Progressive die manufacturing method and associated tooling assemblies for ergonomic pull tabs

A progressive die manufacturing method of producing a pull tab for opening a container of a type having a frangible region of a container lid and a rivet adjacent the frangible region, comprising steps:

• providing a carrier sheet of metal suitable for forming into pull tabs;
• producing at least one tab blank from the carrier sheet, each tab blank fixed with one or more carrier strips of the carrier sheet at one or more attachment points on the pull tab;
• forming each tab blank into a pull tab having:
• a body extending along a longitudinal axis from a forward end to a rearward end, the body having:
• a nose portion at the forward end configured to apply downward pressure on the frangible region of the container lid,
• a lift portion at the rearward end disposed distally from the nose portion and terminating at a distal end of the pull tab,
• a pair of opposing sides extending from the nose portion to the lift portion,
• a top surface defining a top plane and a bottom surface defining a bottom plane, the body forming a variable thickness profile along the longitudinal axis, such that:
• the thickness of the body at the nose portion is greater than the thickness at the lift portion;
• the thickness increases to a peak thickness between the nose portion and a first bend;
• and
• the thickness tapers from the peak thickness to the lift portion;
• a rivet island aperture in the body between the opposing sides proximate the nose portion, the rivet island aperture defining a rivet island that includes a rivet aperture for attachment with the rivet of the container lid;
• and
• a finger hole in the body between the opposing sides between the rearward end and the rivet island aperture;
• moving the carrier sheet and pull tabs to a forming station;
• at the forming station, bending the sides of the pull tab to elevate the lift portion relative to the top plane of the pull tab by forming the first bend in the body between the nose portion and the lift portion.