section, taken along lines 11-11 of Figure 1j which shows the mechanism for controlling the movement of the material in the device;
Figure 12 is an elevational view, partially in section, taken along lines 12-12 of Figure 1, which shows the support molding of the mandrel mounted on the drum;
Figure 13 is an elevational view, partially in section, looking in the direction of lines 13-13 of Figure 1, which shows the mandrel, its power source and the ~ attachment to the assembly -molding of the mandrel and to the drum t
Figure 14 is an elevational view, partially in section, taken along lines 14-14 of Figure 7, which shows the mandrel and its associated finger mechanism
Figure 15 is an elevational view, partially in section, taken along lines 15-15 of Figure 19, which shows the mandrel and its cooperating mechanisms
Figure 16 is an elevational view, partially in section, taken along lines ## 16-16 of Figure 12
Figure 17 is a plan view taken along lines 17-17 of Figure 16 which shows the mandrel and its associated roller
Figure 18 is a plan view, partially in section, taken along lines 18-18 of Figure 15 which shows the damping mechanism for the roller shown in Figures 15 and 17
FIG. 19 is a side elevational view, partially in section, which shows the mandrels, their support molding and the cam rods for actuating the mechanism near the mandrels
Figure 20 is a perspective view, part of which is in section and in fan-tome line, showing the location of the drum and the cam tracks associated with the finger and roller controls
Figure 21 is an elevational view, partially in section, generally taken along lines 21-21 of Figure e 2; the front of the device is to the right of the figure
Figure 22 is an elevational view, partially in section, made by looking along lines 22-22 of Figure 2 t the front of the device is to the left of the figure
Figure 23 is a perspective view, partially in section, showing the cam wheel shown in the upper left of Figure 2 and part of the cam tracks shown in Figure 20
Figure 24 is a perspective view, partially in section, showing the cam wheel shown at the bottom left of Figure 2 and also parts of the cam tracks of Figure 20
Figure 25 is a perspective view looking towards the mandrels when placed at the station immediately following the winding of a sleeve around the mandrel;
Figure 26 is a perspective view similar to that of Figure 25 except that the mechanism for actuating the shutter bars is illustrated
Figure 27 is a view, partially in section, looking axially towards the mandrels, when they are at the station immediately following the winding of a sleeve around the mandrel
FIG. 28 is a view, partially in section, looking towards the mandrels when the mandrels are at the station where the set of heat-sealing bars is actuated. This station is the same as the station in FIGS. 25, 26 and 27
Figure 29 is an elevational view, partially in section, made looking in the direction of the lines 2929 of Figure 1, which shows the heat seal bar and the mandrel, including the heat distribution system t
FIG. 30 is a perspective view, partially in section, looking towards the mandrels when they are at the station where the completed sleeves are ejected therefrom. The cam wheel placed on the upper right view of FIG. 2 is also shown.
FIG. 31 is a perspective view, partially in section, looking towards the formation matrix of the bottom of the sleeve and the mechanism for driving the finished sleeves away from the device; and
Figure 32 is a perspective view, partially in section, looking towards the extraction station like Figure 30 which shows the mechanism for disengaging the finished sleeves from the dies forming the bottoms.

 While the present invention shows the preferred embodiment of components of a device and methods for the manufacture of push-up containers, it will be understood that there may be some variations of parts of the device without limiting the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated and described.

 Figure 1 shows, in perspective view, the general device of the present invention. The reference numeral 10 has been assigned to represent the entire device. The entire support structure of the device 10 rests on feet 11. The feet 11 are stabilized by lower horizontal members 12, 13 and 14. The remainder of the rectangular frame is held by an intermediate vertical plate 15 and a rear plate 16. In addition to the plates 15 e ~ t'l6; a-e ~ front plate 17 is attached to the feet 11 and it forms an extension thereof continuing vertically upwards. The front plate 17 is held in parallel orientation relative to the intermediate plate 15 by transverse members arranged horizontally 18 and 20. A rotary drum assembly 21 is aligned horizontally and it is mounted between the front plate 17 and the intermediate plate 15. The drum 21 rotates counterclockwise as noted by an arrow 22. The drum 21 is rotated by means of a motor 23 which, in turn, is suspended from the back plate 16 The drum unit 21 is engaged so that it passes through 8 stops or stations while it crosses 3600 counterclockwise. A strip feed station is placed at the upper station identified by the reference numeral 24. A heat seal station 25 is placed at 450, counterclockwise, from the feed station 24. Station 3, while not identified in Figure 1, is placed 900 counterclockwise from the feed station 24. A partial ejection station 26 is placed at 1350 from the upper station or feed station 24. The partially ejected articles, carried by the mandrels placed on the rotary drum assembly 21, then pass through stations 27, 28 and 29 of heat application. An extraction station is shown at 30 to 2700 counterclockwise from the supply station 24. The complete articles are removed from the device 10 by pneumatic tubes 31.

 FIG. 2 shows, in perspective view, the assembly of the drive unit and the associated gears which are supported between the rear plate 16 and the intermediate plate 15. A motor 32 with high torque is mounted in a horizontal attitude, on a gearbox 33. The gearbox 33 is attached to the rear and intermediate upright plates 15 and 16 by fixing means, not shown. Gearbox 33 has two possible power sockets. The first power take-off is centered around the shaft 34 which projects horizontally from the front to the rear of the device as shown in Figure 2. The second power take-out comes from the gearbox 33 by l shaft 35 which is also horizontally aligned but at right angles to shaft 34. All of the gearbox or indexed drive assembly is a standard part which can be purchased from a manufacturing company such as CAMCO for example , a division of Emerson Electric Company in Chicago, Illinois, United States of America. The assembly 33 of the gearbox employs, in its structure, a cam-driven arrangement which allows the power take-off surrounding the shaft 34 to stop 8 times during a complete rotation. The use of this 8-stop drive mechanism will be described below. The second drive shaft 35 actually rotates continuously and it is attached at its terminal end to a square gear 36. The square gear 36 in turn engages with a complementary square gear 37. The square gear 37 is rigidly fixed to the drive shaft 38 which is assembled in. bearing supports placed in the intermediate plate 15 and the rear plate 16. One of the supports is illustrated at 40 in the intermediate plate 1-5-. The drive shaft 38 projects beyond the rear surface of the rear plate 16 t at this location, a large drive gear 41 is fixed to the shaft 38. Thus, the drive gear drive 41 receives its power from the square gears 36 and 37 which, in turn, are coupled to the gearbox 33.

 Referring to FIG. 3, which is a view looking towards the rear side of the rear plate 16, the previously mentioned drive pinion 41 can be seen on the lower right side of FIG. 3. The pinion 41 is engaged with the idler gear 42 which is placed towards the center of the back plate 16. We can see the shaft 34 which projects from the center of the idler gear 42. The idler gear 42 is not rigidly attached to the shaft 34 but it rotates freely around it, on a bearing 43. The direction of rotation, that is to say clockwise, is illustrated by the arrow 44 for the return pinion 42. In addition to being engaged with the drive pinion 41, the return pinion 42 is also in rotation engagement with a cam pinion 45 and a cam pinion 46. The cam pinion 45 is rigidly attached to the shaft 47 and the cam pinion 46 is likewise attached to the shaft 48. The shafts 47 and 48 are mounted for rotation in the p rear lacquer 16 and intermediate plate 15.

 Referring again to Figure 2, we can see the bearing 50 at the upper left of the figure. The bearing 50, of course, is used in association with the shaft 47 and likewise a bearing 51 is used to support 1 t shaft ~ 48.

 As shown in FIG. 3, the shaft 34 forms the support for the return pinion 42 which is placed at the rear of the plate 16. In addition to supporting the pinion 42, the shaft 34 extends also forwards through the intermediate plate 15 and it ends, at its most forward end, being supported in the front plate 17 as can be seen in FIG. 1. A drum assembly 52 is mounted in concentric relationship with the shaft 34 and it is partially supported.

 Figure 4, which is a sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of Figure 3 shows the drum assembly 52 and its relationship to the shaft 34. The drum assembly is mounted for rotation and is driven by the gearbox 33 by means not shown.

The drum assembly is also supported by main bearings 53 with stabilization by plain bearings 54 and 55, as can be seen in FIG. 4. The drum 52 contains an arrangement of radially aligned mandrels 56. The mandrels 56 are mounted on the outer envelope of the assembly 52 forming a drum as will be better described elsewhere. The shaft 57 -of the mandrel is rigidly attached to the mandrel 56 with which it is in axial alignment.

A small square gear 58 is attached to the innermost end of the shaft 57 of the mandrel. The gear 58 in turn is engaged with a stationary pinion 60 as shown in FIG. 4. The stationary pinion 60 is mounted on the shaft 34 and it is immobilized by a key 61. As will be better apparent in the Following description of the invention, there are 4 stationary pinions 60 in relation spaced from one another over the extent of the shaft 34 and of the drum assembly 52.

 When the drum assembly 52 rotates by the power delivered by the gearbox 33, the mandrels are driven in the circumferential direction. As the mandrels move on their arcuate path, the square gear 58 is forced to rotate because it follows the teeth placed around the periphery of the stationary pinion 60.

 Figure 5 is a perspective view, partially in section, which shows in more detail the station 24 for feeding the strip previously shown in Figure 1. While the drum assembly 52, previously shown in Figure 4 , is not present in FIG. 5, the mandrels 56 are illustrated in the position for receiving the leading edge of the strip of material 62 in foam sheet. The material 62 is fed by rollers (not shown) which in reality are not part of the invention. The foam sheet material 62 is first brought to a preheating zone identified by the members 63 and 64. The foam sheet material 62 passes between the preheated members 63 and 64 where heat is introduced into the material in order to make it more easily deformable while it is wound on the mandrels 56. The heat of the organs 63 and 64 can be brought by electrical resistance wires which are embedded or on the surfaces of the organs 63 and 64. The foam sheet material 62 intermittently advances to the mandrels 56. The intermittent movement of the material 62 is controlled by gripping the sheet material at its upper edge and advancing it into and through the preheating members 63 and 64. Figure 5 shows the clamping mechanism 65 in its fully forward position, just before the release of the foam sheet material 62. The clamping mechanism 65 is mounted for reciprocating movement on parallel oriented rods support 66 and 67. The clamping mechanism 65 consists of two parallel plates 68 and 70 which are spaced apart from one another and which are mounted for movement on the support rods 66 and 67. A torque rod 71 is supported for rotation in the plates 68 and 70. The rod 71 extends beyond the plate 70 towards the rear, and ends in a sliding support block 72. The sliding support block 72 is also mounted on the support rods 66 and 67 for reciprocating movement in unison with the clamping mechanism 65. While the torque rod 71 passes through the space between the support plates 68 and 70, two fingers of clamping 73 and 74, in addition to the control or command arm 75, are firmly clamped to the rod 71.

 Referring now to Figure 6 which is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 6-6 of Figure 5, the actual sequence of operation of the clamping mechanism 65 will be better understood. A movement of the rod 71 clockwise forces the clamping fingers 73 and 74 to move away from a contact position against the upper outer lateral edge of the foam sheet material 62. The fully extended position or open of the clamping fingers 73 and 74 is illustrated in dotted lines at 76. The control arm 75, which is also firmly fixed to the rod 71, moves in unison with the clamping fingers 73 and 74. while the control arm 75 moves clockwise while looking at FIG. 6, the bifurcated lower end of arm 75 moves a mechanism of little fingers 77 counterclockwise around the rod support 78. Rotating the mechanism 77 anticlockwise allows the little fingers 80 to move away from the upper edge of the foam sheet material 62. The support rod 78 is mounted at the lower ends of the plates 68 and 70 like the mo Figure 5.

When the rod 71 is moved counterclockwise, the clamping fingers 73 and 74 move towards the surface of the material 62. Likewise, the control arm 75, in its movement in the opposite direction of the clockwise, forces its lower end against the mechanism 77 of the little fingers to force it to turn clockwise around the support rod 78, thus bringing the little finger 80 into contact with the opposite edge of the material 62. In this position, the clamping mechanism 65 can transfer the material 62 over a prescribed distance according to the total movement of the clamping mechanism 65 during its crossing over a linear extent along the support rods 66 and 67.

 The movement of the clamping mechanism 65 along the support rods 66 and 67 is controlled by a push rod 81. The push rod 81 is illustrated in Figure 6 in cross section, where it attaches to the rear side of the plate 70. The rod 81 is suspended, at its extreme connection, by a universal joint 82. Referring now to FIG. 5, one can see the total extent of the rod 81. An additional universal joint 83 is attached to the rearmost end of the rod 81. The joint 83 is mounted on the cantilever end of an angled lever arm 84. The angled lever arm 84 is locked to an actuating rod 85. The control of movement clockwise and counterclockwise of the actuating rod 85 will be described below. Referring now again to the clamping mechanism 65 and the couple 71 which is mounted there, two articulation arms 86 and 87 are tightened, in spaced relation to each other, at the torque rod 71. When the tightening mechanism 65 reaches its fully forward position, the tightening fingers 73 and 74, with the little fingers mechanism 77, are in position to release their tightening from the foam sheet material 62. The rod of torque 71 is rotated clockwise, looking at FIG. 6, by the action of a latch 88 against the overhanging end of the articulation arm 86, which in turn is firmly tightened on the torque rod 71. The latch 88 is mounted on a block 90. When the tightening mechanism 65 reaches its rearmost extent, the open tightening fingers 73 and 74 as well as the mechanism small fingers 77 are in a position to be closed under a new length of the foam sheet material 62, and thus pull it forward, towards the mandrels 56. In the rearmost position, the clamping mechanism 65 and its associated torque rod 71 are actuated by the alternating action of the thrust 91. While the thrust rod 91 changes direction, the îinguet-92 acts against the overhanging end of the articulation arm 87 thus forcing the rod 71 to move in the opposite direction of the needles d 'a watch. The mechanism for controlling the reciprocating movement of the rod 91 and the movement of the torque of the actuating rod 85 will be described below.

 In addition to the mechanism which advances the foam sheet material 62 intermittently from a source to the mandrels 56, there is also shown the mechanism which cuts individual pieces of the foam sheet product just prior to its introduction into the mandrel. An overhanging support block arrangement is illustrated in Figure 5. The support blocks 93 are supported on horizontal and parallel rods 94 and 95. The rods 94 and 95 are supported for reciprocating movement which will be described elsewhere. The support block 93 contains a downwardly protruding column 96 which, in turn, is attached to the block 97 of the knife. Block 97 and its associated parts will be better seen in the figures which follow.

 Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 7-7 of Figure 5. Similarly, Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 7 and also made along lines 7-7 of Figure 5. Referring now to FIG. 7, the knife block is represented by the reference numeral 97 and rigidly attached by a fixing means 98 and a Lao clamping block, it is used to place the knife 101. The block 97 and its rigidly attached knife 101 move in reciprocating movements towards and away from the sheet material 62. On the side of the foam sheet material 62 which is immediately opposite the leading edge of the knife 101, is a re-entrant or cut part 99, thus allowing the knife 101 to move # ibr freely in the support structure, immediately facing the entire knife block 97.

During the cutting sequence, the block 97 moves towards the foam sheet material 62. The first part of the assembly 97 of the knife block to contact the foam sheet material 62 is the presser foot 102. The presser foot 102 is mounted on a sliding spindle 103 which, in turn, is captured in a cylindrical bore 104 placed in the block 97. The presser foot 102 is held, in a biased manner, against the surface of the foam sheet material 62 by springs 105 and 106 which can be better seen in FIG. 6. The presser foot 102 stabilizes the foam sheet material 62 over its entire extent, from the top to the bottom and guarantees that it will be in firm engagement with the surface immediately adjacent to the part re-entrant cutout 99.

 FIG. 8 naturally shows the knife 101 after it has completely broken or cut the foam sheet material 62. The end of the knife 101 has entered the re-entrant part 99 and the presser foot 102 remains firmly engaged against the surface of the material foam sheet 62 while the sliding pin 103 is in free engagement with the cylindrical bore 104 as shown in Figure 7. While the knife 101 comes out of the cutting part, the presser foot 102 remains in engagement with the material foam sheet 62 until the sliding pin 103 reaches the end of its travel. The presser foot then moves in unison with the block 97 of the knife and it is pulled away from the foam sheet material 62, allowing thus to the clamping mechanism described above in association with FIG. 5, to firmly clamp the foam sheet material 62 and to advance it towards the mandrel 56.

 The reciprocating movement of the knife block 97 and its support rods 94 and 95 is controlled by the action of a cylindrical cam. Reference will now be made to FIG. 2 and to the 5-way cam wheel 107 which is directly coupled to the same shaft as the cam pinion 46. The five-way cam wheel 107 is also illustrated in the perspective view of the Figure 9. The support rods 94 and 95 are held in sliding engagement with the rear plate 16 and the intermediate plate 15. A thrust block 108 is firmly attached to the rods 94 and 95 and is itself placed between the plates 15 and 16. A structural support member 110 is attached horizontally between the plates 15 and 16. The structural support 110 contains a pivot 112 to which is attached a bar 111. The upper end of the bar 111 is movably fixed. at the lower end of the thrust block 108. The lower end of the bar 111 contains a cam roller 113 which is adapted to engagement with a cam track 114 of the five-way cam wheel 107. While the wheel 107 rotates continuously and in unison with the cam pinion 46, the cam roller 113 moves, at the prescribed time, from front to 11 rear, thereby pivoting the bar 111 which in turn forces the rods 94 and 95 to move in the horizontal direction, thus producing the motive power for the operation of the support block 93 and of the assembly of the knife which is attached to it.

 FIG. 10 is a perspective view which also shows the five-way cam wheel 107. The wheel 107 is also used to actuate the tightening mechanism 65 which has been previously illustrated and described in association with FIG. 5. The rod thrust 91, which is shown in FIG. 5, controls the rotational movement of the articulation arm 86 as well as of the articulation arm 87. The thrust rod 91 is illustrated in FIG. 10 with its associated latches 88 and 92. As the cam sprocket 46, previously shown in Figure 2, rotates, the five-way cam wheel 107 also rotates in synchronism with it, thereby forcing the cam roller 115 to move in the cam track 116. cam roller movement 115 forces the cam block 117 to reciprocate forward and backward As the block 117 is rigidly attached to the push rod 91, it in turn moves toward the forward and backward, forcing the clamping fingers 73, 74 and the mechanism of small fingers 77 to open and close at the right time.

 Figure li is a perspective view of the wheel 107. Again, the cam 107 is used to produce the synchronous movement necessary for the performance of the entire device. Referring again to Figure 5, the actuating rod 85, its bent lever arm 84 associated, and the push rod 81 can be seen there. This assembly in turn is attached to the clamping mechanism 65 and produces the reciprocating movement of this clamping mechanism 65 while it clamps the foam sheet material 62 and advances it towards the mandrel 56. The angled lever arm 84 and its associated parts are illustrated in FIG. 11. The actuating rod 85 is rigidly supported by the front, intermediate and rear plates 17, 15 and 16 although this support is not shown in FIG. 11. While the five-way cam wheel 107 rotates, a cam roller is engaged in a cam track 121 which has been milled in the rear flat surface of the wheel 107. The eccentric path of the track-l21- forces the roller 120 and its associated arm 118 to rotate around the axis of the actuating rod 85, thus forcing the rod 85 to move first in a clockwise direction then in the opposite direction, thus producing the movement oscillating of the tightening mechanism 65.

 Figure 12 is a front elevational view, partially in section, looking toward the front end of the drum assembly 52. The radially aligned mandrel 56 can be seen at the top of Figure 12 and its associated pinion 58 is shown toward the bottom of the mandrel. The mandrel 56 and the pinion 58 are mounted in a molding assembly 122 which in turn is rigidly mounted outside the drum 52.

 While only one of these assemblies is represented in FIG. 12, there are 8 identical assemblies in the general device 10. The assembly 122 is bolted to the assembly of the drum 52 by fixing means 123.

 FIG. 13 is a view in elevation and in section made through the base part of the mandrel 56. The shaft 124 of the mandrel is journalled in the molding assembly 122 by bearings 125 and 126. FIG. 13 also shows rod support lugs 127 which form a body with the molding assembly 122. The rods supported by this part of the molding will be described below.

 Figure 14 is an elevational view, partially in section, taken along lines 14-14 of Figure 7. The mandrel 56 has a cylindrical configuration or any other desired geometry and it contains a side wall 128. The side wall 128 is adapted to receive the foam sheet material 62 which is wound in the form of a foam cylinder 130. A finger mechanism 133 is axially aligned with the outside of the mandrel 56. The mechanism 133 is designed and mounted so as to oscillate off the surface of the mandrel 56 on an arcuate path until reaching an extended position shown in dotted lines at 132. The finger mechanism 133 contains a cantilever finger 131 which is rigidly attached to an arm 134. The arm 134 is adapted to a circular movement around a fixed spindle 135. A leg 136 for actuation projects from the arm 134 with which it is in axial alignment. The tab 136 is the means for applying the force and it forces the finger mechanism 133 to rotate around the pin 135. A force pin 137 is placed in the cylindrical bore 138 which, in turn, is placed in and in axial alignment with the base of the mandrel 56. The pin 137 is biased towards the arm 134 by a compression spring 140. Thus, in this way, the finger mechanism 133 always carries its finger 131 very close to the outside of the mandrel 136 except when the driving force applied to the actuating tab 136 acts on it.

 FIG. 14 also shows the vacuum line 141 which allows communication with the cylindrical space 142.

the space 142 makes it possible to apply a vacuum to the openings 143, thereby keeping the foam sheet material 62 and the foam cylinder -130 in position against the mandrel 56.

 Referring now to Figure 15 which is an elevational view taken along lines 15-15 of Figure 19, this view is essentially looking from the front of the drum assembly 52 toward its rear. The entire molding 122, in addition to providing suitable support for the mandrel 56, also contains a protrusion 144 which, in turn, contains a vertically aligned cylindrical bore 145. A push rod 146 is placed in the bore cylindrical 145 and it is mounted for sliding movement by means of bearings 147. The rod 146 floats freely at its lower end and its upper end is firmly attached to the ejection collar 148.

 FIG. 16 is an elevation view, partially in section and taken along lines 16-16 of FIG. 12, which shows a view at right angles to FIG. 15.

FIG. 16 also shows the push rod 150 which will be better described below. A lower torque rod 151 and journalled in the support tabs 127 of the molding assembly 122. The lower rod 151 controls the movement of the ejection collar 148. Also shown is an upper torque rod 152 which is journalled in support legs 127. The upper rod 152 controls the opening and closing of the finger mechanism 133.

 Figure 17 is a plan view taken along lines 17-17 of Figure 16 looking down on the mandrel 56 and its associated parts ~ as shown in Figure 16, as well as Figure 15. Figure 17 shows the ejection collar 148 and the way it surrounds almost the entire cylindrical extent of the mandrel 56. The ejection collar 148 maintains a play in its circumferential extent for the finger 131 so that it can be free to move towards and radially outwards from the mandrel 56. The ejection collar 148 is attached to the top of the push rod 146. A connecting bar 153 is attached to the ejection collar 148 by a fixing means 154. The lower end of the bar 153 is bifurcated at 155 so that an oscillating arm 156 can be attached to it pivotally by a fixing means 157. The arm 156 is attached to the lower rod 151-as shown in FIG. 17 at 158. The fixing 158 is obtained by fixing means which are anc res in milled surfaces on the lower rod 151. As the lower rod 151 rotates, the pivoting arm 156 moves counter-clockwise and it can assume the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 15, in 158.

The connecting rod 153 likewise takes an upper position 160 and the ejection collar 148 moves to the upper extent near the end of the mandrel 156 as illustrated in 161. The amount of rotation which can be applied to the lower rod 151 is controlled from one station to another, thus allowing the ejection collar 148 to be raised to an intermediate position along the axial extent of the mandrel 56 or, moreover, eu ejection collar 148 can be raised over the entire axial extent of the mandrel 56.

 The actuating tab 136 associated with the finger mechanism 133 can be seen in FIG. 15. As previously described, a biasing force on the actuating tab 136 forces the finger 131 to move towards and away from the surface of the mandrel 56. The biasing force delivered to the actuating tab 136 is controlled by the arm 162 which is rigidly cantilevered on the upper rod 152. The fixing means 163 can be seen in FIGS. 15 and 17. The upper rod 152 rotates periodically clockwise while looking at FIG. 15, thus forcing the arm 162 of the finger to lower the actuating tab 136 which in turn forces the finger 131 to move in an arcuate direction away from the mandrel 56 and its associated foam cylinder 130.

 Referring again to Figure 15, a roller 164 is shown adjacent and in parallel alignment with the mandrel. 56. The roller 164 is mounted in a stirrup arm 165 which is attached to a post 166 by a mounting block 167. The post 166 is rigidly mounted on an oscillating member 168. The oscillating member 168 pivots around a means of fixing 170 which is anchored to the whole of the molding 122.

 Figure 18 is a plan view, partially in section, taken along lines 18-18 of Figure 15. The push rod 150 is illustrated at the bottom of the figure and a shock absorbing block 171 is attached to it. The block 171 contains a central bore 172. A rod 173 is placed in the central bore 172 and it is surrounded by a compression spring 174. The rod 173 contains an enlarged end 175 which cooperates with a pin 176. The pin 176 is vertically oriented and it crosses the oscillating member 168 as shown in Figure 15. While the push rod 150 is moved back and forth, the pin 176 which is attached elastically to it, forces the oscillating member 168 to move on an arcuate path around the fixing means 170. The rotary movement of the oscillating member 168 allows the roller 164 to move in and out of engagement with the external surface of the mandrel 56 and of the foam cylinder 130 which is contained. The compression spring 177 and its association with the rod 173 allow the push rod 150 to move over its entire programmed axial extent even if the roller 164, for one reason or another, cannot perform its prescribed movement at near the chuck, 56. This characteristic is not only for the safety of the operator who works with the general device 10, but it also prevents a misalignment or a rupture of the device in what can be considered as a critical zone.

 FIG. 19 is a side elevational view, partially in section, which shows the mandrels, their support molding and the cam rods for actuating the mechanism adjacent to the mandrel. This figure shows all the complement of four mandrels 56 in line from the front to the rear of the molding assembly 122 which in turn is anchored outside the assembly of the drum 52 previously illustrated on Figures 4 and 12. Our attention will now be directed to the extreme right part of Figure 19. An angled arm 177 is shown attached to the upper rod 152.

A cam roller 178 is attached to the free end of the bent arm 177 as shown in the drawing. A bent arm 180 is rigidly fixed to the end of the lower rod 151. A cam roller 181 is likewise attached to the free end of the bent arm 180. The push rod 150 contains a mounting 182 which is attached to it. rigidly attached. The assembly 182 contains two cam rollers. The first cam roller 183 is mounted in a vertical direction on the assembly 182. The cam roller 183 is adapted to a movement back and forth in a slot milled in the bar 184 which is attached to the end of the assembly. - molding 122-. The cam roller 183 allows the push rod 150 to oscillate back and forth without any rotation taking place. A second cam roller 185 is attached to the assembly 182 and it actually provides the movement associated with the push rod 150. The cam rollers 185, 183 and 181 and their interaction with the cam drives will be explained in more detail below.

Figure 20 is a perspective view looking towards the front surface of the intermediate plate 15. The position of the assembly 52 of the drum is illustrated in phantom line. The stationary shaft 34 is shown partially in section although it ultimately continues over the entire extent of the drum assembly 52. A cam track cylinder of cylindrical shape 186 is placed in concentric relation to the shaft 34. The cylinder t86 is attached to the intermediate plate 15 by fixing means, not shown.
The cylinder 186 contains a cam groove 187 which is milled in the end surface furthest from the intermediate plate 15. The groove 187 has a uniform depth and is also of concentric configuration. The cam roller which cooperates with it does not receive any directional movement from the groove 187. The groove 187 simply serves as a means of stabilization and positioning for the cam roller.

 Referring again to Figure 19, the right side of this figure shows the cam roller 178 which is coupled to the upper rod 152. This particular rod controls the opening and closing of the mechanism 133 of the finger. The cam roller 178 cooperates with the groove 187 which can be seen in FIG. 20. The interaction between the cam roller 178 and the groove 187 can be seen in cross section at the top of FIG. 4. FIG. 20 shows 3 movable sections of cam track which are associated with the cylinder 187. The first movable section 188 is attached to the end of the arm 190. The arm 190 is in turn fixed to the end of the shaft 191. The second movable section 192 is attached to the end of the arm 193 which, in turn, is attached to the end of a drive shaft 194.The third section 195 is similarly attached to the arm 196 which is similarly attached to the drive shaft 197. During the operation of the general device 10, when the roller 78 reaches the proximity of the section 188, it is moved out of the normal path of the groove 187, thus forcing the upper rod 152 to turn. After a brief rotation in one direction, the cam roller 178 for the upper rod 152 is then returned to its normal position and it can continue to advance on an arcuate path controlled by the groove 187 until the cam roller 178 reaches the second section 192. Again, the roller 178 receives a radial translational movement upward relative to its normal path or the groove 187. Again, the upper rod 152 rotates and forces the mechanism 133 to open.

Thus, it becomes obvious that in three specific places the upper rod 152 is actuated. The specific locations in relation to the general sequence of the device will be described later.

 FIG. 20 shows a second cam track cylinder 198 which is placed towards the interior # of the cylinder 186. This second cylinder or internal cylinder 198 is attached to the front surface of the intermediate plate 15 by fixing means which are not shown. On the cylinder 198 is placed, on its overhanging end or front end, a groove 200. The groove 200 is concentric with the shaft 34 placed in the center and the groove 200 does not vary in depth, thus the roller cam 181 maintains a constant relative position when it crosses the circumferential extent of the groove 200. The cam roller 181 can be seen from the right side of FIG. 19 and in cross section at the top of FIG. 4. The cam roller 181 is attached by a bent arm 180 to the lower rod 151 which in turn controls the mechanism forming the ejection collar 148. While the cam roller 180 crosses its circular path in the groove 200, it contacts the section of # cam track 201 which can be removed from the groove 200, thereby forcing the lower rod 151 to rotate. The cam roller 181 is then brought back to the groove 200. The section 201 is attached to the arm 202 which is fixed to the end of a drive shaft 2 # 03. ~ The movement of the shaft 203 will be described below. As the cam roller 181 continues to pass through the arcuate extent of the groove 200, it encounters a second section 204 of the cam track. The section 204 is attached to the arm 205 which is fixed to the end of a shaft 206. The tree 206 will also be described below. Thus, it can be seen that the section 201 forces the rod 251 to rotate by a certain amount controlled in particular by the amount whose section 201 moves radially outward from the groove 200. In this case, the section 201 moves a small amount. The cam track section-204 on the contrary moves by a greater amount, thus forcing the lower rod 151 to turn over a greater number of degrees. This greater rotation forces the ejection collar 148 to move over the entire extent of the mandrel 56 thus forcing the cylinder 130 to be ejected from the mandrel 56.

 The cylinder 198, which is placed concentric with the cylinder 18tri, contains an additional cam groove 207 which is placed in its external cylindrical surface. The groove 207 contains the cam roller 2O5 which is illustrated on the right side of FIG. 19 * The cam roller 185 is attached to the push rod 150. The cam groove 207, while it has a constant depth, varies over the extent of its distance from the front surface of the intermediate plate 15.

While the cam roller 185 is attracted towards the surface of the intermediate plate 15, it forces the push rod 150 to actuate the roller 164, thus forcing it to move in and out of engagement with the outer surface of the mandrel 56 and the foam cylinder 130 contained therein.

 Figure 21 is an elevational view in partial section along lines 21-21 of Figure 2. The intermediate plate 15 is illustrated on the side of Figure 21 and the rear plate 16 is illustrated on the left side. On the upper left side of FIG. 21 are the cam pinion 45 and its associated shaft 47. This arrangement can of course also be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. While the shaft 47 crosses the distance between the intermediate plate 15 and the back plate 16, there are two cam wheels which are mounted. The largest cam wheel is designated by the reference numeral 208. The shaft 191 is illustrated at the top of FIG. 21. The shaft 191 is coupled at its right end, to the arm 190. The arm 190 is illustrated on Figure 20 with its cam track section 188. In Figure 21, the shaft 191 is illustrated coupled to the arm 210 of the cam roller.

The arm. 210 is cantilevered in a direction towards and behind the wheel 208. The cam roller 211 cooperates with the cam groove 212 (FIG. 2).

 When the cam roller 211 reaches the part of the groove 212 where there is a deviation from a concentric path, the arm 191 is forced to rotate, thereby forcing the arm 190 to raise the section of cam track 188 far throat 187. This, in turn as previously described, forces the finger mechanism 133 to open.

 The shaft 194, the associated arm 193 and the cam track section 192, which can be seen in FIG. 20, are also illustrated in FIG. 21. The shaft 194 is connected to the arm 213 of the cam roller which in turn has its cam roller 214 at its overhanging end, which cooperates with a groove 215 in a cam wheel 216 (Figure 24). The wheel 216 is fixed to the drive shaft 38 as can be seen in Figures 21 and 2. While the wheel 216 rotates under the influence of the drive shaft 38, the roller 214 forces, at appropriate time, arm 213 to rotate which in turn gives torque to shaft 194. Rotation of shaft 194 forces arm 193 to rotate as well, thereby pulling section 192 of cam track out of its Normal engagement with cam track cylinder 186. As section 192 moves radially outward, finger mechanism 133 is actuated again, forcing finger 131 to move away from proximity to the surface of the mandrel 56.

 The third section of cam track 195 which can be seen in FIG. 20, its associated arm 196 and a torque shaft 197 are also represented in FIG. 22. FIG. 22 is an elevation view, partially in section, done along lines 22-22 of Figure 2 with the back of the total assembly 12 on the right side. The shaft 197 is journalled in the intermediate plate 15 and the intermediate plate 16 as can be seen. A cam roller arm 217 is attached to the right side of the shaft 197.

The end of the arm 217 contains a cam roller 218 which acts with the cam groove 221 in the cam wheel 220. The wheel 220 is rigidly fixed to the shaft 48 which is driven by the pinion 46.

 Figure 23 is a perspective view of the cam wheel 208. The cam track section 188, as well as a cutaway portion of the cylinder 186 s # are in perspective. This view supplements that shown in FIG. 20. FIG. 24 is also a cutaway perspective view which shows the cam wheel 216 and its associated rollers. The cam roller 214, the associated arm 213 and the cooperating shaft 194 are shown. It is by this connection that the cam track section 192 is moved out of engagement with the cylinder 186. This movement also forces the mechanism of the finger 133 to operate in the manner described above.

 Referring now to Figure 20, the internal cam track cylinder 198 contains two cam track sections 201 and 204 which control the movement of the ejector collar 148. The first section 201 and its associated connection will now be described. Referring now to Figure 21, the shaft 203 can be seen at the bottom of the figure. A cam arm 202 is fixed to the shaft 203. A cam arm 229 is fixed to the shaft 203. A cam roller 226 moves in a cam groove 227 which is located in the front face of a wheel cam 216. The cam roller 226 is attached to the end of the arm 229. As the cam roller 226 forces the shaft 203 to rotate, the ensuing movement forces the section 201 to deviate from its position normal in the circular course of the internal cam track cylinder 198. This movement forces the ejection collar 148 to partially move along the axial extent of the mandrel 56, thereby forcing the foam cylinder 130 to come slightly into the door - overhang beyond the end of the mandrel 56. In this way, the end of the cylinder 130 can be softened with heat for further work.

 Figure 24 shows in perspective view the shaft 203 and the cam arm 229 which is attached to it. The cam roller 226 can be seen in position in the groove 227 of the shaft 216.

 Referring now to the top of FIG. 22, the shaft 206 can be seen journalled in the mechanism of the sleeve 222 which is anchored to the intermediate plate 15.

The shaft 206 of course, can also be seen in Figure 20 because it provides the driving force # which allows the cam track section 204 to deviate from its normal position in the confinement of the cylinder 198. L the shaft 206 is connected to the cam arm 223 and the arm 223 contains, at its outermost end, a cam roller 224 which moves in a groove 225 (as can best be seen in FIG. 2) of the wheel 107. The movement produced by the cam roller 224 forces the shaft 206 to rotate, thus allowing the arm 205 to move the section 204 out of its normal position in the cylinder 198. The section 204 moves over a greater distance in a radial direction than does section 201, and this has the net effect that the ejection collar 148 moves over a greater distance until it takes the position 161 shown in FIG. 15.

As the ejection collar 148 moves to this extreme position, the foam cylinder 130 is ejected from the mandrel 56.

 While the drum assembly 52 rotates counterclockwise looking from the front, the second station at 450 clockwise from top dead center , is the point in time, where the mandrel has completed its first turn around its own longitudinal axis and where the foam cylinder 130 is in a ~ sealing position. Heat is supplied not only to the edges of the foam sheet material which has been cut, but heat is also supplied to the faces of the foam sheet product before being cut by the block 97 and the knife 101. To perform the good distribution of heat to the heat-sealing zone of station 2, a heat on and off device is used.

 Figure 25 is a perspective view showing the mechanism for controlling the heat distribution. A ventilation chamber is illustrated at 228. A valve mechanism is contained therein, which directs the heat to a pipe 230 for heat distribution. The valve mechanism in the ventilation chamber 228 is controlled by an alternating movement of the push rod 231. The push rod 231 is actuated by the bifurcated end 232 of the lever arm 233. The lever arm 233 is anchored to the torque rod 234 which is mounted for rotation in the front, intermediate and rear vertical plates 17, 15 and 16. A cam arm 235 is attached to the rod 234. The arm 235 and its associated cam roller 236 are placed so that the roller 236 can move on the peripheral surface of the cam disc 237. The disc 237 can be seen in FIG. 2 attached to the shaft 47 which is driven by the pinion 45. In this way, from the heated air is directed to the junction area of the foam cylinder 130 when it is ready for sealing or sealing.

 FIG. 25 also shows the support member 238 which is also mounted on and between the front plate 17 and the intermediate plate 15. A heat source 240 is introduced into the upper part of the ventilation chamber 228.

 Referring now to Figure 23, the cam wheel 208 is illustrated in perspective. To the left of the wheel 208 is a horizontally aligned stationary stabilizing cam track 241. The track 241 contains a cam groove Q42 and a cam roller 243 placed at the end of a bar 244. The other end of the bar 244 also contains a cam roller which is attached to it and which is identified by the reference numeral 245. The cam roller 245 moves in the groove 246 of the wheel 208. The bar 244 is attached to the rod thrust 247.

 The assembly described above can also be seen in FIG # e 26 which is a perspective view showing the push rod 247 and the mechanism which it controls. A clamping bar 248 is attached to the push rod 247.

A pin 250 cooperates with an opening 251 which is placed in the bar 248. While the push rod 247 moves back and forth along its axial extent, its movement through the pin 250 forces the bar assembly heat clamp 252 to pivot about the pivot support 253. As the assembly 252 rotates, its end 254 comes into contact with the previously heated edges of the cylinder 130.

 Figure 27 is a cutaway view looking radially inward along the axial line of the mandrels 56 while they are placed at station 2, or at 450 counterclockwise from the highest position of the mandrels. While the push rod 247 previously described and moved back and forth, the clamping bar 248 cooperates with the spindle 250.

A latch 256 moves against the spindle 250 and is biased at its other end, by means of a spring 255.

In this way, the mechanism cannot be destroyed if by chance, a foreign object comes between the end 254 of the assembly of the sealing bar 252 and the mandrel 56.

The assembly 252 is pierced with a series of bores 257 so that a cooling fluid can circulate through it to maintain the end 254 at a constant temperature below which the foam sheet material of the cylinder 130 cannot stick . Figure 27 also shows # ement the tubing 232 for heat distribution from the ventilation chamber 228. The tubing 230 directs a gaseous fluid to the spliced joint of the cylinder 130. We can see the finger 131 in position against the leading edge of the foam sheet product.

 Likewise, the roller 164 can be seen in contact against the exterior surface of the foam sheet product. Between the finger 131 and the roller 164, the sheet product is held very close to the outside of the mandrel 56. When the tip 254 of the assembly 252 of the sealing bar formed the lateral seal of the cylinder, the roller 164 and the finger 131 can be moved back without any harmful effect on the cylinder 130. The finger 131 is kept in contact with the outside of the cylinder to guarantee that it will not shift or fall away from the mandrel 56 while the latter is rotated about its own axis and that it travels a path under the influence of the rotary drum 52 to which it is attached .

 Figure 28 is a sectional view cut away looking upwards, towards the side of the mandrel 56 when it is at station 2 or 450 counterclockwise, from the dead point up. The push rod 247 and its clamping bar 248 are illustrated towards the right side of FIG. 28. The assembly of the sealing bar 252 can be seen in its real form from top to bottom and in dotted lines are also shown the holes for the cooling fluid which circulates therein to maintain the tip 254 at the desired temperature for the particular material which is brought into the general device 10.

This view also shows the cam track 246 of the cam wheel 208. The bar 244 and the cam rollers 243 and 245 placed at the respective ends of the bar 244 are also shown.

 Figure 29 is an elevational view, partially in section, looking towards the drum 52, and particularly at station 2, where the mandrel stops at the end of the winding of the foam cylinder 130. The mandrel 156 is illustrated at an attitude of 450 with respect to the vertical. This is on the lower right side of Figure 29. The ejection collar 148 can be seen at the bottom of the mandrel 56. Similarly, the lower rod 151 and the upper torque rod 152 are illustrated. The entire sealing bar 252 is illustrated in its actual side view. The assembly 252 of course rotates around the pivot 253 which is anchored in the support member 238. The push rod 247 and its attached bar 244 are also illustrated as well as the cam rollers 243, 245. The ventilation chamber 228 is shown in its side view at the same time as the air inlet 240 which comes from a common manifold 258 forming an air source.

 While most of the mechanical functions associated with the mandrel 56 are performed by the assembly 52, the shutter bar assembly 252 is stationary in that it is actuated each time the mandrel 56 moves at the station position 2.

 When the foam cylinder 130 has been sealed on its side by the assembly 252 and the end 254, the mandrel then rotates through position 3 to position 4. Position 4 is at 135 # 0, in the direction contrary- # clockwise, top dead center. At position number 4, the ejection collar 148 is forced to partially move along the extent of the mandrel 56, thereby forcing the cylinder 130 to protrude slightly beyond the end of the mandrel 56. From the heat can be applied to the end of cylinder 130 at this station, if desired. The foam cylinder, in this particular attitude, is then driven by the mandrel 56 at station no. 5 which is 1800 from top dead center. At station number 5 and also at station number 6, from heat is also applied to the free overhanging end of the foam cylinder 130.

Due to the orientation which is an inherent part of the particular foam sheet product material used with the disposit-10, the end of the cylinder 130 is narrowed to a smaller diameter under the influence of heat. The foam cylinder 130 softened with heat is then moved to station 7 which is 2700, counterclockwise, from top dead center.

 Figure 30 is a perspective view, partially in section, which shows the wheel 107 with 5 cam ways at the top of the figure. A cam roller 260 is placed in the groove 261 of the wheel 107. The roller 260 is attached to a bent arm 262.

The arm 262 pivots around the shaft 197. This particular shaft 197 and the bent arm 262 can also be seen in the elevation view of FIG. 22. A pin 263 is attached to the bent arm 262, towards the outside of the position where the cam roller 260 is attached. An arrangement 264 forming an eye bolt cooperates with the pin 263 and it is attached to the end of the connecting bar 265.

The opposite end of the bar 265 is pivotally attached to the bifurcated end 266 of the arm 267. The arm 267 is in turn rigidly attached to a torque shaft 268. The shaft 268 is mounted for rotational movement in the plates 15, 16 and 17 The left end of the shaft 268, looking at FIG. 30, is attached to an arm 270. The end of the arm 270 which is cantilevered, is connected, pivoted, to an adjustable connecting bar 271. The opposite end of the adjustable bar 271 is attached to a stirrup 272. The stirrup 272 is coupled to rods 273 for actuation. The rods 273 pass through appropriate bearings not shown in a structural member 274. The member 274 is anchored to the vertical intermediate plate 15 and to the vertical front plate 17.

Rods 273 contain compression and piercing dies which are attached to their ends. The drilling dies are identified by the reference 275.

 FIG. 31 is a perspective view, partially in section, which shows the piercing die 275 in its completely withdrawn position and the ejection collar 148 in its fully extended position at the free end of the mandrel 56. The foam cylinder complete 130, including the small hole 276, has been removed from the mandrel and is about to be picked up by a basket 278 which is attached to a pneumatic tube 277. The foam cylinder can then be transported to storage in one location away from the general system 10.

 Referring again to FIG. 31, it can be seen that the cylinder 130 falls into a retaining basket 278 just before it enters the pneumatic tube 277.

 In most cases, the foam sleeve 130 will fall into the receiving basket 278 after it has been completed, however, it is possible that some foam cylinders 130 will adhere to the piercing die 275 and will not fall freely into the basket 278. In order to allow positive clearance of the cylinder 130 relative to the matrix 275, the mechanism shown in Figure 32 has been designed. FIG. 32 naturally shows a structural member 274 which is in a horizontal attitude. A support tab 280 is attached to one end of the upper surface of the structural member 274. A similar support tab 281 is attached to the other upper surface of the structural member 274. A support rod 282 is mounted in openings at the ends of the support legs 280 and 281.

Thus, the support rod 282 can freely rotate even if it is held in position by the support legs 280 and 281. A pivoting arm 283 is rigidly attached to the rod 282 and it is cantilevered upwards. , compared to it. Support arms 284 and 285 are also rigidly attached to the support rod 282. A push bar 286 is attached and suspended - between the ends of the arms 284 and 285. A support tab 287 is also attached to the upper surface of the structural member 274 and it is placed between the support tabs 280 and 281. The support rod 282 passes through an opening in the tab 287.

An opening connecting bar 288 is mounted pi # voting on the upper end in overhang of the tab 287.

The upper end of the bar 288 is in turn movably attached to a connection bar 290. The bar 288 contains an elongated slot 291 at its lower end.

A sliding pin 292 is rigidly attached to the pivoting arm 283 and it is engaged in the elongated slot 291.

The end of the bar 290 furthest from the opening bar 288 is in turn pivotally attached to a bent arm 293. The bent arm 293 is rigidly fixed to a clamping block 294 which is rigidly fixed to the shaft 85 .

 While the shaft 85 oscillates on an arcuate path around its longitudinal axis, the bent arm 293 also moves on an arcuate path. Via the connection bar 290 and the opening bar 288, the push bar 286 oscillates up and down in synchronism with the rest of the machine. For example, while the finished foam cylinders 130 are about to be ejected, the push bar 286 is quickly lowered, thereby releasing all of them. foam cylinders which can remain attached to the final shaping dies. The push bar 286 then quickly withdraws upwards so as not to interfere with the next actuation of the dies.

 In the operation of the general device as well as in the method of manufacturing the containers with the help of it, the foam sheet material is stored on large cylindrical rollers which are mounted adjacent to the device of Figure 1, although the rolls of material are standard and must not be presented in the context of the invention. The foam sheet material 62 is brought into the device and it is preheated in order to be more flexible and to be able to be determined according to the mandrels of the device 10. The foam sheet material is gripped by the clamping mechanism 65. The clamping mechanism clamp attaches to the upper edge of the material 62 and advances it to a position where the leading edge of the material 62 is adjacent to the surface of the mandrel 56. At this time, the finger mechanism 133 is in the open position with the finger 131 distant from the surface of the mandrel 56. The finger 131 is then placed against the leading edge of the material 62. The block 97 of the knife then moves towards the surface of the foam sheet product and the presser foot 102 moves against this surface. Shortly thereafter, the knife 101 cuts the foam sheet material and the drum is ready to move from top dead center or station 1, counterclockwise, to station 2 which is 450, arched displacement. As the mandrel begins to move in its circular path at the same time as the drum, it begins to rotate around its own axis under the influence of the pinion 58 and the stationary gear 60. At this time, the mechanism of the Finger 133 closes and grasps the free edge of the cut foam material which is cut. The mandrel rotates a few degrees and the roller 164 moves into position behind the already closed finger and keeps the foam sheet material in close contact with the surface of the mandrel as it rotates. The mandrel continues its arcuate path at the same time as the drum until it reaches station 2. At this time, the mandrel has turned around its own axis and therefore the foam sheet material is completely wound on the mandrel and the rear edge. of foam sheet product covers the leading edge previously held in position by a vacuum applied through openings 143 in the mandrel 56. At this time, the mandrel stops its arcuate path and the surfaces of the foam material between the leading and trailing edges are softened by the heat under the influence of the hot air which comes out of the heat distribution pipe 230. When enough heat has been brought to the materials to the point that they become tacky, the end of the assembly 252 of the sealing bar then oscillates in position against the leading and rear edges overlapping the foam sheet material and presses them in sealing or sealing relation with each other, using the surface of the man drin as a support mandrel. The set of sealing bars, which is stationary and does not move with the drum assembly, then moves away from the surface of the mandrel. The mechanism of the finger 133 remains in contact with the cylinder 130, thus ensuring that it does not change position over the axial extent of the mandrel 56. While the mandrel rotates at station 3, there is no change from its position and the newly made side seal may cool and strengthen. In advance at station 4, the cam track section 192 is activated thereby forcing the release collar 148 to move slightly along the axial extent of the mandrel 56. This slight movement of the ejection collar 148 forces the cylinder to protrude slightly beyond the end of the mandrel 56. Thus, the crimped foam sheet material protrudes beyond the end of the mandrel is fairly receptive to the heat applied to it. The mandrels then advance to station 5, which is at 1800 anti-clockwise from the station in top dead center # 1. At station # 5, as well as at station # 6, of the heat is applied by hot air or radiation, to the self-contained foam material which projects beyond the end of the mandrel 56. As the foam sheet material is oriented it shrinks in circumferential direction under the influence applied heat. The foam sheet material softens to a considerable degree and its diameter is markedly reduced.

While the mandrel 56 arrives at station 7, the matrix 275 forming the bottom is actuated and comes into position against the end of the softened foam cylinder 130. The matrix 275 forms a small hole or rim opening at the bottom of the sleeve in foam. The matrix 275 is then withdrawn and following its withdrawal, the finger 131 is released from its clamping on the side wall of the foam cylinder 130 and the ejection collar 148 pushes the cylinder 130 away from the mandrel 56 from where it then falls under the influence of gravity, towards the pneumatic tube 277 where it is transported to the assembly or filling line.

Claims (31)

 1. Device for manufacturing a container made of a heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material, characterized in that it comprises a means (56) for winding a sleeve to form a sleeve (130) with an open end having a lateral junction impermeable to liquids, drum means (52) mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis and supporting a number of mandrels (56) which rotate about their own axis in synchronism with the rotation of said drum means, means for moving said sleeve in -longitudinal direction along the surface of said mandrel means, a heat distributor means (230) placed adjacent said drum and said mandrel means for softening with heat and shrinking at least part of said sleeve in partial conformity with the mandrel supporting, means (275) for transforming a portion of said heat softened sleeve into a partial end closure of said container and means (148) d removal of the container to remove it from said mandrel  2. Device for manufacturing a container made of a heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material, characterized in that it comprises a means (56) for winding a sleeve to form a sleeve (130) with an open end with a side junction impermeable to liquids, drum means (52) mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and supporting a number of mandrels (56), each in radial alignment with said drum means, means for rotating said mandrels about their own axis while that they receive a translational movement on an arcuate path by said drum means, a series of heat distributing means (230) placed adjacent to said drum means for softening the heat and shrinking at least part of said sleeve in partial conformity with the outer surface of said mandrel supporting said sleeve, means (275) for pressing a portion of said heat-softened sleeve at one end of said container ient and means (148) for ejecting said container to remove it from said mandrel.  3. Device for manufacturing a container made of heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material, characterized in that it comprises mandrels (56) for winding a sleeve to form a cylindrical sleeve (130) with an open end with a lateral junction impermeable to liquids, drum means (21) mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and carrying a number of said mandrels which are circumferentially spaced from each other and are in radial alignment and carried by said drum means, said mandrels being placed adjacent means (97, 101) for metering and cutting a foam sheet material, means (164) for holding said foam sheet (62) in contact with said mandrel while a sleeve is formed by rotation of said mandrel around its longitudinal axis, a series of heat distribution means (230) near said drum means for softening the heat and shrinking at least a portion of it t sleeve in partial conformity with the outer surface of the mandrel supporting said sleeve, means (275) for pressing part of said heat softened means at one opening end of said container and ejection means (148) cooperating with said mandrel for removing said container from said mandrel.  4. Device for manufacturing containers of a heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material characterized in that it comprises mandrels (56) for winding a sleeve for supporting the cylindrical sleeves (130) with open ends, said sleeves having - a liquid-impermeable side junction, drum means (52) mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis carrying a number of circumferentially spaced mandrels, each in radial alignment and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said drum means, a means for rotating said mandrels in synchronism with said drum means, means for distributing a length of foam sheet material (62) to said mandrel, clamping means (65) associated with said mandrel for clamping said sheet material and means (252) for sealing said lateral junction in situ on said mandrel, a series of heat distribution means (230) adjacent to said forman means t drum - to soften heat and shrink at least part of said sleeve in partial conformity with the outer surface of the mandrel supporting the sleeve, means (275) placed adjacent and in radial alignment with the mandrels to press part of said sleeve heat softened into an extreme opening closure for said container and ejection means (148) associated with said mandrel for removing said container from said mandrel.  5. Device for manufacturing containers of a heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material, characterized in that it comprises winding mandrels (56) to form cylindrical sleeves (130) with open ends, from blanks of rectangular shape, on said mandrels, said sleeve having a lateral-impermeable junction with liquids, a drum means (52) mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and carrying a number of mandrels (56), each being circumferentially equally spaced from the others in radial and perpendicular alignment to the axis of rotation of said drum means, means (63, 64) for thermally conditioning a foam sheet product (62) as it advances towards said mandrel, means (65) for gripping and advancing said sheet product toward said mandrel, means (97, 101) for cutting a rectangular blank of foam sheet material, means (102) for holding the leading edge of said blank against the surface of the mandrel, means (164) for conforming the blank to the surface of said mandrel while said mandrel is rotated about its longitudinal axis and has a translational movement along an arcuate path then as said drum rotates about its longitudinal axis, means for applying heated fluid to the leading and trailing edges of said blank, means (252) for sealing said edges together to form a side junction in situ on said cylindrical sleeve, a series of means (230) for distributing fluid in the vicinity of said drum means for softening by heat and making at least part of said sleeve shrink in partial conformity with the external surface of the mandrel supporting said sleeve, means (275) placed on and in radial alignment with the mandrel to press at least a portion of the end into a closure of said container, an ejection means (148) associated with said mandrel for removing said container from said mandrel.  6. Device for manufacturing containers of a heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material characterized in that it comprises mandrels (56) for forming cylindrical sleeves (130) with open ends, from rectangular blanks, on said mandrels, said sleeves having a side junction, impermeable to liquids, a drum means (52) mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and carrying a number of mandrels (56), each also being circumferentially spaced from the others and in radial alignment and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said drum means, means (63, 64) for thermally conditioning a foam sheet product as it advances towards said mandrels, means (65) for gripping and advancing said sheet product (62) toward said mandrels, means for cutting a rectangular blank of the foam sheet material, means (102) for holding the leading edge of said blank between the surface of said mandrel, means (164) for conforming the blank to the surface of said mandrel while said mandrel is rotated and in translation, means for applying a heated fluid to the leading and trailing edges of said blank, a means (252) for sealing said edges together to form an in-place lateral junction on said cylindrical sleeve, a series of fluid distribution means (230) adjacent said drum means for softening by heat and shrinking at least a portion of said sleeve in partial conformity with the outer surface of the mandrel supporting said sleeve, means (275) positioned adjacent to and in radial alignment with the mandrel to press at least a portion of the end into an extreme opening closure for said container, means for ejection (148) associated with said mandrel to remove said container from said mandrel.  7. Device for manufacturing containers of heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material characterized in that it comprises mandrels (56) to form cylindrical sleeves (130) with open ends from rectangular blanks, having a major amount of orientation in circumferential direction, said sleeves having a liquid-impermeable side junction formed from the overlapping ends of said blank, drum means (5 # 2) mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and carrying a number of m andrins (56) driven in synchronism in rotation, each being circumferentially spaced from the others and in radial alignment and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said drum means, a fluid means (63, 64) for thermally conditioning a foam sheet product while 'it advances linearly towards said mandrels, means (65) for gripping and advancing said sheet product towards said mandrel, means (97, 101) for cutting a rectangular blank of foam sheet material, means (102) for holding the leading edge of said cut blank against the surface of said mandrel, roller means (164) for shaping the blank to the surface said mandrel while said mandrel is driven in rotation and translation, means for applying a heated fluid to the leading and rear edges overlapping said blank, means (252) for sealing said edges together to form a side seal in place on said cylindrical sleeve, means positioned adjacent said path of the mandrel to place said sleeve in good location on said mandrel so that a portion of said sleeve projects beyond the end of said mandrel, a series of means (230) for fluid distribution near said drum means for softening with heat and shrinking at least a portion of said sleeve in partial conformity with the outer surface of the supporting mandrel said sleeve, means placed adjacent to said drum means for forming the ends of the heat softened sleeve, means (275) placed adjacent to and in radial alignment with the mandrel to press the heat softened formed portion of the sleeve into an open closure of said containers, an ejection means (148) placed on said mandrel to remove the container from said mandrel,  8.Device for the manufacture of containers made of a heat-shrinkable thermoplastic foam sheet material, characterized in that it comprises mandrels (56) for winding sleeves to form a number of cylindrical sleeves (130) with open ends, starting from of rectangular blanks, having a major amount of circumferential orientation, on said mandrels, said sleeves having a liquid-impermeable side junction formed from the overlapping ends of said blank, drum means (52) mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and carrying a number of mandrels (56) driven in synchronism, each being rotatable around its own longitudinal axis, and being aligned in a number of rows, and each being circumferentially equidistant from the others in said rows and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said drum means, means (63, 64) for thermally conditioning said foam sheet by a heated fluid means while said foam sheet product advances towards said mandrels, means (65) for gripping the upper edge of said foam sheet product and advancing it towards said mandrels, means (97, 101) for cutting a rectangular blank of the foam sheet material, means (102) for holding the leading edge of said blank against the surface of the mandrel, means for conforming the blank to the surface of said mandrel while said mandrel is driven in rotation and in translation on said drum means, means for applying a heated fluid to the leading and rear edges of said blank, means (252) for sealing said edges to form a lateral seal in place on said cylindrical sleeve, means adjacent to the path of said mandrel for placing a number of sleeves in correct location on said mandrel so that a portion of the sleeve projects beyond the ends ities of said man # drins, and a series of means (230) for distributing fluid near said drum means for softening with heat and shrinking at least part of said sleeve in partial conformity with the outer surface of the respective mandrels of the container supporting said sleeves, means (275) positioned adjacent said drum means for forming open ends of said heat-softened sleeves, means associated with said mandrels for forming reinforced edges on the open ends formed of said sleeves and ejection means (148) placed on said mandrel to remove the containers from said mandrels.  9. Device for manufacturing containers of a heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material characterized in that it comprises a number of mandrels (56) to form a number of cylindrical sleeves (130) with open ends, from rectangular blanks having a major amount of orientation in the circumferential direction, said sleeves having a liquid-impermeable side seal formed with leading and rear edges overlapping with said blank, drum means (52) mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and carrying a number of mandrels, each being capable of rotating about its longitudinal axis and in alignment in a number of concentric rows, each being circumferentially equally spaced from the others in said rows and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said drum means, means (63, 64) for thermally conditioning, by fluid means, a foam sheet product (62) t andis that it advances linearly towards said mandrels, means (65) for gripping said foam sheet product by its apex and advancing it towards said mandrel, means (97, 1013 for cutting a rectangular blank of the sheet material foam of said advancing product, means for holding the leading edge of said blank against the surface of the mandrel, means for conforming the blank to the surface of said mandrel by roller means while said mandrel is driven in rotation and translation in synchronism by said drum means, means for applying heated fluid to the leading and trailing edges of said blank, means (252) for sealing overlapping edges to each other to form a side seal in place on said cylindrical sleeve, a means placed adjacent to it and in association with said mandrels to place said sleeves in good location on said mandrels so that part of the sleeve projects beyond from the ends of said mandrels, a series of means (230) for distributing fluid in the vicinity of said drum means for softening by heat and making at least part of said sleeves shrink in partial conformity with the external surface of the respective mandrels supporting said sleeves, means (275) positioned adjacent said drum means for forming open ends on the heat softened sleeves, means placed adjacent and in radial alignment with the mandrels for pressing the heat softened portion of a number of sleeves in open closings for said containers, an ejection means (148) placed on each mandrel for removing the containers from said mandrels.  10. Device for manufacturing containers of a heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material characterized in that it comprises a number of mandrel winding mandrels (56), all driven in synchronism for rotation about their individual axis, to form a a number of cylindrical sleeves (130) with open ends, from rectangular blanks, having a major amount of orientation in the circumferential direction, said sleeves having a liquid-impermeable side junction which is formed from the overlapping ends of said blank, drum means (52) mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and carrying a number of said mandrels in alignment in four concentric rows, each being circumferentially equally spaced from the other said rows and perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said means forming a drum, a number of individual means (63, 64) for conditioning ther mically a foam sheet product (62) as it advances linearly towards said mandrels, means (65) for gripping the upper edge of said linearly advancing sheet product and advancing it towards said mandrel, means for placing said product- sheet before cutting, means (97, 101) for cutting a rectangular blank of foam sheet material, means (102) for holding the leading edge of said blank of the sheet product against the surface of the mandrel, a roller means (164) for conforming the blank to the surface of said mandrel while said mandrel is driven in rotation and in translation by the driving force of said drum, means for applying a heated fluid to the leading edges and back of said blank at the end of its winding into a cylindrical shape, means (252) for sealing said edges together to form a side seal in place on said cylindrical manchan, means placed on each mandr in to place said sleeve in a good location on said mandrels so that a portion of said sleeves protrudes beyond the ends of the mandrels, a series of means (230) for distributing fluid near said drum means so that said mandrels pass therethrough, said means for distributing fluid softening with heat and causing at least a portion of said sleeves to shrink in partial conformity with the external surface of the respective mandrels supporting said sleeves, means (275) placed adjacent to said drum means to form open ends on the heat-softened sleeves, a means placed adjacent and in radial alignment with the mandrels to press the heat-softened part of a number of sleeves with outer closures open for said containers, a means of 'ejection. (148) placed on the beds # mandrels to remove the containers from said mandrels.  11. Device for the manufacture of cup-shaped containers pushing up in a thermo-shrinkable thermoplastic foam sheet material characterized in that it comprises a number of mandrels (56) for winding sleeves all driven synchronously for a rotation about their individual axis, to form a number of cylindrical sleeves (130) and with open ends, from rectangular blanks, having a major amount of orientation in circumferential direction, said sleeves having a lateral junction permeable to liquids which is formed from the leading and rear ends overlapping said blank, a drum means (52) mounted for indexed rotation on a number of steps about a horizontal axis and carrying a number of aligned mandrels (56) in four axially spaced and arcuate rows each being circumferentially equally spaced from the others on said arcuate and perpendicular rows the axis of rotation of said drum means, said mandrels in the four arcuate rows forming linear rows parallel to the axis of rotation of said drum means, means (63, 64) for thermally conditioning a sheet product foam as it advances toward said mandrels, means (65) for gripping the upper edge of said sheet product material and advancing it. linearly towards said mandrel, a means to be pressed against said # foam sheet to stabilize it, means (97, 101) for cutting a rectangular blank of the foam sheet material, # means (102) for holding the leading edge of said blank of foamed product against the surface of the mandrel, means (164) for shaping the blank to the surface of said cylindrical mandrel while said means is driven in rotation and translation by said drum means, a means for applying heated fluid to the leading and trailing edges of said blank, means (252) for sealing said edges together to form a side seal in place on said cylindrical sleeve, means positioned adjacent to said mandrels for placing said sleeves to the correct location on said mandrels so that a portion of said sleeves protrudes beyond the ends of said mandrels, a series of means (230) for distributing a heated fluid in proximity-dud-it drum means so that said mandrels pass therethrough, the means for distributing fluid softening with heat and causing said sleeve to shrink in partial conformity with a part of the exterior of the respective mandrels supporting said sleeves, means placed near said forming means drum to form open ends on said sleeves - heat softened, means (275) placed adjacent and in radial alignment with the mandrels for pressing the heat softened part of a number of sleeves in a row linear in extreme open closings of said containers, an ejection means (148) placed on said mandrels for removing the containers from said mandrels, a transport means (277) for transporting said containers away from said mandrels.  12. Machine for the manufacture of open bottom containers in the form of a cup in u # ne oriented and heat-shrinkable thermoplastic material characterized in that it comprises a basic structure and a means of winding a sleeve therein to form an open ended sleeve with a liquid-impermeable side junction, vertical support plates (15, 16, 17) attached to said base structure, motor means (32) attached to one of said plates, a rotary drum means (52) having an axis of rotation mounted on one of said plates and located adjacent to said motor means, gears connected between said motor means and said drum means for rotating said drum means, a a number of individually rotatable and outwardly overhanging mandrels (56) attached to said drum means, means in said drum means for rotating said autrins or of their individual axis in synchronism with the rotation of said drum, a heat distributor means (230) placed near said drum means for softening the heat and making at least a part of said sleeve shrink in partial conformity with the mandrels supporting said sleeve, means (275) for forming a portion of the heat softened sleeve into an open end closure of said container and container removal means for removing said container from said mandrel.  13. Machine according to claim-12 characterized in that the above-mentioned drum means comprises a number of mandrels which are spaced in radial alignment around said drum means by being attached to it.  14. Machine according to claim 12 characterized in that the aforementioned mandrels rotate around their longitudinal axis in synchronism with the aforementioned drum means.  15. Machine according to claim 14 characterized in that the aforesaid mandrels (56) are placed in a number of rows aligned in an arcuate fashion around the aforementioned drum means (52).  16. Machine according to claim 15 characterized in that the aforementioned mandrels (56) are spaced by a circumferential distance equal to each other on their respective arched rows.  170 Machine according to claim 15 characterized in that the aforesaid mandrels (56) in the arcuate rows also form arcuate rows parallel to the axis of rotation of the above-mentioned drum means (52).  18. Machine according to claim 12 characterized in that a length of a foam sheet material is brought in a direction towards the aforementioned mandrels intermittently.  19. Machine according to claim 12 characterized in that a knife means (97, 101) is used to cut rectangular blanks of the foam sheet material.  20. Machine according to claim 18 characterized in that the above-mentioned intermittent feeding is obtained by gripping the upper edge of the foam sheet material (62).  21. Machine according to claim 18 characterized in that the foam foil material is held by a finger mechanism (65) in close contact with the outer surface of the aforementioned mandrel.  22. Machine according to claim 12 characterized in that a roller means (164) is used to hold the foam sheet material near the mandrel while said material is wound around said mandrel.  23. Machine according to claim 12 characterized in that a means (252) forming sealing bar is used to effect the lateral junction of the foam sheet cylinder thus formed.  24. A method of forming containers from a sheet material of heat-shrinkable plastic material, characterized in that it comprises the steps of  (a) bringing a ribbon (62) of plastic material to a device for forming a container,  <b) conditioning said material by means (63, 64) of heated fluid,  (c) cutting a rectangular length of the sheet material from said plastic tape,  (d) winding said heat softened material around a mandrel (56) to form a sleeve (130) while said mandrel is driven aut # n # <i-e sam longitudinal axis,  (e) transporting said sleeve (130) around an arcuate path, straight the axis of rotation is horizontal,  (f) heating said sleeve so that it partially conforms to the external configuration of said mandrel,  (g) forming a bottom closure on said sleeve by pressing the heat softened portion of said sleeve which projects beyond the end of said mandrel, against  said mandrel,  (h) ejecting said container from said mandrel.  25. The method of claim 24 characterized in that the plastic sheet material is a closed cell foam.  26. The method of claim 25 characterized in that the plastic sheet material is oriented.  27. The method as claimed in claim 26, characterized in that the orientation is predominantly in a circular direction around the sleeve,  28. The method of claim 27 characterized in that a major constituent of the plastic sheet material is polystyrene.  29. A method of forming containers from a heat-shrinkable plastic sheet material (62) characterized in that it comprises the steps  (a) bringing a plastic tape to a shaping device,  (b) subjecting said material to a heated fluid means (63, 64),  (c) cutting a rectangular length of the sheet material from said ribbon,  (d) forming said rectangular length of the sheet material into a cylindrical sleeve (130) having a side junction with liquid-impermeable overlap,  (e) forcing said sleeve to wrap around a mandrel (56) while said mandrel is rotated about its longitudinal axis,  (f) placing the sleeve on a mandrel with a part of said sleeve extending beyond the end of said mandrel,  (g) transporting said sleeve on an arcuate path, the axis of rotation of which is horizontal,  (h) heating said sleeve so that it partially conforms to the external configuration of said mandrel,  (i) forming an open bottom closure on said sleeve by compressing the heat-softened part of the sleeve against the end of said mandrel,  (j) ejecting said container from said mandrel.  30. The method of claim 29 characterized in that the plastic sheet material is a closed cell foam.  31. Method according to claim 30 characterized in that the plastic sheet material is oriented.  32. The method of claim 31 characterized in that the orientation is predominantly in a circular direction around the sleeve.  33. The method of claim 32 characterized in that a major constituent of plastic sheet material is polystyrene.  34. Method according to claim 32 characterized in that the opening bottom of the container has a rim.  35. Method according to claim 32 characterized in that the plastic sheet material is of laminar construction.