Forming apparatus

Abstract

A rotatable forming apparatus and a method for modifying a shape of a container. The rotatable forming apparatus includes a frame and a forming turret assembly. The forming turret assembly connects to the frame and includes a drive shaft, a fixed turret portion, a turret starwheel, an axially moveable turret portion and forming ram assemblies. The forming ram assemblies extend around and connect to the axially movable turret portion. Each of the forming ram assemblies includes cam followers, a forming die, a knockout tooling device and a drive cylinder. The cam followers are configured to follow a cam as the cam rotates. The forming die is operatively connected to the cam followers such that the forming die moves in the vertical direction while following the cam. The drive cylinder causes axial movement of the knockout tooling device and is configured to operate independently of the forming die.

1 - 17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A rotatable forming apparatus for modifying a shape of a container, the apparatus comprising:
 a frame having a lower base and an upper base; and   a forming turret assembly connected to the frame and including:
 a drive shaft extending in a vertical direction along a longitudinal axis from the lower base to the upper base, 
 a first turret portion extending in the vertical direction along the drive shaft; 
 a vacuum supply, 
 a turret starwheel coaxial with the drive shaft, the turret starwheel having a vacuum port thereon, the vacuum port being fluidly connected to the vacuum supply, the turret starwheel being configured to hold the container using suction received from the vacuum supply, 
 a second turret portion extending in the vertical direction along the drive shaft and above the first turret portion, the second turret portion including a cam, and 
 forming ram assemblies extending around and connected to the second turret portion, 
   wherein each of the forming ram assemblies includes:
 cam followers configured to follow the cam as the forming ram assemblies rotate around the cam; 
 a forming die operatively connected to the cam followers such that the forming die moves in the vertical direction while following the cam; and 
 a knockout tooling device. 
   
     
     
         19 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the turret starwheel further includes a channel portion, the vacuum port being formed in the channel portion. 
     
     
         20 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein each of the forming ram assemblies further comprises a drive cylinder that causes axial movement of the knockout tooling device and is configured to operate independently of the forming die. 
     
     
         21 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the drive cylinder includes an outer surface that connects to the forming die and an inner surface that connects to the knockout tooling device. 
     
     
         22 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the drive cylinder includes a drive cylinder shaft that extends parallel to the drive shaft. 
     
     
         23 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the knockout tooling device includes a knockout tooling device shaft that is coaxial to and extends around a guide cylinder shaft. 
     
     
         24 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein each of the forming ram assemblies further includes at least two slide blocks, a profiled rail extending through each of the at least two slide blocks, and a drive cylinder configured to slide each of the at least two slide blocks along the profiled rail in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         25 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the first turret portion is a fixed turret portion and the second turret portion is an axially movable turret portion, the axially movable turret portion including an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the second turret portion in the vertical direction along the drive shaft with respect to the first turret portion so as to configure the forming turret assembly readily adjustable for containers of different lengths. 
     
     
         26 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 18 , further comprising a transfer turret assembly extending from and connected to the lower base of the frame and including one of an infeed starwheel that receives the container and transfers the container to the turret starwheel and a transfer starwheel that receives the container from the turret starwheel and transfers the container to another turret starwheel. 
     
     
         27 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 26 , further comprising a recirculation mechanism configured to receive the container and return the container to the infeed starwheel. 
     
     
         28 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the lower base has a bottom surface and a generally opposing top surface, the bottom surface contacting a support surface, the drive shaft extending from the top surface of the lower base to the upper base. 
     
     
         29 . A method for modifying a shape of a container, comprising:
 feeding the container into a first forming turret assembly that includes
 a first turret portion having push ram assemblies extending around and connected to the first turret portion, the first turret portion including a first cam, each of the push ram assemblies having a push ram cam follower configured to follow the first cam, each of the push ram assemblies being configured to push the container, 
 a second turret portion having forming ram assemblies extending around and connected to the second turret portion, the second turret portion including a second cam, each of the forming ram assemblies having a respective forming ram cam follower configured to follow the second cam, each of the forming ram assemblies further comprising a forming die operatively connected to a respective forming ram cam follower; 
   rotating the first forming turret assembly such that the push ram cam followers rotate around the first cam and such that the forming ram cam followers rotate around the second cam, the rotating causing one of the push ram assemblies and a respective one of the forming ram assemblies to move toward one another, thereby pushing the container into the respective forming ram assembly such that a first forming operation is performed on the container; and   transferring the container from the first forming turret assembly to a second forming turret assembly; and   using the second turret assembly to perform a second forming operation on the container.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein each of the forming ram assemblies including a first drive cylinder, a first forming die and a first knockout tooling device, the method further comprising:
 activating one of the first drive cylinders to cause axial movement of the first knockout tooling device in a vertical direction; and   activating the first forming die independently of the activated first drive cylinder to cause axial movement of the first forming die in the vertical direction and rotational movement of the first forming die.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the first forming turret assembly includes a drive shaft extending from a top surface of a lower base, the top surface being generally opposite a bottom surface, the bottom surface contacting a support surface. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising re-circulating the container to the first forming turret assembly. 
     
     
         33 . A rotatable forming apparatus for modifying a shape of a container, the apparatus comprising:
 a frame having a lower base and an upper base; and   a forming turret assembly connected to the frame and including:
 a drive shaft extending in a vertical direction along a longitudinal axis from the lower base to the upper base, 
 a first turret portion extending in the vertical direction along the drive shaft, the first turret portion including a first cam, the first turret portion further including push ram assemblies extending around and connected to the first turret portion, each of the push ram assemblies including a push ram cam follower configured to follow the first cam as the push ram assemblies rotate around the first cam such that the push ram assemblies move in the vertical direction while following the first cam, 
 a turret starwheel coaxial with the drive shaft, and 
 a second turret portion extending in the vertical direction along the drive shaft, the second turret portion including a second cam and cam followers, the second turret portion further including forming ram assemblies extending around and connected to the second turret portion, each of the forming ram assemblies including a forming ram cam follower configured to follow the second cam as the forming ram assemblies rotate around the second cam, each of the forming ram assemblies including a forming die operatively connected to the cam followers such that the forming ram assemblies move in the vertical direction while following the second cam. 
   
     
     
         34 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 33 , wherein each of the forming ram assemblies further includes a knockout tooling device and a drive cylinder that causes axial movement of the knockout tooling device and is configured to operate independently of the forming die. 
     
     
         35 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 33 , wherein the first turret portion is generally fixed and the second turret portion is axially movable, the second turret portion including an adjustment mechanism configured to adjust the second turret portion in the vertical direction along the drive shaft with respect to the first turret portion so as to configure the forming turret assembly readily adjustable for containers of different lengths. 
     
     
         36 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 33 , wherein the rotatable forming apparatus further includes a vacuum supply, the turret starwheel further comprising vacuum ports that fluidly communicate with the vacuum supply, the turret starwheel being configured to hold the container using suction received from the vacuum supply. 
     
     
         37 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein the turret starwheel further includes a channel portion, the vacuum ports being formed in the channel portion. 
     
     
         38 . The rotatable forming apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein the lower base has a bottom surface and a generally opposing top surface, the bottom surface contacting a support surface, the drive shaft extending from the top surface of the lower base to the upper base.