Lip Rolling Machine With Rotated Oven Guide Bar

Abstract

A lip rolling machine for forming a lip on the rim of preformed containers such as cups, including a set of spaced apart tubular oven guide bars guiding a train of nested cups through an oven for preheating the rims thereof. One of the guide bars is driven to be rotated driven by a variable speed motor and a belt drive so as to maintain rotation of the train of cups while passing through the oven. One embodiment includes a fixed inner tube having an outer tube rotated on the inner but.

1 . In a lip rolling apparatus of the type including a feed roller mechanism for advancing a train of nested containers through a preheating oven included in said machine, with a set of tubular oven guide bars extending through said oven, each guide bar mounted at either end to a respective adjustment mechanism at either end of said oven, said guide bars guiding said train of nested containers during their advance through said oven with a coolant flow circulated through said guide bars via fluid connections at either end of each of said guide bars, and a lip rolling mechanism receiving said train of nested containers after being advanced out of said oven, the improvement comprising:
 one of said oven guide bars rotatably mounted and a rotary drive rotating said one guide bar on said adjustment mechanism.   
     
     
         2 . The lip rolling apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said one guide bar includes a fixed inner tube and an outer tube rotatably mounted on said fixed inner tube. 
     
     
         3 . The lip rolling apparatus according to  claim 2  wherein one or more bearings at either end of said fixed tube supports said outer tube on said fixed inner tube. 
     
     
         4 . The lip rolling apparatus according to  claim 3  wherein a closely fit bushing is interposed between said inner fixed tube and said rotatable outer tube intermediate the length thereof to stabilize said outer tube when being rotated. 
     
     
         5 . The lip rolling apparatus according to  claim 3  wherein an annular space between said outer tube and said inner fixed tube between said one or more bearings at each end of said fixed inner tube is filled with a lubricating liquid to also act to carry heat from said outer tube into said coolant flowing through said inner fixed tube. 
     
     
         6 . The lip rolling apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said rotary drive includes a variable speed D.C. motor enabling adjustment of the speed of rotation of said one rotatable guide bar. 
     
     
         7 . The lip rolling apparatus according to  claim 6  wherein said variable speed D.C. motor drives a belt which engages a toothed sheave attached to one end of said rotary outer tube. 
     
     
         8 . The lip rolling apparatus according to  claim 1  wherein said one guide bar has an end piece at either end received in bearings carried by an assembly at either end mounted to one of said adjustment mechanisms. 
     
     
         9 . The lip rolling machine according to  claim 8  wherein a rotary union at each end of said one tubular guide bars provides a rotary fluid connection for supplying coolant circulated through said one tubular guide bar.