Automatic machine for finishing cookware body blanks

A machine for finishing metal container blanks, each of which has a circular bottom wall and an upright side wall that are concentric to an axis of the blank, said machine having one station whereat each blank is rotated about its axis relative to a tool that engages the blank, said machine being characterized by:

• A. a table having a horizontal top surface along which blanks can slide in a transport direction between said one station and another station, said table having therein a hole at said one station that is concentric to an upright station axis;
• B. a pair of opposing blank engaging elements that overlie said top surface of the table and are confined to horizontal motion in zones spaced to opposite sides of said station axis;
• C. means for moving each of said blank engaging elements in unison with the other along a defined path from an idle position laterally towards the other for engagement with blanks at said stations, then in said transport direction to cooperate with the other in shifting the engaged blanks through the distance between said stations, then laterally away from the other, and then oppositely to said transport direction back to said idle position;
• D. a freely rotatable tail stock coaxial with said station axis and movable upwardly from and downwardly to a lowered position wherein said tail stock is in said hole and has its top surface level with said top surface of the table, to receive blanks delivered to said one station;
• E. a driver head confined to rotation about said station axis at a location substantially above said level, to be clear of blanks transported by the conveyor, said driver head having a bottom surface coaxially engageable with the bottom wall of a blank for imparting rotation thereto;
• F. drive means for continuously rotating said driver head;
• and
• G. lift means for raising said tail stock above its lowered position and clampingly engaging the bottom wall of a blank thereon against said bottom surface of the driver head so that the blank can be rotated by the driver head.

A machine for performing finishing operations upon metal container blanks, each having a circular bottom wall and an upright side wall that are concentric to an axis of the blank, said machine having a plurality of horizontally spaced apart stations to which blanks are advanced successively, one of said stations being arranged for performance of an operation that requires rotation of the blank relative to a tool that engages it, said machine being characterized by:

• A. a table having a horizontal top surface that extends across said stations and upon which the bottom walls of blanks are slidable during advance of blanks from station to station, said table having a hole therein at said one station that is concentric to an upright station axis;
• B. a freely rotatable tail stock concentric to said station axis, said tail stock being movable upwardly from and downwardly to a lowered position wherein said tail stock is in said hole in the table and a top surface of the tail stock is level with said top surface of the table;
• C. horizontally movable conveyor means above the table, engageable with opposite side portions of blanks at said stations for sliding advance of those blanks and whereby a blank advanced to said one station is deposited concentrically on said tail stock;
• D. a driver head continuously rotatable concentrically to said station axis at a location spaced above said table, said driver head having a bottom surface engageable with a bottom wall of a blank;
• and
• E. means for exerting upward force upon said tail stock to raise it from its lowered position and clampingly engage the bottom wall of a blank thereon against said bottom surface of the driver head to constrain the blank to rotate with the driver head.