Claims
- 1. A method for prepositioning and loading a can body onto a rotating tooling member having a known orientation, said can body having previously applied decorations thereon, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing indicia as a part of said previously applied decorations at a predetermined location on the decorated can body;
- (b) rotating said decorated can body;
- (c) providing indicia recognition means permitting the identification of the indicia provided on the decorated can body, said indicia recognition means generating an output signal reflective of such identification;
- (d) responsive to said output signal, aligning said decorated can body so that said decorated can body is in a desired orientation relative to the known orientation of the rotating tooling member;
- (e) mounting said aligned can body onto the rotating tooling member, wherein said the decorations on said can body are in a predetermined position with respect to the tooling member.
- 2. An apparatus for the further forming of a decorated can body in which the decorations include an identifiable indicia thereon such that the further forming thereof is congruous with the decoration, said apparatus comprising:
- a first working member mounted for rotational movement and adapted to receive thereon the can body;
- a second working member mounted for synchronized rotational movement with respect to said first rotating working member and reciprocally movable from a first position distal said first working member to a second position proximate said first working member, wherein in said second position, the can body side wall is engaged between said first working member and said second working member;
- means for rotationally supporting the can body and for loading the can body onto the first rotating working member;
- indicia detection means in electrical communication with said means for rotationally supporting the can body, said detection means being responsive to the indicia and generating an output signal indicative of the position of the rotating can body with respect to the first working member; wherein said means for rotationally supporting the can body orients the rotationally supported can body relative to the first rotating working member prior to the loading of the rotating can body onto the first rotating working member.
- 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the indicia detection means is a laser fiber optic sensor that generates an output signal response to the acquisition of the indicia.
- 4. The apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the indicia detection means includes a fiber optic sensor and the means for rotationally supporting the can body includes a servo mechanism that is responsive to the output signal of the fiber optic sensor.
- 5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the means for rotationally supporting the can body further includes means for unloading the can body from the tooling member.
- 6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the means for loading and means for unloading the can body onto and from the tooling member is a cam activated lift platform.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/684,114 filed Jul. 19, 1996 pending.
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Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
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Parent |
684114 |
Jul 1996 |
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