Method and Apparatus for Assembling a Closure Tab to a Lid

The apparatus according to claim 24 wherein the carrier comprises a suction device to pick the first workpiece as it is trimmed from the sheet and to hold the trimmed first workpiece as it is assembled to the second workpiece.

An apparatus for automatically forming a composite article by assembling first and second workpieces thermoformed in a common plastic sheet comprising a plurality of the first and second workpieces, the apparatus comprising:

• a trimmer for individually trimming at least one of the first workpieces from the plastic sheet, wherein the plastic sheet comprises alternating one of rows and columns of the first workpieces and the second workpieces;
• and
• a carrier moveable between a first position, where the carrier picks up one of the trimmed first workpieces, and a second position, where the carrier assembles the trimmed first workpiece to one of the second workpieces in the plastic sheet.

An apparatus for automatically forming a composite article by assembling first and second workpieces thermoformed in a common plastic sheet comprising a plurality of the first and second workpieces, the apparatus comprising:

• a trimmer for trimming at least one of the first workpieces from the plastic sheet;
• and
• a carrier moveable between a first position, where the carrier picks up one of the trimmed first workpieces, and a second position, where the carrier assembles the trimmed first workpiece to one of the second workpieces in the plastic sheet by a press-fit coupling, wherein the carrier is movable directly between the first and second positions eliminating the need to temporarily store the trimmed first workpiece prior to assembly to the one of the second workpieces.