An infeed assembly for a necker machine includes a full inspection assembly wherein the full inspection assembly is structured to be coupled to a necker machine frame assembly.

A device for transporting articles through a recirculation system for forming or processing the articles. The device includes a top portion configured to contact an article and a drive nut positioned within a first aperture of the top portion. The device includes a hub portion having a second aperture and a plurality of ejection pins extending through a respective one of a plurality of apertures of the top portion. The device includes a paddle wheel rotatably coupled to the hub portion. The paddle wheel has a first and second plurality of prongs extending radially outward and offset in generally opposing directions. The paddle wheel includes a post projecting radially inward and positioned within a third aperture. The device includes a drive screw extending through the first, second, and third apertures and having a head configured to engage the post and a threaded end is configured to engage the drive nut.

A container-handling apparatus, in particular a closing machine for closing cans or similar containers with a closure cap. A transfer element is provided between at least two adjacent container-closing positions. The transfer element surrounds at least part of the circumference of the respective container carrier and is provided so as to rotate with, i.e., revolve with, the container-closing positions. Furthermore, the upper side of the transfer element forms a transfer plane for transferring the upright containers in a planar manner from the transport plane onto the transfer plane spanned by the transfer element. The transfer plane and the transport plane are coplanar, spanning a common plane.

A method of reducing a thickness and increasing a height of a cylindrical wall of a metal cup to form a can body comprises positioning a wall-ironing punch inside the cup, moving an annular wall-ironing die axially over the closed end of the cup towards the open end of the cup, but not beyond the open end of the cup, in order to iron the cylindrical wall from the closed end up to a position axially spaced from the open end and moving the wall-ironing die back in an opposite direction to remove the can body from the die. Methods of altering a diameter of one or more regions of a can body are also disclosed.

A ram assembly for a can bodymaker includes a pair of slideways structured to be coupled to a frame of the can bodymaker and a carriage slidingly engaged within the pair of slideways. The ram assembly also includes a ram body having a first end and an opposite second end, the first end supported by the carriage such that the ram body is slidable generally along a primary axis. A punch is positioned at the second end of the ram body. The ram assembly further includes an adjustment arrangement structured to provide for dynamic adjustment of the radial positioning of the punch with respect to the primary axis during normal operation of the can bodymaker producing can bodies.

A toolpack arrangement for a can bodymaker having a frame. The toolpack includes a toolpack having a number of forming dies and an adjustment arrangement. The adjustment includes a number of adjustment mechanisms coupled between the toolpack and the frame, each adjustment mechanism being dynamically adjustable so as to selectively adjust the positioning of the toolpack with regard to the frame and/or a ram body of the can bodymaker as the ram body passes within the toolpack during normal can body making operations of the can bodymaker.

A can bodymaker, which includes a disc feed (1) for feeding a disc (5) directly to the bodymaker itself. A locator (9) positions the disc (5) centrally to a blankholder (12) and a draw pad (10) clamps the disc (5) against a draw die (11). The blankholder (12) then forms the disc into a cup (20) and clamps the cup against a redraw die (14) ready to be picked up by a punch and carried through dies for forming a can body.

Systems and methods for performing multiple recirculations of a plurality of articles are disclosed. A system includes a plurality of line starwheels and a recirculation line. The plurality of line starwheels each include a plurality of starwheel pockets thereon. The plurality of starwheel pockets includes a first-pass, a second-pass, and a third-pass starwheel pocket. The recirculation line includes a synchronization mechanism and a plurality of line-pocket sets. Each of the line-pocket sets includes a first and a second line pocket. The line pockets are configured to receive an article from a downstream line starwheel and deposit the article in the proper starwheel pocket of an upstream line starwheel. The synchronization mechanism configured to synchronize the plurality of line-pocket sets to the plurality of starwheel pockets. The first-pass, second-pass, and third-pass starwheel pockets correspond with respective first, second, and third stages of modifying the article.

The invention relates to a seaming assembly for seaming a can lid onto a can body with a chuck and a knockout pad that is movable relative to the chuck in an axial direction of the chuck, where the knockout pad comprises a holding element arranged in a spring-loaded manner. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for seaming a can lid onto a can body using the seamer according to the invention.

A device for inhibiting rotational motion of an article to be processed comprises a pressure plate assembly including a generally ring-shaped guide assembly. The guide assembly has and at least two guide pins extending from a first side in a transverse direction. The guide assembly further includes at least two resilient devices positioned over a respective one of the at least two guide pins and a container guide having an aperture for receiving an open end of a container moving in a first direction and for aligning the open end with a processing device. The container guide is positioned adjacent to the first side of the pressure plate assembly. At least two resilient devices are configured to be compressed in response to movement of the container guide in a first direction and are configured to decompress in response to movement of the container guide in a second, generally opposite direction.