US 11,731,183 B2
Smoothing roller assembly
Brian S. Gearhart, Huddleston, VA (US); Erika Sheaffer Love, Lynchburg, VA (US); and Gerald Meador, Hardy, VA (US)
Assigned to BELVAC PRODUCTION MACHINERY, INC., Lynchburg, VA (US)
Appl. No. 15/755,787
Filed by BELVAC PRODUCTION MACHINERY, INC., Lynchburg, VA (US)
PCT Filed Aug. 31, 2016, PCT No. PCT/US2016/049650
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 27, 2018,
PCT Pub. No. WO2017/044362, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 16, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/215,452, filed on Sep. 8, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2018/0326469 A1, Nov. 15, 2018
Int. Cl. B21D 51/26 (2006.01); B21D 1/08 (2006.01)
CPC B21D 1/08 (2013.01) [B21D 51/2615 (2013.01); B21D 51/2638 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A turret head assembly for forming a necked article having a narrowed neck portion, the narrowed neck portion including a radiused portion extending from a cylindrical body and a tapered portion extending from the radiused portion, the turret head assembly comprising:
at least one smoothing roller, each of the at least one smoothing roller being rotatably mounted on a respective at least one roller support member, each of the at least one smoothing roller having a concave-shaped smoothing portion, a cylindrical upper portion, and a feathered portion bridging the smoothing portion and the upper portion, the smoothing portion having a complimentary shape to a desired shape of the radiused portion of the necked article, the cylindrical upper portion being integral with the feathered portion, the feathered portion having a receding diameter such that the feathered portion is configured to gradually recede from the necked article such that the feathered portion and the upper portion are configured to be spaced away from and upper portion of the necked article;
an upper ring member and a lower ring member, the upper and lower ring members including respective apertures located in the centers thereof, the at least one roller support member extending between the upper ring member and the lower ring member; and
a turret head-assembly support member defining a turret-head axis, the turret head-assembly support member extending through the aperture in the upper ring member,
wherein the axis of each of the at least one roller support member is disposed at an angle relative to the turret head-assembly support member and the turret-head axis.