Method and apparatus for cutting can bodies
AssigneeDonald V. Hanlon
InventorRoy E. Rogers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An elongated can body blank moves axially and is supported in part on a traveling interior mandrel. Traveling with the mandrel and elongated blank is a typical knife carriage having a plurality of knives mounted thereon for cutting the body blank into a plurality of individual can bodies. The improvement is a pivoting retainer member mounted on the knife carriage that functions to engage the open end of the axially moving can body blank rotating therewith and functions to precisely position the entire length of the blank with respect to the cutoff knives.
Claims9
A method for cutting individual can body blanks from an elongated blank of the type having an axially movable knife carriage where the elongated blank travels axially by flexible drive means substantially together with the knife carriage, the steps of which comprise
- engaging a retainer element pivotally mounted on said knife carriage against an end of said elongated blank,
- urging said blank upstream with said retainer element against the driving bias of said flexible drive means into a fixed position relative to said knife carriage, and
- cutting at least a portion of said blank to form at least one individual can body blank while said blank is held in said fixed position.
A method for cutting individual can body blanks from an elongated blank comprising
- helically winding an elongated can blank around and along a winding and cutoff mandrel using flexible drive means,
- engaging a retainer element pivotally mounted on a knife carriage against a downstream end of said elongated blank,
- urging said elongated blank in an upstream direction against the driving bias of said flexible drive means to place said elongated blank in a fixed position relative to said knife carriage, and
- cutting said blank to form individual can body blanks along a downstream end portion of said elongated blank while said elongated blank is held in said fixed position.
A machine for cutting individual can body blanks from an elongated blank comprising
- a mandrel,
- flexible drive means associated with said mandrel for helically winding an elongated can blank around and along the latter,
- a knife carriage disposed adjacent said mandrel and adapted for cutting a portion of said elongated blank into individual can body blanks, and
- a retainer element pivotally connected to said knife carriage and adapted for engaging a downstream end of said elongated blank and for urging said elongated blank upstream against the driving bias of said flexible drive means to place said elongated blank in a fixed position relative to said knife carriage for uniform cutting of said individual can body blanks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.