Apparatus for trimming a scrap ring from a cylindrical container body and method of operation

Abstract

An apparatus for trimming a scrap ring from a cylindrical container body and its method of operation. A cylindrical container body, closed at one end and provided with a flange member which extends substantially at right angles to the body at the opposite open end, has a scrap ring trimmed from the flange member. The container body is fed into one of a series of hemispherical pockets of a rotary turret and is then moved laterally thereto with the aid of a vacuum holder that engages the closed end. The open end of a container is presented to a main disk cutter that rotates about its axis continuously and which travels in alignment with one of the hemispherical pockets. A frusto-conical ram is mounted on the main disk cutter and is inserted into the open end of the container to insure its roundness. An auxiliary disk cutter, whose axis is substantially at right angles to the main disk cutter, is mounted on a reciprocable bar member along with a stripper plate. The auxiliary disk cutter engages the opposite side of the container flange that abuts the main disk cutter and is frictionally driven. Trim ring retainer segments mounted adjacent the pockets on the rotary turret cooperate with the stripper plate to hold a severed scrap ring until the auxiliary disk cutter and container body are withdrawn. The stripper plate is then moved away from the trim ring retainer segments permitting the scrap ring to fall into a collection bin. The disk cutters are so positioned and sharpened in such a manner that a cutting burr is transferred to the scrap ring leaving an extremely smooth edge on the flange of the container.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.