Container forming apparatus

Claim 2

A press apparatus for forming container closures having closure tabs secured to closure ends including a plurality of work stations for performing a plurality of sequential operations on a container closure, the improvement residing in the work station which joins the tabs to the ends, said work station comprising a combination die assembly including: a progressive tab die section for forming the tabs by a plurality of successive operations and including an upper progressive tab die shoe, and a prestaking die section for joining the tabs with the ends and including an upper prestaking die shoe separate from said upper progressive tab die shoe, said progressive tab die section being removable from said work station and separable from said prestaking die section without substantially disturbing the alignment of said prestaking die section in said work station.

Claim 3

The improved press apparatus of claim 1 wherein said progressive tab die section includes a lower progressive tab die shoe and said prestaking die section includes a lower prestaking die shoe.

Claim 4

The improved press apparatus of claim 2 further comprising locating pins which interconnect said prestaking die section and said progressive tab die section by insertion of said locating pins through aligned apertures in each said lower die shoe.

Claim 5

The improved press apparatus of claim 3 wherein said upper die shoes have contoured surfaces forming a mating interface.

Claim 6

The press apparatus for forming container closurEs including joining closure ends with closure tabs blanked from a continuous strip, said apparatus comprising: a ram, a bolster, means for conveying said closure ends along a path between said ram and said bolster, and a plurality of stations positioned along said path for forming a plurality of successive operations on said closure ends on successive the prestaking of said ram, one of said stations including a combination die assembly having two separable mating sections including a progressive tab die section for forming tabs in a continuous strip by a plurality of successive operations and including an upper die shoe removably secured to said ram and a prestaking die section for blanking the tabs from the continuous strip and joining the tabs with the respective ends and including an upper die shoe removably secured to said ram, said progressive tab die section being separable from said prestaking die section and removable from said work station without substantially disturbing the prestaking die section alignment in said work station.

Claim 7

The press apparatus for forming container closurEs including joining closure ends with closure tabs blanked from a continuous strip, said apparatus comprising: a ram, a bolster, means for conveying said closure ends along a path between said ram and said bolster, and a plurality of stations positioned along said path for forming a plurality of successive operations on said closure ends on successive the prestaking of said ram, one of said stations including a combination die assembly having two separable mating sections including a progressive tab die section for forming tabs in a continuous strip by a plurality of successive operations and including an upper die shoe removably secured to said ram and a prestaking die section for blanking the tabs from the continuous strip and joining the tabs with the respective ends and including an upper die shoe removably secured to said ram, said progressive tab die section being separable from said prestaking die section and removable from said work station without substantially disturbing the prestaking die section alignment in said work station.

Claim 8

The press apparatus of claim 5 wherein said path for conveying said closure ends through said plurality of stations is substantially arcuate.

Claim 9

The press apparatus of claim 6 wherein said prestaking die section and said progressive tab die section include lower die shoes respectively removably secured to said bolster.

Claim 10

The press apparatus of claim 7 wherein said combination die assembly includes locating pins which interconnect said lower die shoes by insertion of said locating pins through aligned apertures in said lower die shoes.

Claim 11

The improved press apparatus of claim 8 wherein said upper die shoes have contoured surfaces forming a mating interface.

Claim 12

The press apparatus of claim 6 including a scrap chopper aligned with said prestaking die section for receiving a blanked-out portion of said continuous strip and chopping said blanked-out portion into small readily disposable scrap.

Claim 13

The press apparatus of claim 10 wherein said scrap chopper includes lower chopper means fixedly mounted on said bolster, upper chopper means movably mounted on said bolster, and hammer means mounted on said ram, said hammer means striking said upper chopper means with each stroke of the ram to thereby force said upper chopper means to descend and close with said lower chopper means so as to sever said blanked-out portion of said continuous strip.

Claim 14

The press apparatus of claim 11 wherein said scrap chopper includes spring-biased guide means connecting said upper chopper means with said lower chopper means, said spring-biased guide means forcing said upper chopper means to separate from said lower chopper means as the ram ascends.

Claim 15

The press apparatus of claim 12 wherein said upper chopper means includes an upper chopper blade and said lower chopper means includes a lower chopper blade, said upper chopper blade and said lower chopper blade being offset to permit overlapping therebetween as the upper chopper means descends.

Claim 16

The press apparatus of claim 13 further comprising a scrap chute interposed between said prestaking die section and said scrap chopper, said scrap chute including a feed channel for guiding said blanked-out portion of said continuous strip.

Claim 17

The press apparatus of claim 14 wherein said combination die assembly comprises a substantially uniplanar feed channel for guiding the continuous strip through said progressive tab die section and said prestaking die section, said feed channel being substantially coplanar with said feed channel of said scrap chute and the upper surface of said lower chopper blade.

Claim 18

A press apparatus for forming container closures including joining closure ends with closure tabs blanked out of a continuous strip, said apparatus comprising: a ram, a bolster, means for conveying said closure ends along a circular path between said ram and said bolster, a plurality of stations positioned along said path for performing a plurAlity of successive operations on said closure ends on successive strokes of said ram, one of said stations including a combination die assembly having a progressive tab die section for forming tabs in the continuous strip by a plurality of successive operations and a prestaking die section for blanking out the tabs from said continuous strip and joining the tabs with the respective ends, said prestaking die section and said progressive tab die section including upper mutually separable die assemblies detachably mounted on said ram and lower mutually separable die assemblies detachably mounted on said bolster so as to permit removal of said progressive tab die section from said one station without substantially disturbing the position of said prestaking die section in said one station, said combination die assembly having a substantially uniplanar feed channel extending therethrough, a scrap chopper aligned with said uniplanar feed channel to receive a blanked-out portion of a continuous strip, said scrap chopper including chopper means for severing said blanked-out portion in a plane substantially coplanar with said feed channel, and a scrap chute means interposed between said feed channel and said scrap chopper and extending across said circular path, said scrap chute means including a feed channel substantially coplanar with said feed channel of said combination die assembly.

Claim 19

A press apparatus for forming container closures including joining closure ends with closure tabs blanked out of a continuous strip, said apparatus comprising: a ram, a bolster, means for conveying said closure ends along a circular path between said ram and said bolster, a plurality of stations positioned along said path for performing a plurAlity of successive operations on said closure ends on successive strokes of said ram, one of said stations including a combination die assembly having a progressive tab die section for forming tabs in the continuous strip by a plurality of successive operations and a prestaking die section for blanking out the tabs from said continuous strip and joining the tabs with the respective ends, said prestaking die section and said progressive tab die section including upper mutually separable die assemblies detachably mounted on said ram and lower mutually separable die assemblies detachably mounted on said bolster so as to permit removal of said progressive tab die section from said one station without substantially disturbing the position of said prestaking die section in said one station, said combination die assembly having a substantially uniplanar feed channel extending therethrough, a scrap chopper aligned with said uniplanar feed channel to receive a blanked-out portion of a continuous strip, said scrap chopper including chopper means for severing said blanked-out portion in a plane substantially coplanar with said feed channel, and a scrap chute means interposed between said feed channel and said scrap chopper and extending across said circular path, said scrap chute means including a feed channel substantially coplanar with said feed channel of said combination die assembly.

Claim 20

The press apparatus of claim 16 wherein said scrap chopper includes lower chopper means fixedly mounted on said bolster, upper chopper means movably mounted on said bolster, and hammer means mounted on said ram, said hammer means striking said upper chopper means with successive strokes of the ram to thereby force said upper chopper means to descend and close with said lower chopper means so as to sever said blanked-out portion of said continuous strip into small disposable scrap.

Claim 21

The improved press apparatus of claim 5 including means for interconnecting said prestaking tab die section and said progressive tab die section.

Claim 22

The improved press apparatus of claim 18 wherein said interconnecting means comprises locating pins inserted through aligned apertures in said progressive tab die section and said prestaking die section.

Claim 23

The improved press apparatus of claim 5 wherein said progressive tab die section includes a series of punches and a punch retainer supported by and spaced from said ram by said upper die shoe of said progressive tab die section.

Claim 24

The improved press apparatus of claim 20 wherein prestaking die section includes a prestaking die and a die retainer secured to and spaced from said ram by said upper die shoe of said prestaking die section.

Claim 25

The improved press apparatus of claim 21 wherein said progressive tab die section includes guide posts extending between said upper die shoe and said lower die assembly of said progressive tab die.

Claim 26

The press apparatus for forming container closures having closure tabs secured to closure ends including a plurality of work stations for performing a plurality of sequential operations on a container closure, the improvement residing in the work station which joins the tabs to the ends, said work station comprising a die assembly including: a progressive tab die section for forming the tabs by a plurality of successive operations, a prestaking die section for joining the tabs with the ends, said prestaking section being separable from said progressive die section, and locating pins for interconnecting said progressive tab die section and said prestaking section by insertion through mutually aligned apertures of each said section.

Claim 27

The press apparatus for forming container closures having closure tabs secured to closure ends including a plurality of work stations for performing a plurality of sequential operations on a container closure, the improvement residing in the work station which joins the tabs to the ends, said work station comprising a die assembly including: a progressive tab die section for forming the tabs by a plurality of successive operations, a prestaking die section for joining the tabs with the ends, said prestaking section being separable from said progressive die section, and locating pins for interconnecting said progressive tab die section and said prestaking section by insertion through mutually aligned apertures of each said section.

Claim 28

The improved press apparatus of claim 23 wherein said progressive tab die section and said prestaking section which include an upper die assembly and a lower die assembly.

Claim 29

The improved press apparatus of claim 24 wherein each said lower die assembly includes a lower die shoe, said apertures being located in each said lower die shoe.

Claim 30

The improved press apparatus of claim 24 wherein each said upper die assembly includes an upper die shoe, said upper die shoes having contoured surfaces forming a mating interface between said progressive tab die section and said prestaking section.