A capping machine for applying plastic screw-on caps (10) having a tamper evident band 38 to flexible sided round containers (12) having a neck provided with a radially extending flange (24) adjacent the open top of the container. The capping machine includes a portion (114) rotatable about a stationary portion (58), the rotatable portion including a plurality of operating stations (116). Each operating station has a chuck (118) and a novel gripping structure (120) capable of firmly engaging the flange (24) on the container to prevent the container from rotating when a cap is being screwed onto the container. The chucks and gripping structures are each provided with cam followers (122, 124) which engage cams (126, 128) and, as the rotatable portion (116) rotates about the stationary portion (58), the chucks and gripping structures will be shifted vertically in time with each other. In addition, the chuck will be caused to be rotated about its own axis due to the interaction of gears (130, 132) and will screw caps onto the containers while the flange on the container is engaged by the gripping structure (120).
The use of a frictional engagement with the top and/or side of a lifter ring on the neck of a bottle for controlling the rotation of the bottle during the capping process. The frictional engagement may be used to hold the bottle steady during the capping process or may be utilized to cause counter rotation of the bottle during the capping process. A method and apparatus for using counter rotation of the bottle to apply a cap to a bottle is also described.
A device for orientating ball caps in a bottle type capping machine of the type having an upper cap chute assembly, a lower cap chute assembly, a capping stabilizer assembly and a conveyor carrying bottles to be capped. The device consists of a sleeve sized to fit vertically between the upper cap chute assembly and the lower cap chute assembly to allow each ball cap to travel therethrough. A mechanism is for securing the sleeve to the bottle type capping machine in its vertical position. Another mechanism is for rotating each ball cap one hundred and eighty degrees when traveling through the sleeve by the force of gravity so that each ball cap will be in its proper position to be placed upon and capped to each bottle traveling along the conveyor below the capping stabilizer assembly.
A bottle support apparatus to supply additional outboard support to a resilient thermoplastic bottle during capping with a bottle capping device. The outboard support device provides additional arcuate support for the bottle neck by encircling the remaining free portion of the lower bottle neck not engaged by the capping machine so that thin walled thermoplastic resin bottles will not be distorted by the force of the capping machine during operation.
The use of a frictional engagement with the top and/or side of a lifter ring on the neck of a bottle for controlling the rotation of the bottle during the capping process. The frictional engagement may be used to hold the bottle steady during the capping process or may be utilized to cause counter rotation of the bottle during the capping process. A method and apparatus for using counter rotation of the bottle to apply a cap to a bottle is also described.
The use of a frictional engagement with the top and/or side of a lifter ring on the neck of a bottle for controlling the rotation of the bottle during the capping process. The frictional engagement may be used to hold the bottle steady during the capping process or may be utilized to cause counter rotation of the bottle during the capping process. A method and apparatus for using counter rotation of the bottle to apply a cap to a bottle is also described.
