Abstract: In a method for connecting two workpieces together by a welded seam, the workpieces are held in a welding station between opposed tracks consisting of a plurality of members. The tracks run around guide rollers in a conveying direction. A clearance (a) between the guide rollers which come first in the conveying direction can be changed upon insertion of the workpieces between the tracks.

Abstract: For the initial operation or changeover of a can body welding machine, a modular stack magazine to guide and hold a stack of blanks has adjustable stack supports with holding surfaces projecting under the lowermost blank. These stack supports are adjustably mounted on a frame which is releasably connected to a blank separating device. To assist the destacking of individual blanks, adjustable spreading air feed elements are also fitted to the frame. These adjustable components together with the frame form an exchangeable module, so that once their settings have been carried out--the setting operations being inherently complex, because as they are governed by many other parameters besides size of blank they have to be arrived at empirically, and they must be made all over again if just one of those parameters is altered--the module can be stored ready for reuse after maintenance operations, or after the use of another module.

Abstract: A two-point attachment of the pusher on the toothed belt of a conveyor means in conjunction with a rocking lever causes the pusher to perform a rocking motion in the direction opposite to the conveying direction upon deflection of the toothed belt around a return wheel. This results in reduced vibration of the conveyor means and reduced risk of damage to the item conveyed before the pusher dips below the conveying plane (F).

Abstract: To determine whether stress cracks are present in the bottom area of a plastic bottle which make it unfit for further use, the bottle bottom is scanned in the potential crack region by the measuring beam of a laser distance-measuring instrument. From its output signal, the prevalence and depth of the cracks can be identified sufficiently to enable a decision to be made on the removal of the bottle from circulation.

Abstract: Optical machine readable code symbols for marking objects, preferably recyclable plastic bottles, are so constructed that they possess an axis of symmetry. The code symbols can additionally be rotated by predetermined angles from a basic configuration in order to be able to represent a plurality of information pieces. The symmetric code symbols are easily recognized and evaluated under difficult conditions such as exist, for example, in a bottle filling operation.

Abstract: To detect damage in the bottom region of a plastic bottle a picture of the bottom region is taken by means of a camera. The resulting image is then tested for brightness pixel by pixel in a predetermined inspection area. Large deviations of the test curve from the average value are indicative of a damaged bottle. The process is meaningful, and it can be carried out on existing bottle inspection machines.

Abstract: The device according to the invention for ejecting sheet metal blanks from a processing station or for any transport of such sheet metal blanks has ejector dogs mounted on a transport conveyor, which bump the trailing edge (trailing in the ejection direction (A)) to eject the blanks. These ejector dogs are arranged so that upon impact on the blank edge they are shifted and/or tilted in a damped manner, and with absorption of energy, with respect to the transport conveyor, in the opposite direction to the ejection direction, thus reducing the forces acting on the edge of the blank. As transport conveyor, the preferred embodiment has a toothed belt which is elastically deformed and deflected from its path upon impact of the dog on the blank edge, so that the belt itself acts as damper and as return spring for the dog.

Abstract: On a distributor head for distributing gas samples removed from bottles requiring inspection to the connections for two mass spectrometers, the feed passageways form alternative paths. These different paths are contained in a replaceable part or a switchable valve arrangement. This allows easy changeover from operation with two mass spectrometers to operation with one mass spectrometer, so facilitating servicing of the mass spectrometers.

Abstract: A disk-like sampling head is arranged above a linear section of a conveyor path with a continuous flow of bottles. The sampling head is rotatable about an axis oriented transverse to the conveyor path, and preferably the axis is a horizontally-oriented axis. Rotation of the sampling head is synchronized with the continuous flow of bottles. The apparatus is particularly simple and inexpensive.

Abstract: To test a bottle for contamination, the bottom of the bottle is laterally illuminated with a measuring light beam from a source. This measuring light beam is deflected, as if in a waveguide, in the ring of residual liquids at the bottom of the bottle. Light reemerging from the residual liquid is imaged on a detector by an imaging lens. The detector measures the spectral composition of the deflected light and compares this with theoretical values which should be yielded by the liquid with which the bottle was last filled. If deviations from the theoretical values are excessive, the bottle is rejected. The process described provides a simple way of determining whether a multi-trip bottle has contained an extraneous liquid.

Abstract: When welding a series of container bodies, the welding speed is at first increased to prevent the first body from colliding with the second body at the intake to the welding machine. The welding speed is then reduced to a rated welding speed V.sub.s at which minimum gaps are maintained between successive bodies.

Abstract: The lower welding wheel (2) of a resistance seam welding machine is vertically adjusted by providing retaining pieces (10) for the stator (8) of the electrode roller head, which are able to position the electrode wheel head in different vertical settings on the welding arm (1) of the machine. This makes it possible to eliminate the vertical adjustment for the guide piece (4), allowing welding to be carried out more accurately.

Abstract: To photograph the mouth region of a bottle, a light-emitting surface is arranged below the mouth region to be photographed. The light-emitting surface is illuminated by means of an illuminating device and the image of the illuminated mouth region is directed to a camera by a mirror arrangement (5,6,11). The light-emitting surface makes it possible to image the mouth region in transmitted light, facilitating detection of defects and soiling in the mouth region from the interpretation of the image recorded by the camera.

Abstract: Two destacking tables and two can body forming stations are provided, the latter forming cylindrical can bodies from the metal sheets stacked on the destacking tables. These can bodies are subsequently conveyed along the feed axis to the welding station, which welds the longitudinal seam of the can bodies. The provision of two destacking tables and two can body forming stations enables these elements to operate at the cycle rate of the welding station. This permits welding to be effected with an increased cycle rate, with reliable feeding of the can bodies despite this.

Abstract: Two destacking tables and two can body forming stations are provided, the latter forming cylindrical can bodies from the metal sheets stacked on the destacking table. These can bodies are subsequently conveyed along the feed axis to the welding station, which welds the longitudinal seam of the can bodies. The provision of two destacking tables and two can body forming stations enables these elements to operate at the cycle rate of the welding station. This permits welding to be effected with an increased cycle rate, with reliable feeding of the can bodies despite this.

Abstract: In a compound panel welding line, the compound panels discharged from a welding machine are cooled by means of a cooling unit. In the cooling unit, the welded seam is treated with a cooling fluid, in particular a rust-preventative oil. This allows the panels to be cooled and oiled within a very short time and over a very short distance, thus substantially reducing the overall length of a welding line, and greatly facilitating the handling of the compound panels.

Abstract: In a seam welding process for overlapping sheets, in particular for welding can bodies, the welding force is momentarily reduced upon each insertion of a can body between the welding rollers. This keeps the welding pressure constant even at the start of a can body. In this way the power input to the sheet can be kept constant even at the start of a can body, and the weld quality even at the start of a can body satisfies requirements.

Abstract: On a bottle testing apparatus which has a plurality of sampling tubes which can be lowered into the bottles, the said tubes are individually detachable for cleaning. Hence they can be quickly and easily replaced with clean tubes. In addition, an adaptor is provided by means of which a cleaning fluid can be passed through the pipes of the apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus is disclosed for marking refillable containers, more especially plastic bottles, with code symbols for later ascertaining whether a container has to be refilled or separated. The part of the container in which is situated a manufacturer's code present from the outset is photographed at a detection station by a camera. Using code symbols applied previously as a reference marking, the place is determined at which a new code symbol of a round trip code is applied at a marking station with a laser. The number of such code symbols gives the number of fillings of the containers, and the data content of each code symbol contains a statement concerning the filling inserted in the container, the bottler etc., in each case. With the aid of this, a certain filling sequence can be adhered to, for example, prevent a plastic bottle which previously contained a cola drink being filled with mineral water, whereas the reverse sequence would be permissible.

Abstract: Sheet-metal blanks are fed in succession one immediately after another to a rounding apparatus in which they are plastically deformed into a curve in a rounding mechanism and are given a desired constant bending radius. The portion of the blank initially running out of the rounding mechanism in the natural rounding position is deflected by guide means under elastic deformation out of the rounding position into a transfer position which is different from the rounding position and is thereby elastically deformed so that the portion of the blank running out of the rounding mechanism is kept under stress. When the end portion of the sheet-metal blank leaves the rounding mechanism, it springs into the transfer position due to said stress, leaving the way clear for another sheet-metal blank, which can already be in the process of being rounded before the fully rounded sheet-metal blank is ejected from the rounding apparatus and conveyed away.