Apparatus and method for forming a cup with a reformed bottom

An apparatus for forming a reformed metallic cup having a bottom portion with an inwardly oriented projection from a metallic cup with a substantially flat bottom portion, the improvement comprising:

• providing the metallic cup with the substantially flat bottom portion and a sidewall;
• a die center punch to support an interior surface of the substantially flat bottom portion of the metallic cup proximate to at least the sidewall, the die center punch having a cavity with a depth at least equal to a height of the inwardly oriented projection;
• a reform draw pad with a substantially centered cavity;
• and
• a reform punch opposing the die center punch to apply a force to an exterior surface of the substantially flat bottom portion of the metallic cup opposite of the die center punch, said reform punch comprising an extension which travels through the substantially centered cavity of the reform draw pad and into the cavity of said die center punch to form the inwardly oriented projection, wherein a height of the inwardly oriented projection is at least about 5 percent of a height of a sidewall of the reformed metallic cup, and wherein the reform draw pad is configured to move from a first position in which the extension of said reform punch does not extend into the substantially centered cavity of the reform draw pad to a second position in which the reform punch extension extends through the substantially centered cavity of the reform draw pad,
• wherein the sidewall of the metallic cup with the substantially flat bottom portion is supported by an interior surface of a redraw die as the inwardly oriented projection is formed, and wherein the height of the sidewall of the reformed metallic cup with the inwardly oriented projection is between about 60 percent and about 97 percent of a height of the sidewall of the metallic cup with the substantially flat bottom portion.