Apparatus for producing a bead on the periphery of a hollow cylinder

Beading apparatus for producing a bead on the periphery of a hollow cylinder, such as a can body, comprising:

• an internal tool having a maximum cross-sectional dimension smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow cylinder after it has been beaded,
• an external tool in the form of a ring having an inner cross-sectional dimension greater than the outer diameter of the unbeaded hollow cylinder,
• means for rotatably driving at least one of said internal and external tools with controlled radial adjustment of said tools with respect to one another so that the hollow cylinder can be rolled and deformed between the outer periphery of the internal tool and the inner periphery of the external tool to form a bead thereon,
• and a depressor axially adjacent one of said tools for supporting the hollow cylinder at a location axially adjacent the region where the bead is being formed,
• wherein the depressor is formed as a basket with springing tongues separated by axial slots, such spring tongues being movably engagable with a conically tapering surface of a cylinder liner to effect a change in the effective diameter of the basket so that such springing tongues can adjustably closely engage against the periphery of the hollow cylinder during beading operations while being springably movable to a rest position permitting movement of the hollow cylinder to and from the beading apparatus.