An apparatus and methods of decorating a metallic container are provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods used to provide a decoration on a predetermined portion of a metallic container body. The decorator includes a sensor that senses decorations on metallic containers. A control system receives information related to the sensed decorations from the sensor and then determines if the decorations at least meet predetermined color, density, thickness, orientation, and consistency targets. The control system can automatically adjust elements of the decorator to correct a deficient decoration. In one embodiment, the control system can automatically adjust ink blades associated with a plurality of inking assemblies of the decorator to adjust the color, density, orientation, positioning, and consistency of decorations transferred to the metallic containers. In another embodiment, the control system can adjust a position of an inking assembly, an ink roller, a plate cylinder, a printing plate, a blanket cylinder, and a transfer blanket of the decorator.

A process for the production of a can body including a base and a tubular body from sheet metal which is coated on at least one side with a polymer layer, in which process, firstly, a round disc is produced from the sheet metal, which disc is then deep-drawn into a cup which has a polymer layer at least on the outside, after which this cup is formed into a can body by wall ironing, the wall ironing taking place in a single stroke by moving the cup successively through a redraw die and one or more wall-ironing rings.

The principles of the present invention further provide both a shaped metal container and its preforms that exhibit a rounded grain structure characteristic created by an annealing process and a method for making a shaped metal container. The process of making said metal container results in a quicker process time and uses less metals (at least 10% metal weight savings), thus allowing for a decrease in the costs of making such shaped metal containers. A shaped metal container may include work hardened rolled sheet-metal defining a sidewall, an opening, and a base, where at least one section along the sidewall has grains with an average aspect ratio less than about 4 to 1.

A metal cup and method of forming the same is provided. Metal cups of the present disclosure comprise a plurality of thin, straight-walled sections and a tapered profile. A domed portion is provided in the bottom of the cup. The cup may comprise a disposable cup, a reusable cup, or a recyclable cup.

A machine for shaping an initially tubular cylindrical preform to form a non-round shape in registration with printed or similarly applied surface decoration or the like on the preform, comprises: a conveyor for carrying a series of the preforms; a tool table having a plurality of tool stations between which the preforms are conveyed by indexed motion of the conveyor, the tool table being reciprocable along an axis towards and away from the conveyor, to bring forming tools at the tool stations into and out of operative engagement with the preforms; a registered shaping tool at at least one of the tool stations operatively arranged to deform the preforms to an out-of-round shape; at least one sensor operatively arranged to determine the angular orientation of each preform in a plane normal to the reciprocation axis; at least one reorientation actuator operatively arranged to cause relative rotation between each preform and the registered shaping tool, whereby the registered shaping tool and the preforms are brought into a predetermined relative angular orientation about an axis of the preform at the registered shaping tool station; the relative rotation with respect to a given preform taking place during a plurality of reciprocations of the tool table and/or indexing movements of the conveyor. Improved embossing/debossing tools are also disclosed.

A metal cup and method of forming the same is provided. Metal cups of the present disclosure comprise a plurality of thin, straight-walled sections and a tapered profile. A domed portion is provided in the bottom of the cup. The cup may comprise a disposable cup, a reusable cup, or a recyclable cup.

Two-piece metal aerosol container and method of manufacture are provided in accordance with the present invention. A rolled and longitudinally welded cylindrical tube forms the container body, including a cylindrical sidewall and reduced diameter shoulder and neck portions (formed by a sequential necking process), while a separate metal base component is attached via a crimped seam. The open-top end of the container neck portion is curled to receive a manually actuatable dispensing valve assembly. The container is resistant to internal pressures in excess of 311 psi (2150 kPa) and offers increased strength and pressure resistance (compared to a three piece rolled metal aerosol container), while being easy to manufacture and low in cost.

Provided is a polygonal in which a decoration effect equivalent to that of a cylindrical base-can is obtained without causing folding or deformation in a can body-part. Bottom-part outer-peripheral parts (A-2) of a cylindrical base-can that are expected to form linear parts (B-2) of a polygonal can (B) are moved inward in a radial direction, while bottom-part outer-peripheral parts (A-1) of the cylindrical base-can that are expected to form corner parts (B-1) of the polygonal can are moved outward in the radial direction. Thus, the polygonal can is molded such that the body-part cross-section peripheral length of the cylindrical base-can and the body-part cross-section peripheral length of the molded polygonal can have a substantially isometric relationship.

A method of manufacturing a rectangular battery includes: ironing the blank thereby forming an interim cup including an interim bottom whose area is larger than a bottom plate of the rectangular battery can, an inclined wall tilting upwardly formed continuously from each longitudinal end of the interim bottom, a short side wall formed continuously from the inclined wall, and a long side wall formed continuously from a curved corner formed on each lateral end of the interim bottom; deforming the interim cup such that each boundary between the interim bottom and the inclined wall is displaced toward a longitudinal end of the bottom plate of the rectangular battery can, and a width of the interim bottom is adjusted to a width of the bottom plate of the rectangular battery can; and ironing the short side and long side walls to reduce thicknesses of the short side and long side walls.