Coating apparatus including transfer means

摘要

Method and apparatus for handling a plurality of glass containers moving on a conveyor at spaced intervals to a coating application area where three containers are simultaneously grasped about their side walls, retracted laterally from the surface of the conveyor, then moved through a 90 DEG arc such that the containers exhibit horizontal axes one above the other and then moved into position between three heel and neck-engaging chucks carried by an indexible turret. The bottles are released to the chucks which are cam actuated in timed relationship with respect to the grasping means so that the grasping means will release the containers or bottles to the chucks. With the chucks holding the bottles in horizontal position, the turret rotates about a horizontal axis parallel to the axes of the bottles through an arc of 90 DEG and presents the chucks in a horizontal line at the bottom of the turret where a cam operated shoulder coater mechanism is elevated into contact with the shoulder portion of the containers and the containers rotated through at least 360 DEG of rotation about their axes. The coating mechanism is retracted and the turret indexed through another 90 DEG arc to bring the containers to the unloading side of the machine where they are grasped by a second set of three side wall-engaging jaws or grasping means which withdraw the containers from the chucks. The grasping means are then rotated about a horizontal axis normal to the axes of the containers so as to revert the containers to an upright position whereat the grasping means are moved forward to release the containers to an exit moving conveyor.