Apparatus and Method for Simultaneously Forming a Contoured Shoulder and Neck Portion in a Closed End of a Metallic Container

A method of simultaneously forming a contoured shoulder and a reduced diameter neck on a closed end portion of a metallic container, comprising:

• providing a metallic container comprising an open end, a closed end portion, and a sidewall portion extending therebetween;
• providing a punch positioned to apply a force on an interior surface of the centermost portion of the closed end portion;
• providing a draw ring positioned adjacent to the punch and having an arcuate shaped leading end;
• providing a draw die positioned on an exterior surface of the closed end portion and having an arcuate shaped draw die face and an upper recess with a predetermined diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the closed end of the metallic container;
• engaging the interior and exterior surfaces of the sidewall portion and the closed end portion of said metallic container with the draw ring and the draw die to provide a clamping force to simultaneously form a reduced diameter neck portion on the closed end portion and change the shape of a shoulder of the metallic container;
• repeating, at least one more time, the engaging with the draw ring and the draw die to modify the shoulder of the metallic container while simultaneously reducing the diameter of the closed end portion at least one more time until the neck portion has a final external diameter;
• and
• reducing a radius interconnecting the neck portion and the shoulder of the metallic container with a second draw die and a clamping ring to reshape a transition between the neck portion and the shoulder portion of the metallic container.

A set of tools for shaping a metallic container body with a closed end and a shoulder portion by working the closed end to simultaneously form a contoured, arcuate shoulder portion and a neck portion with a reduced diameter, comprising:

• a draw die having an inner face with an arcuate shape adapted to be brought into abutment against an outer surface of the shoulder portion;
• a draw ring having an outer face with an arcuate shape adapted to be brought into abutment against an inner surface of the shoulder portion, said draw ring outer face and said draw die inner face having opposing shapes to provide a compressive force on said shoulder portion;
• a form punch for contacting and applying a force to an inner face of the closed end at a portion closer to a center of the closed end than the shoulder portion, said form punch having a predetermined diameter to form the neck portion in the closed end of the metallic container body;
• a pilot for supporting an inner vertical surface of the neck portion after the neck portion has been shaped a final time to a predetermined diameter;
• and
• a clamping ring positioned axially adjacent to said pilot and having an outer face with an arcuate shape adapted to be brought into abutment against the inner surface of the shoulder portion, wherein the clamping ring supports the shoulder portion when a portion of the shoulder portion is pinched between said draw die inner face and said clamping ring outer face to change a radius of curvature between the shoulder portion and the neck portion.