| 摘要 |
Apparatus for feeding open-mouthed cylindrical cans into pot assemblies on a continuously rotating turret of a machine for cleaning the containers, the pot assemblies being arranged so that cans therein have their longitudinal axes parallel to the rotational axis of the turret and spaced around a pitch circle co-axial with the turret, the pitch circle passing through a loading station for loading cans into the pot assemblies. The feeding apparatus comprises a feeder wheel having can locating surfaces spaced around its periphery and vacuum ports in the locating surfaces for holding cans thereon. The locating surfaces are arranged so that cans held thereagainst have their longitudinal axes parallel to the rotational axis of the feeder wheel and spaced around a pitch circle co-axial with the feeder wheel, the pitch circle of the cans on the feeder wheel passing through a feeder station and a transfer station. The feeder wheel is arranged with its axis parallel to that of the turret and with the transfer station and the loading station along a line parallel to the rotational axis of the turret. Cans are fed onto the locating surfaces of the feeder wheel at the feeder station, and cam-operated transfer units displace the cans on the feeder wheel axially from the transfer station to the loading station upon register of each can in the transfer station. The feeder wheel is rotated continuously in synchronism with rotation of the turret and at a speed such that the speed of the cans on the feeder wheel is equal to the speed of the holding units on the turret, and one of the can holding units on the turret is in register with the loading station for reception of each can fed thereto by the transfer units.
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