Apparatus for and method of shaping workpieces

Claim 1

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies in a substantially cantilevered manner, a shaping device, said shaping device being supported in position at a shaping station and each of said assemblies being indexed into position at said shaping station by said turret, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, said moving means engages each assembly as it is indexed into position adjacent said shaping station and moves each assembly substantially parallel to said central axis thereby moving the associated workpiece into said operative association, said shaping device shaping the entire workpiece area which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 2

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies in a substantially cantilevered manner, a shaping device, said shaping device being supported in position at a shaping station and each of said assemblies being indexed into position at said shaping station by said turret, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, said moving means engages each assembly as it is indexed into position adjacent said shaping station and moves each assembly substantially parallel to said central axis thereby moving the associated workpiece into said operative association, said shaping device shaping the entire workpiece area which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 9

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, said holding means comprising a rotatable support head on each of said assemblies which supports an associated workpiece having a registration mark thereon, a device for rotating said support head and its workpiece, a detector for detecting said mark during rotation of said workpiece, said detector being operatively connected to said rotating device to stop rotation thereof and of said support and thereby position said workpiece in the desired position to enable subsequent shaping thereof, a shaping device, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enablE shaping thereof, said rotating device operating to rotate said workpiece and bring it up to a predetermined speed whereupon said detector is energized to detect said mark and then stop rotation of said rotating device to thereby assure said workpiece is stopped at the desired position, and a second detector arranged downstream of said first-named detector for inspecting whether said workpiece is in the desired position, said second detector being operatively connected to a workpiece-ejecting device to eject each improperly positioned workpiece from said apparatus.

Claim 10

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, said holding means comprising a rotatable support head on each of said assemblies which supports an associated workpiece having a registration mark thereon, a device for rotating said support head and its workpiece, a detector for detecting said mark during rotation of said workpiece, said detector being operatively connected to said rotating device to stop rotation thereof and of said support and thereby position said workpiece in the desired position to enable subsequent shaping thereof, a shaping device, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enablE shaping thereof, said rotating device operating to rotate said workpiece and bring it up to a predetermined speed whereupon said detector is energized to detect said mark and then stop rotation of said rotating device to thereby assure said workpiece is stopped at the desired position, and a second detector arranged downstream of said first-named detector for inspecting whether said workpiece is in the desired position, said second detector being operatively connected to a workpiece-ejecting device to eject each improperly positioned workpiece from said apparatus.

Claim 11

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, said holding means comprising a rotatable support head on each of said assemblies which supports an associated workpiece having a registration mark thereon, a device for rotating said support head and its workpiece, a detector for detecting said mark during rotation of said workpiece, said detector being operatively connected to said rotating device to stop rotation thereof and of said support and thereby position said workpiece in the desired position to enable subsequent shaping thereof, a shaping device, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, each head assembly comprising an axially movable shaft having an associated support head fixed to its outer end and having a bearing surface normally held yieldingly urged against a cooperating surface to prevent rotation of said shaft and support head, said rotating device operating to move said bearing surface away from said cooperating surface to enable rotation of said workpiece.

Claim 12

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, said holding means comprising a rotatable support head on each of said assemblies which supports an associated workpiece having a registration mark thereon, a device for rotating said support head and its workpiece, a detector for detecting said mark during rotation of said workpiece, said detector being operatively connected to said rotating device to stop rotation thereof and of said support and thereby position said workpiece in the desired position to enable subsequent shaping thereof, a shaping device, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, each head assembly comprising an axially movable shaft having an associated support head fixed to its outer end and having a bearing surface normally held yieldingly urged against a cooperating surface to prevent rotation of said shaft and support head, said rotating device operating to move said bearing surface away from said cooperating surface to enable rotation of said workpiece.

Claim 15

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, an infeed for serially feeding said workpieces on said apparatus, said infeed comprising a cradle adapted to support each particular workpiece at an infeed station past which each head assembly is orbited to enable the particular workpiece to be picked up by the holding means of an associated head, said cradle being supported for pivoting movement and said infeed further comprising a cam which operatively associates with said cradle to pivot said cradle out of the rotary path of each workpiece once the workpiece has been pickup up by an associated holding means, a shaping device, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, said shaping device shaping the entire workpiece area which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 16

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, an infeed for serially feeding said workpieces on said apparatus, said infeed comprising a cradle adapted to support each particular workpiece at an infeed station past which each head assembly is orbited to enable the particular workpiece to be picked up by the holding means of an associated head, said cradle being supported for pivoting movement and said infeed further comprising a cam which operatively associates with said cradle to pivot said cradle out of the rotary path of each workpiece once the workpiece has been pickup up by an associated holding means, a shaping device, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, said shaping device shaping the entire workpiece area which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 17

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of read assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis, said turret supports said head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, a shaping device, said shaping device being supported in position at a shaping station and each of said assemblies being indexed into position as said shapiNg station by said turret, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, said moving means comprising an actuator which engages each assembly as it is indexed into position and moves each assembly substantially parallel to said central axis thereby moving the associated workpiece into said operative association, said shaping device shaping the entire workpiece area which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 18

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of read assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis, said turret supports said head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, a shaping device, said shaping device being supported in position at a shaping station and each of said assemblies being indexed into position as said shapiNg station by said turret, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, said moving means comprising an actuator which engages each assembly as it is indexed into position and moves each assembly substantially parallel to said central axis thereby moving the associated workpiece into said operative association, said shaping device shaping the entire workpiece area which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 21

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis in an indexing manner, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, a shaping device, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, said shaping device being supported in position at a shaping station and each of said assemblies being indexed into position at said shaping station by said turret, said moving means comprising an actuator which engages each assembly as it is indexed into position and moves each assembly substantially parallel to said central axis thereby moving the associated workpiece into said operative association, said shaping device comprising an embossing device which has an expandible female die assembly which is expanded to receive each workpiece therewithin and said actuator comprises an arm which has an outer swinging end which engages the rear end portion of each head assembly and moves the associated workpiece into said operative association with said embossing device and away from said embossing device following embossing thereof, said female die assembly comprising a plurality of cooperating cylindrical segments having integral means defining an embossing pattern, said segments having their longitudinal axes arranged substantially parallel to said central axis and each of said segments being movable radially inwardly and outwardly along an associated radially extending track by a cam roller attached to the associated segment and being engaged by a rotatable cam track.

Claim 22

An apparatus for shaping workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement about a central axis in an indexing manner, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, a shaping device, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said shaping device to enable shaping thereof, said shaping device being supported in position at a shaping station and each of said assemblies being indexed into position at said shaping station by said turret, said moving means comprising an actuator which engages each assembly as it is indexed into position and moves each assembly substantially parallel to said central axis thereby moving the associated workpiece into said operative association, said shaping device comprising an embossing device which has an expandible female die assembly which is expanded to receive each workpiece therewithin and said actuator comprises an arm which has an outer swinging end which engages the rear end portion of each head assembly and moves the associated workpiece into said operative association with said embossing device and away from said embossing device following embossing thereof, said female die assembly comprising a plurality of cooperating cylindrical segments having integral means defining an embossing pattern, said segments having their longitudinal axes arranged substantially parallel to said central axis and each of said segments being movable radially inwardly and outwardly along an associated radially extending track by a cam roller attached to the associated segment and being engaged by a rotatable cam track.

Claim 23

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of stations including an infeed station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly as said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies in a substantially cantilevered manner, an embossing device at said embossing station, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, said moving means engages each assembly as it is indexed into position adjacent said embossing station and moves each assembly substantially parallel said central axis thereby moving the associated workpiece into said operative association, said embossing device embossing the entire workpiece area which is to be embossed in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 24

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of stations including an infeed station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly as said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies in a substantially cantilevered manner, an embossing device at said embossing station, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, said moving means engages each assembly as it is indexed into position adjacent said embossing station and moves each assembly substantially parallel said central axis thereby moving the associated workpiece into said operative association, said embossing device embossing the entire workpiece area which is to be embossed in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 29

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of stations including an infeed station, a rotary positioning station, an inspection station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly as said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, an embossing device at said embossing station, means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, said tubular workpieces comprising cans each having a bottom wall adjoined by a tubular sidewall which terminates in an open end, said holding means comprising a support head on each of said head assemblies and having an outer surface against which the bottom wall of an associated can is held, a fluid passage through said support head, a fluid system comprising a vacuum line connecting said passage with an associated vacuum source to hold said can in a cantilevered manner against said outer surface by a vacuum until after it is embossed by said embossing device, said holding means comprising a rotatable support head on each of said assemblies which supports an associated can having a registration mark thereon, a device for rotating said support head and its can at said rotary positioning station, a detector for detecting said mark during rotation of said can, said detector being operatively connected to said rotating device to stop rotation thereof and said support and thereby position said can in the desired position to enable subsequent precise embossing thereof, said detector comprising a photoelectric detector, said registration mark comprising a mark placed on the sidewall of its associated can which is capable of being detected by said photoelectric detector, said rotating device operating to rotate said can and bring it up to a predetermined speed whereupon said photoelectric detector is energized to detect said mark and then stop rotation of said rotating dEvice following detection thereof to thereby assure said can is stopped at the desired position, and a second photoelectric detector arranged downstream of said first-named detector and at said inspection station for inspecting whether each can is in the desired position, said second detector being operatively connected with a can ejecting device to eject each improperly positioned can from said apparatus.

Claim 30

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of stations including an infeed station, a rotary positioning station, an inspection station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly as said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, an embossing device at said embossing station, means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, said tubular workpieces comprising cans each having a bottom wall adjoined by a tubular sidewall which terminates in an open end, said holding means comprising a support head on each of said head assemblies and having an outer surface against which the bottom wall of an associated can is held, a fluid passage through said support head, a fluid system comprising a vacuum line connecting said passage with an associated vacuum source to hold said can in a cantilevered manner against said outer surface by a vacuum until after it is embossed by said embossing device, said holding means comprising a rotatable support head on each of said assemblies which supports an associated can having a registration mark thereon, a device for rotating said support head and its can at said rotary positioning station, a detector for detecting said mark during rotation of said can, said detector being operatively connected to said rotating device to stop rotation thereof and said support and thereby position said can in the desired position to enable subsequent precise embossing thereof, said detector comprising a photoelectric detector, said registration mark comprising a mark placed on the sidewall of its associated can which is capable of being detected by said photoelectric detector, said rotating device operating to rotate said can and bring it up to a predetermined speed whereupon said photoelectric detector is energized to detect said mark and then stop rotation of said rotating dEvice following detection thereof to thereby assure said can is stopped at the desired position, and a second photoelectric detector arranged downstream of said first-named detector and at said inspection station for inspecting whether each can is in the desired position, said second detector being operatively connected with a can ejecting device to eject each improperly positioned can from said apparatus.

Claim 31

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of stations including an infeed station, a rotary positioning station, an inspection station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly at said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, an embossing device as said embossing station, means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, said tubular workpieces comprising cans each having a bottom wall adjoined by a tubular sidewall which terminates in an open end, said holding means comprising a support head on each of said head assemblies and having an outer surface against which the bottom wall of an associated can is held, a fluid passage through said support head, a fluid system comprising a vacuum line connecting said passage with an associated vacuum source to hold said can in a cantilevered manner against said outer surface by a vacuum until after it is embossed by said embossing device, said holding means comprising a rotatable support head on each of said assemblies which supports an associated can having a registration mark thereon, a device for rotating said support head and its can at said rotary positioning station, a detector for detecting said mark during rotation of said can, said detector being operatively connected to said rotating device to stop rotation thereof and said support and thereby position said can in the desired position to enable subsequent precise embossing thereof, each head assembly comprising an axially movable shaft having an associated support head fixed to its outer end and having a bearing surface normally held yieldingly urged against a cooperating surface to prevent rotation of said shaft and support head, said rotating device operating to engage the outer edge of the sidewall of an associated can to move said bearing surface away from said cooperating surface to enable rotation of the associated can.

Claim 32

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of stations including an infeed station, a rotary positioning station, an inspection station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly at said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies, an embossing device as said embossing station, means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, said tubular workpieces comprising cans each having a bottom wall adjoined by a tubular sidewall which terminates in an open end, said holding means comprising a support head on each of said head assemblies and having an outer surface against which the bottom wall of an associated can is held, a fluid passage through said support head, a fluid system comprising a vacuum line connecting said passage with an associated vacuum source to hold said can in a cantilevered manner against said outer surface by a vacuum until after it is embossed by said embossing device, said holding means comprising a rotatable support head on each of said assemblies which supports an associated can having a registration mark thereon, a device for rotating said support head and its can at said rotary positioning station, a detector for detecting said mark during rotation of said can, said detector being operatively connected to said rotating device to stop rotation thereof and said support and thereby position said can in the desired position to enable subsequent precise embossing thereof, each head assembly comprising an axially movable shaft having an associated support head fixed to its outer end and having a bearing surface normally held yieldingly urged against a cooperating surface to prevent rotation of said shaft and support head, said rotating device operating to engage the outer edge of the sidewall of an associated can to move said bearing surface away from said cooperating surface to enable rotation of the associated can.

Claim 34

A method of shaping substantially tubular workpieces comprising the steps of, infeeding a plurality of workpieces on a plurality of head assemblies provided on a rotatable turret, holding each of said workpieces on its associated head assembly in a substantially cantilevered manner, orbiting said read assemblies and workpieces by rotating said turret about a central axis and in an indexing manner to a plurality of stations including a shaping station and an ejection station, shaping each workpiece at said shaping station by shaping the entire area thereof which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary, ejecting each workpiece at said ejection station, said infeeding step comprising placing each of said workpieces on a cradle past which each head assembly is orbited, and comprising the further step of positioning said cradle once a particular workpiece has been fed on a head assembly to enable said orbiting of said head assemblies without obstruction by said cradle, said positioning step comprising pivoting said cradle using cam means which is operated in timed sequence with a drive for said turret.

Claim 35

A method of shaping substantially tubular workpieces comprising the steps of, infeeding a plurality of workpieces on a plurality of head assemblies provided on a rotatable turret, holding each of said workpieces on its associated head assembly in a substantially cantilevered manner, orbiting said read assemblies and workpieces by rotating said turret about a central axis and in an indexing manner to a plurality of stations including a shaping station and an ejection station, shaping each workpiece at said shaping station by shaping the entire area thereof which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary, ejecting each workpiece at said ejection station, said infeeding step comprising placing each of said workpieces on a cradle past which each head assembly is orbited, and comprising the further step of positioning said cradle once a particular workpiece has been fed on a head assembly to enable said orbiting of said head assemblies without obstruction by said cradle, said positioning step comprising pivoting said cradle using cam means which is operated in timed sequence with a drive for said turret.

Claim 36

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces in the form of cans each having a bottom wall adjoined by a tubular sidewall which terminates in an open end, said apparatus comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of stations including an infeed station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly at said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies in a substantially cantilevered manner, said holding means comprising a support head on each of said head assemblies and having an outer surface against which the bottom wall of an associated can is held, a fluid passage through said support head, an embossing device at said embossing station, means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, and a fluid system comprising a vacuum line connecting said fluid pAssage with an associated vacuum source to hold said can in said cantilevered manner against said outer surface by a vacuum until after it is embossed by said embossing device, said embossing device embossing the entire workpiece area which is to be embossed in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary, said infeed comprising a cradle adapted to momentarily support and position each particular can at said infeed station past which each head assembly is orbited to enable the particular can to be picked up by the holding means of an associated head, said cradle being supported for pivoting movement and said infeed further comprising an air nozzle adapted to eject air against the inside surface of the bottom wall of each can to help urge each can against an associated holding means and a cam which operatively associates with said cradle to pivot said cradle out of the rotary path of each can once the can has been picked up by an associated holding means.

Claim 37

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces in the form of cans each having a bottom wall adjoined by a tubular sidewall which terminates in an open end, said apparatus comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of stations including an infeed station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly at said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies in a substantially cantilevered manner, said holding means comprising a support head on each of said head assemblies and having an outer surface against which the bottom wall of an associated can is held, a fluid passage through said support head, an embossing device at said embossing station, means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, and a fluid system comprising a vacuum line connecting said fluid pAssage with an associated vacuum source to hold said can in said cantilevered manner against said outer surface by a vacuum until after it is embossed by said embossing device, said embossing device embossing the entire workpiece area which is to be embossed in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary, said infeed comprising a cradle adapted to momentarily support and position each particular can at said infeed station past which each head assembly is orbited to enable the particular can to be picked up by the holding means of an associated head, said cradle being supported for pivoting movement and said infeed further comprising an air nozzle adapted to eject air against the inside surface of the bottom wall of each can to help urge each can against an associated holding means and a cam which operatively associates with said cradle to pivot said cradle out of the rotary path of each can once the can has been picked up by an associated holding means.

Claim 38

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of station including an infeed station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly as said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies in a substantially cantilevered manner, an embossing device at said embossing station, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, each of said assemblies being indexed into position at said embossing station by said turret and said moving means comprising an actuator which engages each assembly as it is indexed into position and moves each assembly in a rectilinear path substantially parallel to said central axis thereby moving the associated can in position to enable said operative association, said embossing device embossing the entire workpiece area which is to be embossed in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 39

An apparatus for embossing substantially tubular workpieces comprising, a turret supporting a plurality of head assemblies for orbiting movement in an indexing manner about a central axis, a drive for indexing each head assembly to a plurality of station including an infeed station and an embossing station, an infeed for feeding a workpiece on each head assembly as said infeed station, means for holding a workpiece on each of said head assemblies in a substantially cantilevered manner, an embossing device at said embossing station, and means for moving each of said head assemblies so that its workpiece is brought into operative association with said embossing device to enable embossing thereof, each of said assemblies being indexed into position at said embossing station by said turret and said moving means comprising an actuator which engages each assembly as it is indexed into position and moves each assembly in a rectilinear path substantially parallel to said central axis thereby moving the associated can in position to enable said operative association, said embossing device embossing the entire workpiece area which is to be embossed in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary.

Claim 41

A method of shaping substantially tubular workpieces comprising the steps of, infeeding a plurality of workpieces on a plurality of head assemblies provided on a turret which is rotatable in an indexing manner about a central axis to a plurality of stations including a shaping station and an ejection station, holding each of said workpieces on its associated head assembly in a substantially cantilevered manner, indexing each of said head assemblies and its associated workpiece to a position adjacent and spaced from said shaping station by rotating said turret in said indexing manner, moving each assembly from its position adjacent said shaping station substantially parallel said central axis to move the associated workpiece into operative association with a shaping device at said shaping station, shaping each workpiece at said shaping station by shaping the entire area thereof which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary, and ejecting each workpiece at said ejection station.

Claim 42

A method of shaping substantially tubular workpieces comprising the steps of, infeeding a plurality of workpieces on a plurality of head assemblies provided on a turret which is rotatable in an indexing manner about a central axis to a plurality of stations including a shaping station and an ejection station, holding each of said workpieces on its associated head assembly in a substantially cantilevered manner, indexing each of said head assemblies and its associated workpiece to a position adjacent and spaced from said shaping station by rotating said turret in said indexing manner, moving each assembly from its position adjacent said shaping station substantially parallel said central axis to move the associated workpiece into operative association with a shaping device at said shaping station, shaping each workpiece at said shaping station by shaping the entire area thereof which is to be shaped in a substantially simultaneous manner with the workpiece held stationary, and ejecting each workpiece at said ejection station.