A system and method of controlling the input and output speed of a continuous sheet of stock material is provided. More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method used to perform an operation on a continuous sheet of stock material in a high speed manufacturing system. The continuous sheet of stock material may subsequently be received by a second system that performs a different operation on the stock material. In one embodiment, the second system forms the stock material into tabs for container end closures. The system includes an infeed accumulation device and an outfeed accumulation device. The infeed and outfeed accumulation devices enable the system to operate at a variable rate and out of phase with a high speed, coil fed manufacturing system to which the system may be removably integrated.

Provided is a seaming device capable of preventing dents, caused by a can guide or a seaming turret pocket, and buckling resulting from the dents during seaming, and capable of improving seaming accuracy, by stabilizing the posture of the can being transferred when the can is supplied from an infeed conveyor. The seaming device (100) includes a can placement unit (110) that places a can (C), a seaming chuck unit (120) provided opposite thereto, and a seaming roll (131) that seams an opening of a can (C) and a lid (F). The can placement unit (110) includes a pressing mechanism (111) that presses a plate (112), on which a can is placed, resiliently upward. The seaming chuck unit (130) and the seaming roll (131) are configured to be capable of moving up and down.

A container member supply device has favorable workability at a time of disassembly and washing and suppresses the occurrence of abrasion powder in a container member. A container member supply device includes: a container member separation unit that supplies a container member having a flange at a peripheral edge thereof to a pocket of a container member conveyance turret, one by one, wherein the container member separation unit has a plurality of cutout parts, and one of the plurality of cutout parts is constituted by a cutout groove that is integrally provided on an upper outer periphery of the container member conveyance turret and engages with a flange of a container member.

An alignment assembly for a press assembly is provided. The alignment assembly includes a number of alignment elements. The alignment elements include a number of moving alignment elements. The moving alignment elements are coupled to an upper tooling assembly that moves between a first and second position. As the upper tooling assembly moves, the moving alignment elements move between a first position and a second position corresponding to the upper tooling assembly first position and a second position. The moving alignment elements are structured to move the shell from the initial alignment position to an intermediate alignment position. Thus, as the upper tooling assembly moves from the first position to the second position, the moving alignment elements contact a shell and move the shell from an initial alignment position to an intermediate alignment position.