US 5,419,094 AGranted

Constant speed spindles for rotary capping machine

AssigneeCrown Cork & Seal Company, Inc.

InventorsEdward F. Vander Bush, Jr., John M. Mathy, Jr., Lehew W. Miller, Jr., James L. Anderson

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Abstract

A rotary capping machine (10) includes a nonrotating center shaft (26) about which a turret (28) is rotatably mounted. The turret (28) is rotated by a motor (30) whose speed can be adjusted to alter the bottle through put rate of the capping machine (10). A plurality of spindle shafts (44) are supported on the turret (28) in a circle about the center shaft (26). A rotary capping head (48) is positioned on the end of each spindle shaft (44) and includes a clutch mechanism. A drive motor (68) supported on the center shaft (26) rotates each of the spindle shafts (44) in unison through a compound and planetary gear train. As the spindle shafts (44) revolve about the center shaft (26), they are linearly reciprocated by a barrel cam (50) arrangement. A rotary encoder (78) senses the instantaneous rotational speed of the turret (28) and sends feed back signals to a CPU to control the drive motor (68) so the spindle shafts (44) always rotate at a field determined constant speed regardless of the turret speed. The speed may be adjusted up and down.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A capping apparatus (10) for threading caps (12) onto bottles (14) at a constant threading speed independent of the bottle through put rate, said apparatus comprising:

a center shaft (26) having a vertical central axis (A);
a turret (28) rotatably carried about said center shaft (26);
turret drive means (30) for rotating said turret (28) about said central axis (A) at variable turret speeds to alter the bottle through put rate;
a plurality of spindle shafts (44) spaced circumferentially about said central axis (A) and each rotatably supported on said turret (28);
a capping head (48) disposed on each of said spindle shafts (44);
rotation means for forcibly rotating each of said spindle shafts (44) in unison about respective axes parallel to said central axis (A);
and characterized by control means (76) for directly sensing the instantaneous turret speed and reactively controlling said rotation means to rotate said spindle shafts (44) at a constant rotational speed to thread caps (12) onto the bottles (14) with a constant final torque tightness independent of the turret speed and the bottle through put rate.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.