US2379898A - Can bodymaker - Google Patents

Description

July l0, 1945. N, GEERTSEN 2,379,898

CAN BODY MAKER Filed June 5, 1941 mg-.2A y 7 INVENTOR m; ZM/2m nZ/M. wm

ATTORN EYS Patented July 10, 1945 CAN BODYMAKER Nelson Geertsen, Chicago, Ill., assigner to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 5, 1941, serial No. 396,759

(on. 15a-J1) 1Claim.

'I'he present invention relates to can body making machines and has particular reference to beading can bodies while forming them into can body shape.

In the manufacture of certain kinds of can bodies it is often desirable to form a plurality of spaced beads in the body to give it added strength or rigidity. Numerous ways have been suggested for forming these reenforcing beads in a body but always added operations or steps of manufacture have been necessary to bring it about.

The instant invention contemplates overcoming this difficulty by forming these body beads at the body forming station in a body making machine without any extra steps of manufac-` ture.

An object therefore of the invention is the provision of a body making machine wherein the can body is beaded while it is being formed into can body shape so that no extra operations are needed to form the beads.

Another object is the provision of such a machine having a roll forming device for forming can bodies into tubular body shape wherein the feed rollers of the device are formed to produce the beads in the bodies while the bodies are being formed thereby eliminating any extra or separate bead forming operations in the machine.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as itis better under-g stood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a partially finished can body having reenforcing beads formed therein by the machine embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a, vertical longitudinial section of a portion of a body forming or shaping station of a, can body making machine embodying the in-v stant invention, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 3--3 in Fig. 2,

Y with parts broken away, and

Fig. 4 is a. fragmentary plan view of one of the bead forming rollers in association with another part of the roll forming device.

As a preferred embodiment of the instant invention the drawing illustrates principal parts of a cylindrical can body forming machine of the character disclosed in United States Patent 2,047,964, issued July 21, 1936, to J. M. Hothersall,

on Electric welding. In such a machine flat can body blanks A of sheet material are advanced endwise into the grip of a pair of feeding rollers, of a. forming or curling device B, which feeds the blank against a deector element C.

The defiector element curls the blank into a partially finished, shaped cylindrical can body 'D after which the side seam edges are brought together in overlapping fashion and are united by welding to produce the completed can body. In the instant invention the can body D is formed with a plurality of reenforcing beads E while it is being curled into shape.

The fiat blanks A are fed in timed order ont a supporting table I I formed as a part of a frame I2 which may be the main frame of the machine. While on the table, a, blank is advanced transversely thereof toward the forming device B by a. feed dog I5 disposed in a movable feed bar I6. The feed bar slides in a groove Il formed in the top of the table.

The feed bar I6 is reciprocated in timed order in its groove Il through the medium of a rack section I8 which extends down through an opening I9 formed in the table I I. The rack meshes with a gear segment 2I formed on the upper end of a vertically disposed operating arm 22. This arm may be rocked by any suitable means operating in time with the other moving parts of the machine.

When the arm 22 rocks toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 3, it slides the feed bar I6 in that direction. Thus the feed dog I5 carried thereon engages behind the blank A on the table II and feeds it into the can body forming device B. A hold-down bar 23 disposed above the table I I prevents upward displacement of the blank during this feeding operation.

The body forming device B includes a pair of cooperating rollers comprising an upper pressure roller 26 and a lower feed roller 21 which are disposed adjacent the table II so that the body blank A may be readily brought into position between them. These rollers are formed with trunnions 28 which are journaled in bearing blocks 29 secured in a bracket 3l bolted to the main frame I-2.

The rollers 28, 21 are rotated in unison preferably at a greater speed than that at which the blank is fed into position by the feed bar so that the blank may be rapidly formed and shifted out of the way of the next following blank. This rotation is brought about by a pair of meshing spur gears 32 carried on the trunnions 28 adjacent one end of the rollers. The gears may be rotated in any suitable manner.

When the blank A on the table l I is fed toward the forming device B, its leading edge is introduced into the grip of the rollers 2B, 21 and is thereupon drawn in by the rollers which advance it further. Itis during this feeding or advancing of the blank that the beads E are formed. For this purpose the lower feed roller 21 is formed with a plurality of spaced annular beading projections 35 which cooperate with corresponding beading grooves 38 formed in the upper pressure roller 28.. Thus the blank feed rollers also serve as beading rollers and as the blank A passes between them they impress the beads E into the blank.

The rollers 28. 21 while feeding and beading the blank A, bring it into engagement with the deflector element C. 'I'his deilector element C extends nearly the full width of the rollers 2B, 21 and is located just in front of the rollers. It is adjustable, being bolted to lugs 38 which extend up from the bracket lll. The deiiector element is supported on a wedge block 39 which is bolted for adjustment on an inclined lug 4|. Thus vertical as well as horizontal adjustment is provided.

The inner edge of the element C is formed with a curved defiecting surface 42. This edge extends close to the rollers and preferably is castellated to extend into annular clearance grooves 45 formed in the lower feeding and beading roller 2l. These grooves permit of locating the inner edge of the deiiector element C slightly below the feed line of the blank A as it leaves the rollers.

Thus as the beaded blank A I eaves the rollers 2l, 21 it engages against the curved surface 42 of the deilecting element C and this bends or curls the blank into -its desired cylindrical can body shape without distorting the beads already formed in the body. In this manner the feeding, the beading and the forming of the blank into can body shape are al1 effected simultaneously.

As the curled or formed blank leaves the deflector element C. it passes around a horizontal horn or mandrel 4B which is bolted to the main frame I2. A pair of removable side guides or wings 41 extending around and longitudinally of' the horn and in spaced relation therewith, confine the shaped blank against displacement from the horn.

The partially formed bodies thus positioned on the horn are immediately propelled therealong form no part of the instant invention and therefore a description of these operations will be omitted.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form,

construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

In a machine for forming tubular can bodies from flat sheet body blanks, the combination of a lower feed roller having spaced annular beading 'projections extending entirely around the roller for supporting said blanks, said feed roller further having an annular clearance groove disposed between said projections, an upper pressure roller having a plurality of spaced annular beading grooves corresponding in shape and position to the beading projections of said feed roller and co operating therewith for feeding and beading a body blank as the latter passes between said rollers, and a deilector element having an edge thereof of castellated configuration extending closely adjacent the bight of said rollers for engaging and deflecting the leading edge of a flat sheet body blank out of its plane as said blank is fed by said rollers, said castellated portion of the deilecting element having an upper surface extending into said clearance groove to constitute with the peripheral surface of said lower feed roller on opposite sides of said clearance groove a 'substantially continuous composite sheet supporting surface extending longitudinally of said feed roller, whereby the sheet blank is uniformly beaded substantially simultaneously with its deflection as the sheet passes between said rollers, the castellated edge of said deflector element being extended by virtue of said clearance groove closely adjacent the bight of the rollers for the described purpose.

NELSON GEERTSEN.

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