Importance

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Abstract

A capping machine comprises a rotating carriage positioned above a conveyor delivering open neck containers to a work station position, the carriage including circumferentially positioned sockets that receive snap-lock caps in a fixed orientation from a second conveyor. The carriage rotates about an axis transverse to the direction of conveyance of the first conveyor so that the proximate carriage position closest to the first conveyor has a velocity in the same direction as the direction of conveyance of the container. As the tangential position of the cap on the carriage changes as the cap approaches the proximate carriage position, the cap is progressively engaged against the open neck of the container. At the proximate carriage position, the cap is positioned for sealing engagement with the neck of the container. In the preferred embodiment, the first conveyor is a linear conveyor, and as the leading edge of the cap engages the neck of the container, the velocity component of the cap in the direction of conveyance of the first conveyor exceeds the velocity of the conveyor, whereby the speed of the container through the work station is controlled wholly by the speed of the carriage to assure proper engagement of the cap with the container. The second conveyor means also includes means for feeding the caps to the carriage in a predetermined alignment, and the carriage includes cap receiving heads adapted to maintain the alignment of the caps as they are displaced about the axis of the carriage.

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First Claim