US3406648A

US3406648A - Flanging machine

Info

Publication number: US3406648A
Application number: US524340A
Authority: US
Inventors: Armbruster Ronald Herman David
Original assignee: EW Bliss Co Inc
Current assignee: EW Bliss Co Inc
Priority date: 1966-02-01
Filing date: 1966-02-01
Publication date: 1968-10-22
Anticipated expiration: 1985-10-22
Also published as: GB1152602A; DE1602412A1

Description

Oct. 22, 1968 VR. H. D. ARMBRUSTER 3,406,548,

FLANG ING MACHINE Filed Feb. 1, 1966 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. RONALD HLD. ARMBRUSTER Oct. 22, 1968 R. H. D. ARMBRUSTER 3,406,648

FLANG ING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 1, 1966 w QQ INVENTOR.

RONALD H.D. ARMBRUSTER 1968 R. H. D. ARM BRUSTER 3,406,648

FLANGING MACHINE Filed Feb. 1, 1966 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR. RONALD H. D. ARMBRUSTER Oct. 22, 1968 ARMBRUsTER 3,406,648

FLANGING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 1, 19 5 IN V EN TOR RONALD H D ARMBRUSTER new, (i 301%;

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INVEN TOR. RONALD H.D. ARM BRUSTER United States Patent 3,406,648 FLANGING MACHINE Ronald Herman David Armbruster, Battle Creek, Mich., assignor to The E. W. Bliss Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 524,340 8 Claims. (Cl. 113-7) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A die flanging machine for can bodies which are closed at one end and open at the other end comprising a rotary turret which is adapted to receive the can bodies and to revolve the same in sequence about the turret axis. The turret is provided with a number of radially disposed stations each receiving a can as the turret rotates. Each station has axially aligned tool heads between which the can is centered, and a cam means moves at least one of the tool heads relative the other as the turret rotates so that the can body is engaged by the tool heads. One of the tool heads is provided with a die which flanges the metal of the can in the can open end, and the cam means is provided with a surface having an abrupt rise at a predetermined point so that the speed of forming abruptly increases the instant flanging commences so as to deform the metal at a sufiiciently high rate to avoid excessively straining the metal in the flange area. A second stationary cam surface engages fingers at a predetermined point which causes the fingers to move into engagement with the can, and to pull the can from the flanging die on separation of the tool heads.

This invention pertains to the art of can making machinery and more particularly to machinery for placing a flange on only one end of can bodies having the other end closed.

Heretofore a flanging operation was normally required on both ends of a can body since neither end was closed. In one type of such flanging operation, called die flanging, a can body is positioned between aligned tool heads each comprising a flanging die having a pilot about the same diameter as the can body and a flange ring at the base. The tool heads are adapted to be driven toward each other so that the pilots enter the opposite open ends of the can body. The flanges are formed by stretching and bending the metal on each end until stopped by the flange ring.

Such a flanging operaion is normally performed on a rotary turret-type flanging machine in which the tool heads are carried on dual turrets driven on a common shaft. The tool heads revolve in unison about the turret axis and are moved into and out of the ends of the can body in timed rela ionship. The can bodies are fed between the turrets where they are individually picked up by a turret disc which cradles each can body in a semicircular receiving space and rotates conjointly with the turrets serving to align each can body with a set of aligned tool heads.

The conventional method involves a rather gradual flanging movement over the flanging die. Since die flanging necessarily involves stretching the metal in forcing the can body on the flanging die, one problem has always been that the flange tended to crack or split under the strain rendering the can body completely unusable.

Another problem in die flanging is in removing the flanged can body from the dies. The present trend in the can making industry is toward the use of extruded can bodies. Certain can bodies which are formed by an extrusion process have integral side and bottom walls and ice are open at only one end, thus giving rise to a specific need for a machine to handle the flanging operation for such can bodies.

The problem is solved easily enough when the can body is open at each end for when the tool heads are mutually retracted, the can body will remain stuck to one or the other flanging die so as to travel with it as it revolves and also as it is retracted. As the can body moves axially with the one die, the opposite flanged end engages the turret disc while the die upon which the can body is aflixecl continues to retract with the result that the die is withdrawn.

However, extruded can bodies such as referred to above have only one open end which is flanged. Thus, there is no flange on the opposite end, the closed end, and the turret disc is ineffective as means for extracting the can bodies from the flanging die.

Accordingly, the present invention has as its principal purpose the provision of a rotary turret die flanging machine operating in such fashion to largely eliminate the possibility of flange cracking including provisions for positively positioning can bodies having one closed end in alignment with a flanging die and extracting the flanged can bodies at the completion of the flanging operation.

In accordance wi.h the broadest aspect of the invention a can flanger is provided including a pair of aligned tool heads, one of which is adapted to reciprocate rela tive to the other and propel a can body onto a flanging die, the speed of reciprocation abruptly increasing at the instant flanging commences so as to deform the metal at a sufficiently high rate to avoid producing cracks due to excess strain.

Further in accordance with the invention, a can body flanger is provided comprising a rotary turret adapted to receive can bodies closed at one end and to revolve the same in sequence about the turret axis from a receiving station to a discharge station. A plurality of cooperable tool heads aligned and facing each other are mounted around the turret axis and also are mounted for reciprocation longitudinally toward and away from each other in timed relationship. One of each set of cooperable tool heads includes an extractor mechanism employing radially movable gripping fingers for grasping the closed end of the can body at the completion of the flanging operation and the other tool head includes a flanging die adapted to enter the open end of the can body and center it in cooperation with the other tool head prior to flanging. A cam member is arranged to move the gripping fingers in timed relationship with the to and fro reciprocation of the tool heads to extract the can body from the flanging die and to release it at the discharge station.

The main object of the invention is the provision of a rotary turret flanging machine incorporating principles of high rate metal forming to a die flanging operation primarily to avoid the problems of flange cracking.

Another object is to provide cooperable tool heads which are eflective to align a can body with a flanging die in spite of the fact that one end of the can body is closed.

Another object is to provide cooperable die flanging and exractor tool heads which support and guide an extruded can body having one open end so that it is driven coaxially onto a flanging die as the tool heads move toward each other and subsequently the closed end of the can body is gripped by the extractor tool head as the tool heads move away from each other positively extracting the can body from the flanging die.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description thereof which is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic representation primarily showing the can body feed through the fianging machine;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view through the turrets of the fianging machine;

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the left hand turret taken along line 3--3 of FIGURE 2 showing the arrangement of the extractor tool heads;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the tool head section of the left and right hand turrets in FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a schematic view showing the relative positions of the tool heads and a can body just prior to the fianging operation;

FIGURE 6 is a schematic view representing the positional relationship of the tool heads and can body at the completion of fianging;

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view illustrating the extraction of a can body after the fianging operation;

FIGURE 8 illustrates a modification of the extractor tool head; and

FIGURE 9 is a time-displacement curve representing the high rate fianging cycle of the machine.

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are merely for the purpose of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting same, FIGURE 1 is a schematic representation of the can body feed for a rotary turret fianging machine 10 constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention. The machine 10 includes an intake feed spiral. 12 which in cooperation with a star wheel 14, separates can bodies 15 and feeds them individually to a turret disc 16 into can receiving recesses 18 at a can receiving station 20. As viewed, the turret disc 16 rotates in a counterclockwise direction carrying the can bodies 15, in cooperation with the star wheel 14 and an intake can guide 21 toward a fianging area 22 where the can bodies are to be flanged in a manner described hereinafter. After the fianging operation is completed, the turret disc 16, in cooperation with a lower can guide 23, carries the flanged can bodies to a discharge station 24.

Referring now in more detail to FIGURE 2, the fianging machine 10 includes left and right hand turrets 25, 27 each of which are axially spaced on a main shaft 30 driven by a gear 32. The turret disc 16 is in two parts, each part bolted to a turret 25, 27 with the can receiving recesses 18 thereof aligned with each

tool head slide

34, 35 mounted on the respective turrets 25, 27. The tool head slides 35, of which there are eight on the right hand turret 27, are arranged in a radial manner and are cooperably aligned with the tool head slides 34 similarly arranged on the left hand turret (FIGURE 3).

On the outboard side of each turret 25, 27 is a nonrotatable cam block 37, 38, each of which is mounted on a

bearing

39, 40 within which the main shaft and turrets 25, 27 are adapted to rotate. The cam blocks 37, 38 are supported from the machine frame, a portion only of which is shown at 41. Each cam block 37, 38 is a generally circular member which includes a circumferential cam slot 42, 43 adapted to receive a cam roller 44, 45 held on a

46, 47 which is mounted in a boss 48, 49 on each

tool head slide

34, 35. The tool head slides 34, 35, while revolving about the turret axis, are also mounted for reciprocation to and fro within turret channels 60, 61 in timed relationship as established by the shape of cam slots 42, 43.

Directing attention now specifically to the left hand turret 25, as shown in FIGURE 3, a cam yoke 53 surrounds the left hand turret and includes an arcuate cam plate 55 adjustably bolted on one side thereof. As provided in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the cam plate 55 is arranged to be engaged by cam rollers 56 carried by rocker arms 57 pinned at 58 to lugs 59 on the turret 25 and positioned above each tool head slide 34 (FIGURE 2). Each rocker arm 57 includes a downwardly extending portion which rotata y supports a wedge operating roller 62. An opening 63 in each tool head slide 34 is enlarged transversely a suflicient amount to accommodate for the to and fro reciprocation of the tool head slide as determined by the shape of cam slot 42 without interfering with the movement of rocker arm 57 about pin 58 in accordance with the shape of cam plate Referring now to FIGURE 4 where an enlarged fragmentary portion of the turrets 25, 27 and tool head slides 34, 35 may be seen, the wedge operating roller 62 is positioned to engage a clamping wedge 65 carried by each tool head slide 34 within a collar 66 providing a bearing 67. Each clamping wedge 65 includes a shank portion 68 joined by a frustoconical head portion 69 having a recess 70 adapted to receive one end of a coil spring 71, the other end of which is received in a recess 72 on the backside of a can stop 73. Each can stop 73 has three radially extending slots 74 spaced approximately 120 about the periphery thereof (FIGURE 3). Extending into each slot 74 is the end of a clamping finger 75, each of which is pivoted near the center at 76 and has an adjustable follower button 77 at the rear end adapted to engage the frustoconical surface of the clamping wedge head portion 69. A coil spring 78 biases each finger in the radially outward position. The forward end of each clamping finger 75 is curved on the lower surface 80 so as to fit snugly against the sidewall of a can body and includes a curved recess 81, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter. Although three fingers are shown, it will be understood that for larger can bodies a greater number would be required to provide the proper grip.

Referring now to the right hand turret 27, it may be seen that each tool head slide 35 includes a fianging die 83 positioned within a fianging die ring 84 and is held by a stud 85. The fianging die has a chamfer 87 which enters the open end of the can body first and in cooperation with the can stop 73, centers the can with the axis of the flanging die in preparation for the fianging operation. The fianging die 83 is approximately the same diameter as the can body and the flange is formed by deforming the metal until stopped by the flange ring. The manner in which this is done is an important part of this invention as will be explained hereinafter.

Operation As mentioned previously, known prior art die fianging machines employ a relatively slow, gradual movement of the can body over the fianging dies which leads to flange cracking, nor are they equipped to extract a can body from a fianging die when one end of the can is closed such as found in extruded can bodies.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention and as may be visualized in FIGURES 5-7, a can body 15 to be flanged is deposited at the can receiving station of the fianging machine 10 and is carried along by the turret disc 16 and star wheel 14 being supported with its open end adjacent the fianging die 83 and its closed end adjacent the can stop 73. It has been found that in depositing a can body directly from the spiral 12 to the turret disc 16, there is a tendency for the can body to bounce due to the impact. This is more noticeable with extruded can bodies since they are more rigid. The subsequent gyrations nevertheless sometimes cause it to miss the dies and either a damaged can or a jam results. The present arrangement avoids this problem since the star wheel 14 and turret disc 16 cooperate to completely enclose the can body for an instant.

As shown in FIGURE 5, the tool head slides 34, 35 are in the fully retracted position and the clamping fingers 75 are raised due to the fact that the clamping wedge 65 is in the retracted position. As the can body 15 begins to move into the fianging area of the machine depicted in FIGURE 6, the tool head slides 34, 35 move toward each other as controlled by the shape of cam slots 42, 43 (FIG- URE 2). When the fianging die 83 begins to enter the open end of the can body 15, the can stop 73 has been moved to the back of the can body 15 and the coaction of chamfer 87 of the flanging die 83 and pressure of the can stop is effective to automatically center the can with the flanging die axis. Referring now to FIGURE 9, a time-displacement curve is shown the purpose of which is to represent the flanging cycle. In accordance with the invention, the cam slot 42 which propels the can body onto the flanging die has a sharp, abrupt change of direction as indicated at slope a in FIGURE 9 so as to provide a rapid time-displacement occurrence at the instant flanging commences. The effect is to deform the metal at a high rate during the period it is undergoing maximum strain so as to achieve maximum strength in the flange area and to avoid cracking or rupture. 1

The can body is now carried along primarily by its open end which is stretch-formed over the flanging die 83. As the turrets continue to rotate, the point is reached at which the cam rollers 56 (FIGURE 3) engage the arcuate cam plate 55 causing the rocker arm 57 to push the clamping wedge 65 outwardly by means of the wedge operating roller 62. thus moving the clamping fingers 75 simultaneously to grip the closed end of the can body as shown in FIGURE 6. In the drawings, the curved recess 81 of each finger 75 locks on a bead 88 formed near the bottom of the can body although the can may not have a beaded bottom and the device will still function properly.

At the completion of the flanging operation (point b in FIGURE 9) the tool head slide 34 begins its retracting motion under the control of cam slot 42 which action extracts the can body 15 from the flanging die 83. Once the can body is clear of the flanging die 83, the timing is such that the cam roller 56 passes beyond the arcuate cam plate 55 allowing the clamping finger 75 to spring open releasing the can body as shown in FIGURE 7. The turrets 25, '27 continue to rotate carrying the flanged can bodies to the discharge station and the tool head slides are fully retracted (point 0 in FIGURE 9) to receive an unflanged can at the receiving station when they come around to that point again.

Referring now to FIGURE 8, a modification of the /extractor tool head is shown which is similar to that shown in FIGURE 4 and for purposes of description, similar parts will be identified by like numerals with a prime mark. Each clamping finger 75' is pivoted approximately at the center and carries a roller 90 which engages a frustoconical head portion 69 of a clamping wedge 65'. A spring 94 biases the rear end of each finger 75' in the clamping direction.

The operation is such that as the clamping wedge 65' is moved forward by the wedge operating roller '62, the rollers 90 of each finger 75 are free to roll down under the influence of spring 94 bringing the ends of each finger 75' into clamping engagement with the can body. In the modification, the force of spring 94 exerts the clamping pressure to avoid any possibility of marring the can. When the clamping wedge 65' is retracted, the action of the rollers 90 then earns the fingers 75 up positively breaking the grip on the can. Spring pressure is adjustable on the fingers to give the proper control pressure.

Having now described the preferred embodiment of the invention it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that certain modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broadest sense as defined in the appended claims except insofar as limited by the prior art.

I claim:

1. A die flanging machine for can bodies closed on one end comprising cooperably aligned and axially spaced pairs of tool heads, one of which is reciprocally mounted relative to the other;

rotary turret means adapted to receive the can bodies and to move the same in sequence from a receiving station to a discharge station, a plurality of pairs of tool heads between which the can bodies are centered being positioned at spaced intervals on the periphery of said rotary turret means;

a flanging die mounted on one of the tool heads or each pair adapted to enter the open end of each can body, upon inward movement of the tool head;

can stop means mounted on the other tool head of each pair including extractor means engageable with the closed end of each can body; and

first and second camming means for reciprocating one of said tool heads and operating the extractor means respectively in timed relationship as said rotary turret means rotates whereby each can body is flanged upon inward tool head movement and then extracted from the flanging die as the tool heads separate; said first camming means comprising a cam surface which has an abrupt rise at a predetermined point so that the speed of forming abruptly increases at the instant flanging commences so as to deform the metal at a sufficiently high rate to avoid excessively straining the metal in the flange area.

2. A flanging machine as set forth in claim 1 wherein each tool head of each pair is reciprocally mounted, said first camming means moving each tool head in timed relationship toward and away from the other.

3. A flanging machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein the extractor means include a plurality of radially movable extractor fingers adapted to grip the closed end of each can body at the end of the flanging operation and withdraw the can body from the flanging die as the tool heads separate.

4. A flanging machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein the extractor means include in addition a clamping wedge having a frustoconical camming head portion reciprocally mounted c oaxi-ally in each of said tool heads which revolve adjacent the closed end of the can bodies,

rocker means mounted on the turret above each said tool head having a downwardly extending arm portion engageable with the clamping wedge,

follower means on each of said extractor fingers engageable with the frustoconical head portion of the clamping wedge, and

said second camming means including an arcuate cam plate arranged for engagement by each rocker means as the turret rotates to cause the extractor finger to grip the can body during extraction and to release it at the discharge station.

5. A die flanging machine comprising cooperably aligned and axially spaced tool heads, one of which is reciprocally mounted for movement relative to the other;

feeding means for receiving can bodies and moving the same in sequence between the aligned tool heads from a receiving station to a discharge station;

a flanging die mounted on one of the tool heads adapted to enter the open end of a can body to perform a flanging operation thereon; and

cam means for reciprocating the tool head which is reciprocally mounted forcing the can body onto the flanging die, said cam means comprising a cam surface which has an abrupt rise at a predetermined point so that the speed of forming abruptly increases at the instant flanging commences so as to deform the metal at a sufliciently high rate to avoid excessively straining the metal in the flange area.

6. A die flanging machine as set forth in claim 5, the

feeding means comprising a rotary turret receiving can bodies and revolving the same in sequence about the turret axis a plurality of said tool heads being radially mounted on the turret,

said cam means comprising a cam guide plate which is stationary with respect to rotation of the rotary turret, and cam follower means on each of said tool heads engaging said cam guide plate.

7. A die flanging machine as set forth in claim 6 wherein the can bodies are closed on one end and each tool head is reciprocally mounted for movement in timed relationship toward and away from each other, the tool head opposite the closed end ofthe can including a plurality of radially movable extractor fingers engageable with the can at the completion of the flanging operation for withdrawing the can body from the v flangingvdie as the tool heads move apart. 8. A die flanging machine as set forth in claim 7 comprising 4 a clamping wedge reciprocally mounted in the tool head and engageable with each finger to move the clamping end in a radially outward direction and spring means biasing the clamping end of each finger in a radially inward direction so that as the clamping wedge is advanced the clamping end of each finger 8 t I movesradially inwardly under the pressure applied by the spring means to grip a can body and when the clamping Wedge is retracted, the clamping end of each finger is moved radially outwardly to positively release the can body! I References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD JI ERBST, Primary Exa iner; I