Apparatus for automatically degassing FIGAL containers

摘要

An apparatus for automatically degassing a five gallon container commonly known in the beverage industry as a FIGAL is described. In order to open the lid of a FIGAL container it is necessary to first depressurize or degas the container since the lids of these containers open inwardly. The apparatus described herein automatically degasses and opens the containers which are moving substantially continuously along a conveyor. The FIGAL containers moving along a conveyor are sequentially transferred onto a ten station turntable. Associated with the ten station turntable is an indexing mechanism which rotates the containers to the proper orientation to achieve alignment between one of a pair of valves on the top of the container and a degassing socket which engages the valve. By the time the container reaches the ninth station on the turntable, substantially all gas has been removed from the container which permits an automatic opening mechanism to grasp a handle on top of the container and open the container cover. The degassed container is then transferred from the turntable back onto the conveyor on which it was originally travelling.