Transfer of can bodies in can body line

Claim 2

A can body production line having a forming station (18) whose forming tools (24, 26) move transversely to the pass line (30) and having a transfer apparatus (20) for removing a formed can body (28) from the forming station (18) in synchronism with operation of the forming station and delivering the can body to a location remote from the forming station for travel along the pass line, characterised in that the transfer apparatus (20) comprises a shuttle arm (32) mounted for reciprocating movement at least approximately in the direction of the pass line, a saddle block (44) attached to the distal end of the shuttle arm (32) and adapted to physically attract the formed can body to hold the latter rigidly in a predetermined orientation during movement from the forming station (18) to said remote location, and a wiper arm (34) for separating the can body from the shuttle arm (32) at said remote location in response to movement of the shuttle arm (32) relative to the wiper arm (34).

Claim 3

A continuously-operating type of production line for sequentially fabricating sheet metal into can bodies utilizing a forming station (18) in which movements of the forming tooling (24, 26) in such station are in a direction which is in transverse relationship to the longitudinal direction of travel of can bodies in the production line, and having transfer apparatus (20) for transferring a can body from the forming station (18), at completion of a forming stroke, in synchronism with operation of the forming tooling (24, 26) and delivering the can body for travel in the longitudinal direction of the production line at a location remote from movements of the forming tool (24, 26) characterised in that the transfer apparatus (20) is free of mechanically-­moving elements for clasping the can body for transfer of a mechanically-moving element for releasing the can body after transfer from such forming station and comprises a shuttle arm (32) which reciprocates with a major component of movement in the longitudinal direction of the production line between the vicinity of the forming tooling (18) and a location remote from movements of the forming tooling for deposit of the can body for subsequent handling in the production line, a saddle block (44) which is integral with the shuttle arm (32) and which provides for physically attracting a formed can body to the shuttle arm (32) and rigidly holding the can body in a desired orientation during movement of the shuttle arm (32) from the vicinity of the forming tooling (18) to said remote location, the saddle block (44) being located at the distal end of the shuttle arm (32) as the shuttle arm is introduced by movement in the longitudinal direction from said remote location to the vicinity of the press forming tooling (18), the reciprocating movements of the shuttle arm (32) in the longitudinal direction of the production line being in synchronism with forming movements of the tooling (18) so that sequential forming movements of the tooling are free of any impediment due to movement of the shuttle arm, whereby the transfer of the can body takes place in a manner so as not to impede the next sequential movements of the forming tooling (24, 26) in fabricating the subsequent work product in the line, and a wiper arm (34) for separating the can body from the saddle block (44) in response to relative movement between the shuttle arm (32) and the wiper arm (34) during a longitudinally-directed retraction movement of the shuttle arm (32) from the vicinity of the forming tooling (24, 26).

Claim 4

A continuously-operating type of production line for sequentially fabricating sheet metal into can bodies utilizing a forming station (18) in which movements of the forming tooling (24, 26) in such station are in a direction which is in transverse relationship to the longitudinal direction of travel of can bodies in the production line, and having transfer apparatus (20) for transferring a can body from the forming station (18), at completion of a forming stroke, in synchronism with operation of the forming tooling (24, 26) and delivering the can body for travel in the longitudinal direction of the production line at a location remote from movements of the forming tool (24, 26) characterised in that the transfer apparatus (20) is free of mechanically-­moving elements for clasping the can body for transfer of a mechanically-moving element for releasing the can body after transfer from such forming station and comprises a shuttle arm (32) which reciprocates with a major component of movement in the longitudinal direction of the production line between the vicinity of the forming tooling (18) and a location remote from movements of the forming tooling for deposit of the can body for subsequent handling in the production line, a saddle block (44) which is integral with the shuttle arm (32) and which provides for physically attracting a formed can body to the shuttle arm (32) and rigidly holding the can body in a desired orientation during movement of the shuttle arm (32) from the vicinity of the forming tooling (18) to said remote location, the saddle block (44) being located at the distal end of the shuttle arm (32) as the shuttle arm is introduced by movement in the longitudinal direction from said remote location to the vicinity of the press forming tooling (18), the reciprocating movements of the shuttle arm (32) in the longitudinal direction of the production line being in synchronism with forming movements of the tooling (18) so that sequential forming movements of the tooling are free of any impediment due to movement of the shuttle arm, whereby the transfer of the can body takes place in a manner so as not to impede the next sequential movements of the forming tooling (24, 26) in fabricating the subsequent work product in the line, and a wiper arm (34) for separating the can body from the saddle block (44) in response to relative movement between the shuttle arm (32) and the wiper arm (34) during a longitudinally-directed retraction movement of the shuttle arm (32) from the vicinity of the forming tooling (24, 26).

Claim 5

A production line as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the transfer apparatus (20) is limited to component parts which move solely with a major component of motion in the longitudinal direction of the can line.

Claim 6

A production line as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the relative movement between the shuttle arm (32) and the wiper arm (34) is accomplished solely by movement of the shuttle arm (32) while the wiper arm (34) is stationary.

Claim 7

A production line as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4, in which the wiper arm (34) presents a wiping surface (55) which is in angled relationship to the longitudinal direction of movement of the shuttle arm (32) so that the relative movement between the shuttle arm (32) and the wiping surface (55) causes separation of the can body from the saddle block (44).

Claim 8

A production line as claimed in claims 4 and 5, in which the shuttle arm (32) moves in the longitudinal direction in synchronism with movements of the forming tooling (24, 26), and the shuttle arm (32) and wiping surface (55) interfit and interact in elevation along the height of the sidewall of the can body.

Claim 9

A production line as claimed in claims 5 or 6, in which the can body is separated from the saddle block (44) onto conveyor means (22) for continued conveyance of the can body along the can line.

Claim 10

A production line as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, in which the saddle block (44) for physically attracting a formed can body and rigidly holding it at the distal end of the shuttle arm (32) in desired orientation for removal from the vicinity of the forming tooling (24, 26) includes can body contact means (70 to 78) for confronting the can body, the can body contact means (70 to 78) presenting a surface contour (42) which matches at least a portion of the external peripheral contour of the can body as delivered from the forming tooling (24, 26).

Claim 11

A production line as claimed in claim 8, in which the sheet metal can body has a cylindrical peripheral contour and the can body contact means (70 to 78) presents a portion (42) of a cylindrical surface of a diameter matching that of the peripheral contour of the can body, the contact surface (42) being formed from separable elements (70 to 78) integrally held within the saddle block (44) means to present the matching cylindrical surface, and in which the cylindrical surface portion (42) does not exceed 90° of the cylindrical peripheral contour of the can body.

Claim 12

A production line as claimed in claim 9, in which the can body is held upright with its longitudinal axis in perpendicularly transverse relationship to the longitudinal direction of movement of the can body line.

Claim 13

A production line as claimed in claim 7 and 10, in which the conveyor means (22) moves with a major component of movement in the longitudinal direction of the can body line, and the can body is formed with its central axis oriented perpendicularly transverse to the longitudinal direction of movement of the can body line, the can body presenting flange metal at its open end confronting the conveyor means (22) for support of the can body during continued movement of the can body subsequent to separation from the saddle block (44) by the wiper arm (34).

Claim 14

A production line as claimed in claim 11, in which the conveyor means (22) is horizontally oriented for movement in the longitudinal direction of the can line, and the can body, in confronting the longitudinal direction of movement, has its axis vertically oriented with its flange at its open end facing the conveyor means (22).

Claim 15

A production line as claimed in any of claims 1 to 12, in which the saddle block (44) presents a source of energy for physically attracting the metal can body to the saddle block (44) at the distal end of the shuttle arm (32).

Claim 16

A production line as claimed in claim 13, for removing steel can bodies as dislodged from the forming tooling (24, 26), in which the source of energy for attracting the steel can body to the shuttle arm (32) comprises permanent magnetic means (60 to 66).

Claim 17

A production line as claimed in claim 14, in which the permanent magnetic means comprises a plurality of individual permanent magnets (60 to 66) oriented in a stack in the saddle block (44) in juxta-­position with a plurality of shaped pole pieces (70 to 78) which provide magnetic flux paths, with one such pole piece confronting each pole of each magnet, the permanent magnets (60 to 66) and pole pieces (70 to 78) being arrayed and oriented to present the contact surface (42) for confronting the can body, and in which the contour of the contact surface (42) is co­ordinated with at least a portion of the peripheral surface contour of the formed can body.

Claim 18

A production line as claimed in claim 15, in which each permanent magnet (60 to 66) is separated from the adjacent magnets by a pole shoe (72 to 76), a pole piece (70, 78) is located at the end surface pole of the permanent magnet (60, 66) located at each end of the stack, and the pole pieces (70 to 78) are elongated with longitudinal ends of the pole pieces presenting the contoured contact surface (42) for matching at least a portion of the peripheral surface of the can body.

Claim 19

A production line as claimed in claim 15, in which the stack of permanent magnets (60 to 66) and pole pieces (70 to 78) is arranged to have ends of the pole pieces forming a curvilinear contour for matching contact with a portion of the peripheral contour of the steel can body to be removed from the vicinity of the forming tooling (24, 26).

Claim 20

A production line as claimed in claim 17, in which the pole pieces (70 to 78) are arranged in relationship with the permanent magnets (60 to 66) such that ends of the pole pieces form an arc for contacting the can body, which arc presents a portion of a periphery of cylindrical configuration.

Claim 21

A production line as claimed in claim 16, 17 or 18, in which the permanent magnets (60 to 66) and pole pieces (70 to 78) are arranged so that, as part of the matching contour surface (42) presented by longitudinal ends of the pole pieces, each pole piece has a polarity which is of opposite polarity in relation to the polarity of its next adjacent pole piece, to provide for completing the flux path between the next adjacent, opposite-polarity poles through the steel can body so as to rigidly hold the can body to the pole pieces by the permanent magnets (60 to 66) notwithstanding rapidly accelerating movement of the saddle block (44) from the vicinity of the forming tooling (24, 26) by the shuttle arm (32).

Claim 22

A production line as claimed in claim 19, in which the permanent magnets (60 to 66) are magentized so that an extended surface area at each end of each magnet is polarized, and each such extended surface of permanent magnet confronts a pole piece so as to establish such opposite polarity relationship of next adjacent longitudinal ends of the pole pieces (70 to 78) confronting the can body.

Claim 23

A production line as claimed in any of claims 1 to 20, in which the saddle block (44) is removably secured to the shuttle arm (32) so as to enable substitution of other saddle blocks and selection of matching contour surfaces of differing dimensions.