Systems and methods for electromagnetic forming of containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10081045-B2
Application number	US-201515307161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2015
Priority date	May 4, 2014
Publication date	Sep 25, 2018
Grant date	Sep 25, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods of forming articles using electromagnetic radiation are disclosed. In some aspects, the system includes a plurality of forming modules movably mounted relative to an infeed mechanism. The infeed mechanism is configured to supply pre-form articles to the plurality of forming modules, and each of the plurality of forming modules includes a multi-segment mold disposed about an electromagnetic coil. The electromagnetic coil is configured to impart an electromagnetic force on the pre-form articles when supplied with electrical energy that urges the pre-form articles into contact with the multi-segment mold to produce the formed containers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A rotary-turret system for forming a plurality of formed containers from a respective plurality of pre-form articles using electromagnetic energy, the system comprising:
a rotary turret having a plurality of forming modules, the forming modules being disposed about the periphery of the rotary turret, each forming module including a multi-segment mold disposed about an electromagnetic coil, the multi-segment mold having a plurality of segments, each segment including an inner surface, the plurality of inner surfaces defining a desired shape of the formed containers, the electromagnetic coil being configured to impart an electromagnetic force on the pre-form articles when supplied with electrical energy, the electromagnetic force configured to urge the pre-form articles into contact with the inner surfaces of the multi-segment mold to produce the formed containers;
a charging circuit configured to supply the electrical energy to the rotary turret;
a discharge-control mechanism operatively coupled to the rotary turret and the charging circuit, the discharge-control mechanism configured to selectively actuate discharge of the electrical energy from the charging circuit to a predetermined one of the plurality of forming modules,
wherein the rotary turret continually rotates during forming of the plurality of formed containers.

2. The rotary-turret system of claim 1 , further comprising an infeed starwheel and an outfeed starwheel, the infeed starwheel configured to receive the pre-form articles from an upstream process and deposit each of the pre-form articles into a respective one of the forming modules, the outfeed starwheel configured to receive the formed containers from the forming modules and deliver the formed containers to a downstream process.

3. The rotary-turret system of claim 1 , wherein charging circuit includes a capacitor bank.

4. The rotary-turret system of claim 1 , wherein the discharge-control mechanism includes a moving spark-gap mechanism.

5. The rotary-turret system of claim 1 , wherein the electromagnetic coil includes helical windings, the helical windings being formed from milling a tube.

6. The rotary-turret system of claim 1 , further comprising a compressed-air system and a vacuum system, the compressed-air system configured to pressurize an internal volume disposed between the pre-form article and the electromagnetic coil to a predetermined pressure, the vacuum system configured to evacuate a volume between the pre-form article and the inner surface of the multi-segment mold.

7. The rotary turret system of claim 1 , wherein the multi-segment mold has three segments.

8. The rotary turret system of claim 1 , wherein the segments include hinges coupling the segments of the multi-segment mold such that actuating a first segment of the multi-segment mold actuates the remaining segments of the multi-segment mold.

9. A method for electromagnetic forming of formed containers using a rotary turret having a plurality of forming modules disposed about the periphery of the rotary turret, the method comprising the acts of:
receiving a pre-form article from an upstream process in a respective one of the forming modules;
disposing the pre-form article about an electromagnetic coil, the electromagnetic coil being disposed on the forming module, the electromagnetic coil being configured to impart an electromagnetic force on the pre-form article when supplied with electrical energy;
securing a multi-segment mold about the pre-form article, the multi-segment mold including a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments including an inner surface, the plurality of inner surfaces defining a desired shape of the formed containers;
supplying, after the securing the multi-segment mold, a first electrical energy to the electromagnetic coil to produce an electromagnetic force, the electromagnetic force configured to urge the pre-form article into contact with the inner surfaces of the multi-segment mold, thereby producing one of the formed containers; and
wherein the disposing, securing, and supplying steps occur while the rotary turret continually rotates.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising removing the formed container from the respective one of the forming module using an outfeed starwheel, and wherein the pre-form article is received from an infeed starwheel.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the electromagnetic coil includes helical windings, the helical windings being milled from a winding tube.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the multi-segment mold has three segments.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the multi-segment mold includes hinges coupling the segments of the multi-segment mold, and wherein the securing the multi-segment mold is performed by an actuator engaging a single segment of the plurality of segments.

14. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the acts of:
pressurizing, prior to supplying the first electrical energy, an interior volume disposed between the pre-form article and the electromagnetic coil to a predetermined pressure; and
evacuating, prior to the supplying the first electrical energy, a volume defined by the pre-form article and the inner surfaces of the multi-segment mold.

15. The method of claim 9 , further comprising the act of supplying a second electrical energy to the electromagnetic coil to produce a second electromagnetic force, the second electromagnetic force configured to further urge the pre-form article into contact with the inner surfaces of the multi-segment mold.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second electrical energy is higher than the first electrical energy.

17. The method of claim 9 , wherein the electromagnetic coil is configured to produce a first magnetic domain corresponding to a first portion of the pre-form article and a second magnetic domain corresponding to a second portion of the pre-form article, and wherein the supplying the electrical energy produces the electromagnetic force in a first magnetic domain and a second electromagnetic force in a second magnetic domain, the second electromagnetic force being higher or lower than the electromagnetic force.

18. A system for forming a plurality of formed containers from a plurality of pre-form articles using electromagnetic energy, the system comprising:
a plurality of forming modules, the plurality of forming modules being movably mounted relative to an infeed mechanism, the infeed mechanism configured to supply pre-form articles to the plurality of forming modules, each of the plurality of forming modules including a multi-segment mold disposed about an electromagnetic coil, the multi-segment mold having a plurality of segments, each of the plurality of segments including an inner surface, the plurality of inner surfaces defining a desired shape of the formed containers, the electromagnetic coil being configured to impart an electromagnetic force on the pre-form articles when supplied with electrical energy, the electromagnetic force being configured to urge the pre-form articles into contact with the inner surfaces of the multi-segment mold to produce the formed containers;
a charging circuit being configured to supply the electrical energy to the plurality of forming modules;
a discharge-control mechanism operatively coupled to the plurality of forming modules and the charging circuit, the discharge-control mechanism being configured to selectively actuate discharge of the electrical energy from the charging circuit to a predetermined forming module.

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Assignees

• Belvac Production Machinery Inc

Inventors

• Lee Richard H

Classifications

• B21D51/2692

  Manipulating, e.g. feeding and positioning devices; Control systems · CPC title

• B21D51/2615

  Edge treatment of cans or tins · CPC title

• B21D26/14 Primary

  applying magnetic forces · CPC title

• B21D1/06

  Removing local distortions · CPC title

• B21D51/2607

  Locally embossing the walls of formed can bodies (B44B5/00, B44C1/24, B44C3/085 take precedence; bulging B21D51/2646) · CPC title