Sheet carrier conditioning die assembly and conditioning method

An assembly to effectuate conditioning of a sheet carrier prior to application of the sheet carrier to an article container group so as to form a container multi-pack, the assembly comprising:

• a. a die plate having a central portion and a central portion periphery adjacent said central portion, said central portion of said die plate characterized by a select array of conditioning dies, dies of said select array of conditioning dies upwardly extending from said central portion of said die plate, said dies of said select array of conditioning dies characterized by a shoulder delimiting upper and lower die portions;
• and,
• b. a sheet carrier receiver plate resiliently retained upon said die plate for displacement towards said die plate via engagement of a sheet carrier received upon said sheet carrier receiver plate by a press plate in furtherance of deflecting discrete portions of the sheet carrier about shoulders of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies, said sheet carrier receiver plate having a central portion and a central portion periphery adjacent said central portion, said central portion of said sheet carrier receiver plate characterized by a select array of passages configured to correspond to a configuration of said select array of conditioning dies of said central portion of said die plate, the passages of said select array of passages circumscribing the lower die portions of the conditioning dies of said select array of conditioning dies of said central portion of said die plate.