A cartridge and tubular container refinishing apparatus, comprising:
- a base plate;
- a label removing unit being rigidly attached to said base plate, said label removing unit including a frame comprising two vertical end walls with a bushing type bearing rigidly attached horizontally therebetween, said bushing having a cylinder rotatably held therewithin, said cylinder being open at both ends and being caused to spin by a motor driven belt drivingly engaged at a front end thereof, said cylinder having a knife-holding ring rigidly connected to a rear end face thereof, said cylinder and said knife ring being configured to allow said cartridge to pass axially therethrough, said ring having at least one slot allowing at least one knife to be adjustably held therein, said ring having at least one threaded aperture formed therein and at least one screw threaded into said at least one threaded aperture for engaging and rigidly securing said knife, said knife having a label shaving edge extending inward toward an axial center of said knife-holding ring, said frame having a first cartridge hopper on one side adjacent to said horizontal cylinder and a second cartridge hopper on an opposite side, said cartridge hoppers being configured so that a first axis of a cartridge at the bottom of said first hopper is parallel to a second axis of a cartridge at the bottom of said second hopper and a third axis of said horizontal cylinder is level with, parallel to and centered between said first axis and said second axis, said label removing unit including a cartridge infeed chute rollingly feeding cartridges to said first hopper and said second hopper, said frame including a shavings suction chute comprising a housing extending rearward from a rear face of said frame, said housing having an aperture formed therein which is coaxial with and slightly larger than the open end of said knife ring, said housing extending downward to a passage leading to a suction system and then to a shavings collection system;
- a cartridge handling unit being rigidly attached to said base plate, said cartridge handling unit including two longitudinal linear actuators being rigidly fixed to said base plate, said two longitudinal linear actuators being capable of carrying a longitudinal carriage plate forward towards said label removal unit or rearwards away from said label removal unit, said longitudinal carriage plate having a lateral linear actuator rigidly fixed to a top surface thereof, said lateral linear actuator carrying a lateral carriage plate to an extreme left or an extreme right position, said lateral carriage plate having a mandrel support block rigidly mounted on a top surface thereof, said block rigidly and removably holding two cartridge grasping mandrels, said mandrels extending forward from a front face of said block, said mandrels being cylindrical, open ended at each end, and capable of sliding axially inside and forming a friction fit with said cartridges, a first mandrel having a fourth axis, a second mandrel having a fifth axis, said fourth and said fifth axes being parallel and level with one another and being spaced apart by the same distance as are the first axis and the third axis, the free open ends of said first and said second mandrels being spaced at a same distance from a center of said mandrel support block, said lateral carriage plate also having two cartridge eject cylinders mounted thereon at a position rearward of said mandrel holding block, a first eject cylinder being coaxial with said first mandrel, a second eject cylinder being coaxial with said second mandrel, the piston rods of said eject cylinders each having a cartridge pushing plunger attached at the free end thereof, a first of said piston rods extending through said first mandrel, and a second of said piston rods extending through said second mandrel, the free end of said plungers being flush with the free open ends of said mandrels, said cartridge handling unit being positioned on said base plate so that when said lateral carriage plate is at an extreme left position, said fourth axis of said first mandrel is coaxial with said first axis of said cartridge at the bottom of said first hopper and said fifth axis of said second mandrel is coaxial with said third axis of said horizontal cylinder, said cartridge handling unit being positioned on said base plate so that when said lateral carriage plate is in an extreme right position, said fourth axis of said first mandrel is coaxial with said third axis of said horizontal cylinder and said fifth axis of said second mandrel is coaxial with said second axis of said cartridge at the bottom of said second hopper, said cartridge handling unit being positioned so that when said longitudinal carriage plate is in an extreme rearward position, said free open ends of said mandrels are located rearward enough from a rear face of said knife ring so that a cartridge being held one of said mandrels moves freely past said knife ring as said lateral carriage plate moves left to right;
- a belt motor starter controlling said motor driving said belt to spin said horizontal cylinder;
- a first pneumatic solenoid controlling said longitudinal linear actuator;
- a second pneumatic solenoid controlling said lateral linear actuator;
- a third pneumatic solenoid controlling said first eject cylinder;
- a fourth pneumatic solenoid controlling second eject cylinder;
- a fully forward sensor providing positional feedback for said longitudinal linear actuators;
- a fully rearward sensor providing positional feedback for said longitudinal linear actuators;
- a fully left sensor providing positional feedback for said lateral linear actuator;
- a fully right sensor providing positional feedback for said lateral linear actuator;
- an operator's panel including a start switch and a stop switch;
- and
- a programmable controller controlling said first, said second, said third and said fourth pneumatic solenoids, and said belt motor starter, said programmable controller receiving input signals from said fully forward sensor, said fully rearward sensor, said fully left sensor, said fully right sensor, said start switch and said stop switch, said programmable controller containing a program with adjustable time delays and re-programmable logic for reacting to sensor signals and switches and energizing and de-energizing outputs controlling said solenoids and said motor starter.