System for compression relief shaping
AssigneeBall Corporation
InventorsKevin R. Jentzsch, John R. Ross, Matthias K. van de Liefvoort, Mark A. Jacober
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for reshaping a shoulder and/or neck portion of a metallic container are provided. A shoulder shaping or reshaping tool comprises a generally annular device with relief features provided on an internal surface. The tool is adapted to engage the exterior surface of a container to be shaped to provide outwardly extending ornamental features.
Claims9
A method of reshaping a neck or a shoulder portion of a metallic container, the method comprising:
- providing a drawn and ironed bottle shaped metallic container with an open upper end, a neck portion, a shoulder portion, a sidewall, and a dome interconnected to a lower end of the sidewall to define a first shape;
- providing a forming tool having an annular portion sized to engage a portion of at least one of the neck and the shoulder, and wherein an inner surface of the annular portion includes a relief feature;
- engaging an exterior surface of at least one of the neck portion and the shoulder portion with said forming tool by moving at least one of said forming tool and said bottle shaped metallic container in a substantially linear motion in a direction aligned with the longitudinal axis of said bottle shaped metallic container;
- and
- reshaping the metallic container such that at least one of the neck and the shoulder is altered in shape and/or dimension;
- and
- wherein during the reshaping step, a portion of the metallic container moves outwardly away from a common axis of the metallic container and into one or more recesses in the forming tool to modify the first shape of the bottle shaped metallic container.
An apparatus for reshaping at least one of a neck and a shoulder portion of a bottle shaped metallic container, the apparatus comprising:
- a forming tool which is oriented in a substantially linear direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the bottle shaped metallic container, and adapted to engage an exterior surface of at least one of the neck and shoulder portion of the bottle shaped metallic bottle;
- a central void in said forming tool comprising an inner surface with at least one recess having a predetermined shape, wherein when said forming tool applies a compressive force to at least one of the neck and the shoulder portion, an outwardly-oriented relief feature is formed in the bottle shaped metallic container.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.