Double action container domer
OwnerRoger A. Hahninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A forming apparatus for doming containers employs a pair of pistons, a pressure ring and doming die. One piston carries the pressure ring, and the other piston carries the doming die. The pistons are mechanically linked so that they move in a counteracting manner thus reducing the stroke distance necessary to dome the container. This further reduces the impact energy on the container. The mechanical linkage is preferably pairs of rack and pinion gears moving the pistons in opposite directions of travel.
Claims23
A forming apparatus mountable on a support frame and operative to form a dome structure in a bottom panel of a container wherein said container having a bottom peripheral edge surrounding said bottom panel, comprising:
- (a) a first piston reciprocally movable in opposite first and second directions relative to said support frame;
- (b) a second piston reciprocally movable in the first and second directions relative to said first piston;
- (c) a mechanical linkage interconnecting said first and second pistons such that movement of one of said first and second pistons respectively in the first and second directions causes counter movement of another of said first and second pistons in an opposite direction;
- (d) a pressure ring disposed on said first piston and operative to engage the bottom peripheral edge of said container and configured to reform said bottom peripheral edge to produce a desired shoulder profile as the container is forcibly advanced in the first direction;
- and
- (e) a doming die disposed on said second piston and reciprocally movable with said second piston in said first and second directions relative to said first piston and operative to engage the bottom panel of said container and configured to deform said bottom panel into a desired dome structure as the container is forcibly advanced in the first direction relative to the second piston.
A forming apparatus operative to form a dome structure in a bottom panel of a container wherein said container has a bottom peripheral edge surrounding said bottom panel and wherein a ram acts to advance the container in a linear first direction, comprising:
- (a) a support frame;
- (b) a piston housing secured to said support frame and having a housing interior formed by a surrounding sidewall extending longitudinally from a top end to a bottom end, said piston housing having a longitudinal axis;
- (c) a first piston formed as a shell having an outer piston wall, an inner piston wall and a piston interior, said first piston being disposed in the housing interior and axially aligned with the longitudinal axis, said first piston being reciprocally movable in a first direction toward the bottom end and an opposite second direction toward the top end with said outer piston wall sliding alongside the surrounding sidewall of said piston housing;
- (d) a second piston disposed in the piston interior and axially aligned with the longitudinal axis, said second piston reciprocally movable in the first and second directions relative to said first piston;
- (e) a rack gear set including a first rack gear secured to said first piston, a second rack gear secured to said second piston and a pinion gear secured relative to said piston housing and rotatably journaled so as to mechanically link said first and second rack gears such that movement of one of said first and second pistons respectively in the first and second directions causes counter movement of another of said first and second pistons in an opposite direction;
- (f) a pressure ring disposed on said first piston and operative to engage the bottom peripheral edge of said container and configured to reform said bottom peripheral edge to produce a desired shoulder profile as the container is forcibly advanced in the first direction by said ram;
- and
- (g) a doming die disposed on said second piston and operative to engage the bottom panel of said container and configured to deform said bottom panel into a desired dome structure as the container is forcibly advanced in the first direction relative to the second piston.
A forming apparatus mountable on a support frame and operative to form a dome structure in a bottom panel of a container wherein said container having a bottom peripheral edge surrounding said bottom panel, comprising:
- (a) a first piston reciprocally movable in opposite first and second directions relative to said support frame;
- (b) a second piston reciprocally movable in the first and second directions relative to said first piston;
- (c) a plurality of gear sets interconnecting said first and second pistons such that movement of one of said first and second pistons respectively in the first and second directions causes counter movement of another of said first an second pistons in an opposite direction, including a first gear rack secured to said first piston, a second gear rack secured to said second piston and a pinion gear secured relative to said support frame and engaging both said first and second gear rack whereby linear movement of said first gear rack causes movement of said second gear rack in an opposite direction, said gear sets being disposed equiangularly around said first and second pistons;
- (d) a pressure ring disposed on said first piston and operative to engage the bottom peripheral edge of said container and configured to reform said bottom peripheral edge to produce a desired shoulder profile as the container is forcibly advanced in the first direction;
- and
- (e) a doming die disposed on said second piston and reciprocally movable with said second piston in said first and second directions relative to said first piston and operative to engage the bottom panel of said container and configured to deform said bottom panel into a desired dome structure as the container is forcibly advanced in the first direction relative to the second piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.