World of Cans
Cup Conveying Fly Through
The path of Cup Conveying may vary between can plants. The path that can be seen in this video is as follows:
1 - Ejection onto the Air Table:
After being formed in the Cupper, cups are ejected onto an Air Table (also known as an Air Deck). This system uses directed air to push the cups forward. The Air Table features a top cover, which restricts the vertical movement of the cups and ensures the air pressure effectively propels them forward.
2 - Direction Change:
Soon after leaving the Cupper, the cups typically make a 90-degree turn, facilitated by the Air Table design.
3 - Vacuum Elevator:
The cups transfer from the Air Table to a Vacuum Elevator, which lifts them to the upper level of the production line.
4 - Upper-Level Air Conveying:
Once on the upper level, the cups transition back to Air Conveying, where they travel along long stretches of conveyor paths. These lengths often allow for cup accumulation, ensuring a steady supply to the Bodymakers and preventing interruptions in production. As with the Air Table, these conveyors are equipped with top covers to maintain controlled and efficient cup movement.
5 - Single-File Paths to Bodymakers:
At the end of the air conveying system, the flow of cups splits into individual lanes, each feeding a Bodymaker.
6 - Gravity Track Conveying (Cup Drops):
Once in the individual lanes, the cups Nose Over—shifting from an orientation with the cup opening facing upward to an orientation with the opening facing horizontally—as they enter the gravity-fed conveyors, known as Cup Drops. These Cup Drops connect directly to the Bodymaker's Cup Infeed assembly.