Can feeding apparatus for a can seamer

In a production line including a can seamer having a seaming turret and a can lifter supporting can bodies in the seaming turret, a can feeding apparatus comprising:

• opposed can guides having guiding surfaces, respectively, defining a can passageway therebetween terminating at the can lifter of the can seamer, one of said can guides having a portion adjacent the can lifter and seaming turret of the can seamer;
• a rail in the form of a plate delimiting the bottom of said can passageway;
• a conveyor including a drive chain and a plurality of fingers fixed to said drive chain and extending into said can passageway, the fingers moving along said can passageway to push can bodies in the can passageway to the can lifter at an end of said passageway when said conveyor is driven;
• and a magnet mounted to said portion of said one of the can guides at the end of said passageway adjacent the can lifter, said magnet being flush with the guiding surface of said one of said can guides.

In a production line including a can seamer having a seaming turret and a can lifter supporting can bodies in the seaming turret, and a can lid feeding mechanism disposed upstream of the can seamer and feeding can lids one-by-one onto can bodies, a can feeding apparatus comprising:

• opposed can guides having guide surfaces, respectively, defining a can passageway passing by the can lid feeding mechanism and terminating at the can lifter of the can seamer;
• a rail in the form of a plate delimiting the bottom of said can passageway;
• a conveyor including a drive chain and a plurality of fingers fixed to said drive chain and extending into said can passageway, the fingers moving along said can passageway to push the can bodies in the can passageway along said rail through the can lid feeding mechanism and to said can seamer when the conveyor is driven;
• a can body centering device disposed adjacent the can lid feeding mechanism and which centers can bodies relative to the mechanism so that the can bodies will each receive a lid thereon from the can lid feed mechanism, said can body centering device including a can lid feed turret and a first opposed turret opposed thereto, said can feed passageway extending between said turrets, said can lid feed turret having a plurality of teeth at the outer periphery thereof, the teeth including first portions defining pockets spaced in the circumferential direction of the can lid feed turret at a pitch at least equal to the pitch at which the fingers of said conveyor are spaced, and said first opposed turret including a first outer circumferential portion having surfaces in the shape of circular arcs to define pockets at the outer periphery of the first opposed turret, and projecting portions having surfaces extending contiguously to said surfaces in the shape of circular arcs and radially outwardly of the pitch circle of the first opposed turret, the surfaces of said projecting portions having profiles of cycloids;
• a drive mechanism operatively connected to said conveyor, to said can lid feed turret and to said first opposed turret so as to drive said conveyor to move the fingers along said passageway, rotate said can lid feed turret in a first rotational direction in synchronization with said conveyor, and rotate said first opposed turret at the same speed as said can lid feed turret and in a rotational direction opposite to said first rotational direction;
• a seaming turret and a second opposed turret opposed to said seaming turret, the seaming turret and the second opposed turret being located at the end of said can passageway so as to receive can bodies pushed by the fingers of said conveyor, each of said seaming and second opposed turrets having a plurality of teeth at the outer periphery thereof, the teeth of at least one of said seaming and second opposed turrets including first portions defining can body-receiving recesses therebetween and claws extending from said first portions, respectively, radially outwardly of the pitch circle of the at least one turret, each of said claws having a surface extending contiguously from a surface of a said first portion forming a leading end of a said can body-receiving recess with respect to a direction of rotation of the at least one turret, and each said surface of the claws having a profile of a cycloid.

In a production line including a can seamer having a seaming turret and a can lifter supporting can bodies in the seaming turret, and a can lid feeding mechanism disposed upstream of the can seamer and feeding can lids one-by-one onto can bodies, a can feeding apparatus comprising:

• opposed can guides having guide surfaces, respectively, defining a can passageway passing by the can lid feeding mechanism and terminating at the can lifter of the can seamer, one of said can guides having a portion adjacent the can lifter and the seaming turret of the can seamer;
• a rail in the form of a plate delimiting the bottom of said can passageway;
• a conveyor including a drive chain and a plurality of fingers fixed to said drive chain and extending into said can passageway, the fingers moving along said can passageway to push the can bodies in the can passageway along said rail through the can lid feeding mechanism and to said can seamer when said conveyor is driven;
• a can body centering device disposed adjacent the can lid feeding mechanism and which centers can bodies relative to the mechanism so that the can bodies will each receive a lid thereon from the can lid feed mechanism, said can body centering device including a can lid feed turret and a first opposed turret opposed thereto, said can feed passageway extending between said turrets, said can lid feed turret having a plurality of teeth at the outer periphery thereof, the teeth including first portions defining pockets spaced in the circumferential direction of the turret at a pitch at least equal to the pitch at which the fingers of said conveyor are spaced, and said first opposed turret including a first outer circumferential portion having surfaces in the shape of circular arcs to define pockets at the outer periphery of the first opposed turret, and projecting portions having surfaces extending contiguously to said surfaces in the shape of circular arcs and radially outwardly of the pitch circle of the first opposed turret, the surfaces of said projecting portions having profiles of cycloids;
• a drive mechanism operatively connected to said conveyor, to said can lid feed turret and to said first opposed turret so as to drive said conveyor to move the fingers along said passageway, rotate said can lid feed turret in a first rotational direction in synchronization with said conveyor, and rotate said first opposed turret at the same speed as said can lid feed turret and in a rotational direction opposite to said first rotational direction;
• and a magnet mounted to said portion of said one of the can guides at the end of said passageway adjacent the can lifter, said magnet being flush with the guiding surface of said one of said can guides.

A can feeding apparatus in a production line including a can seamer having a seaming turret and a can lifter supporting can bodies in the seaming turret, and a can lid feeding mechanism disposed upstream of the can seamer and feeding can lids one-by-one onto can bodies, a can feeding apparatus comprising:

• opposed can guides having guide surfaces, respectively, defining a can passageway passing by the can lid feeding mechanism and terminating at the can lifter of the can seamer;
• a rail in the form of a plate delimiting the bottom of said can passageway;
• a conveyor including a drive chain and a plurality of fingers fixed to said drive chain and extending into said can passageway, the fingers moving along said can passageway to push the can bodies in the can passageway along said rail through the can lid feeding mechanism and to said can seamer when the conveyor is driven;
• a can body centering device disposed adjacent the can lid feeding mechanism and which centers can bodies relative to the mechanism so that the can bodies will each receive a lid thereon from the can lid feed mechanism, said can body centering device including a can lid feed turret and a first opposed turret opposed thereto, said can feed passageway extending between said turrets, said can lid feed turret having a plurality of teeth at the outer periphery thereof, the teeth including first portions defining pockets spaced in the circumferential direction of the turret at a pitch at least equal to the pitch at which the fingers of said conveyor are spaced, and said first opposed turret including a first outer circumferential portion having surfaces in the shape of circular arcs to define pockets at the outer periphery of the first opposed turret, and projecting portions having surfaces extending contiguously to said surfaces in the shape of circular arcs and radially outwardly of the pitch circle of the first opposed turret, the surfaces of said projecting portions having profiles of cycloids;
• a drive mechanism operatively connected to said conveyor, to said can lid feed turret and to said first opposed turret so as to drive said conveyor to move the fingers along said passageway, rotate said can lid feed turret in a first rotational direction in synchronization with said conveyor, and rotate said first opposed turret at the same speed as said can lid feed turret and in a rotational direction opposite to said first rotational direction, said drive mechanism including a motor having a rotary drive shaft, a drive flange integral with said drive shaft so as to rotate therewith, a sprocket about which the drive chain of said conveyor is wrapped, said sprocket being mounted to said drive flange, and a phase adjusting mechanism by which the rotational position of said sprocket relative to said drive flange can be adjusted, said phase adjusting device including an eccentric pin threaded to said drive flange, a phase adjusting plate, a pin detachably securing said phase adjusting plate to said sprocket, said phase adjusting plate being engageable with said eccentric pin such that rotation of said eccentric pin when engaged with said phase-adjusting plate adjusts the rotational position of said sprocket relative to said drive flange.