Apparatus and method for substantially reducing can spacing and speed to match chain pins

Apparatus for decorating cylindrical articles, said apparatus including:

• a carrier mounted for continuous rotation on a main axis;
• a plurality of equally angularly spaced mandrels mounted on said carrier and arranged in an array surrounding said main axis;
• decorating means past which said mandrels move as said carrier rotates;
• a transfer carrier mounted for continuous rotation;
• a plurality of pickup devices mounted on said transfer carrier in an array surrounding its rotational axis and adapted to receive articles directly from said mandrels;
• a closed loop continuously moving oven chain;
• a plurality of pins mounted to said oven chain, spaced along the length thereof and adapted to extend into said articles to receive same directly from the pickup devices;
• means for controlling application of pressurized air to said mandrels while they move through a pickup zone to drive decorated articles from said mandrels to be received by said pickup devices while the latter move in single file through said pickup zone;
• first means for maintaining spacing between adjacent mandrels while moving through said pickup zone substantially greater than spacing between adjacent pickup devices in said pickup zone;
• second means for maintaining linear speed of said mandrels while moving through said pickup zone substantially greater than the linear speed of said pickup devices moving through said pickup zone.

Apparatus for loading articles on to pins from a plurality of mandrels, the mandrels arranged in an array surrounding an axis of a rotating mandrel carrier that moves the articles at a substantially faster linear speed than said pins are moving, the apparatus comprising:

• a rotating transfer carrier having a plurality of radial guide means;
• a plurality of pickup devices adapted to receive articles from the mandrels at a pickup region, a pickup device associated with each radial guide means on said transfer carrier;
• adjacent mandrels spaced apart a greater distance than adjacent pickup devices at the pickup region;
• the pins carried by a chain and arranged in first and second rows;
• a cam plate mounted in registry with said rotating transfer carrier and having at least one cam slot;
• at least alternate ones of the pickup devices having cam follower means for engaging said cam slot to arrange the articles into two lines for loading onto the first and second rows of pins.