Apparatus and method for registering articles during a web processing operation

A trim press article handling apparatus, comprising:

• a punch plate having a plurality of punches extending across the plate in a direction transverse to a delivery path for a thermoformed web including articles and tapered article locators;
• a die plate having a plurality of dies, each die cooperating in relative movement with a respective one of the punch plates to sever articles from a thermoformable web;
• a pair of plungers carried by one of the punch plate and the die plate spaced apart in a direction transverse to a delivery path for a thermoformed web a distance spanning across a plurality of respective dies or plates, each plunger having a tapered advancing head comprising a central retainer affixed to the respective plate, a biasing spring, and a retractable outer sleeve carried by the central retainer, the outer sleeve biased apart from the respective plate by the biasing spring, the outer sleeve including a hemispherical circumferential sleeve shoulder with a bifurcated taper including a distal, relatively steep angle taper followed by a proximal, relatively shallow angle taper;
• and
• a pair of receivers, each receiver carried by another of the punch plate and the die plate, having a tapered recess provided rigidly in the another of the punch plate and the die plate, and configured to receive the plunger;
• wherein a tapered article locator within a thermoformed web having articles therein is captured between each pair of the plunger and the receiver as the punch plate and die plate are brought together there about, imparting an initial coarse alignment of articles in the web via the distal, relatively steep angle taper of each plunger cooperating with each receiver between the punch and the die and imparting a subsequent fine alignment of articles in the web via the proximal, relatively shallow angle taper of each plunger cooperating with each receiver.