Abstract: A can star drive for a fish-canning machine in which a turret 11 and can star 75 are separately driven, with the can star 75 being rotated through its 120.degree. advance in each cycle during half again as much time as it takes for the turret 11 to advance through its 120.degree. advance. The slower rate of rotation of the can star 75 reduces the exit velocity of the filled cans as they are discharged from the machine to avoid ejection of fish from filled cans. In addition, the can star 75 rotates through its 120.degree. continuously in a one-step advance, rather than through a two-step advance with an intermediate stop as in prior machines.

Abstract: A fish-canning method using a machine having two adjacent parallel rotary turrets each having a fish-receiving pocket in the periphery thereof. The turrets are positioned to align the pockets with each other to form a single combined pocket which is then filled with fish from a correspondingly large size feed chute of increasing cross-sectional area. The fish in the pockets is severed between the turrets and the turrets are rotated by different amounts to move the filled pockets laterally out of alignment with each other. The fish in both filled pockets is formed into the shape of a can and ejected endwise from the pockets into two separate cans.

Abstract: A fish-canning machine having two adjacent parallel rotary turrets each having a fish-receiving pocket in the periphery thereof. The turrets are positioned to align the pockets with each other to form a single combined pocket which is then filled with fish from a corresponding large size feed chute of increasing cross-sectional area. The fish in the pockets is severed between the turrets and the turrets are rotated by different amounts to move the filled pockets laterally out of alignment with each other. The fish in both filled pockets is formed into the shape of a can and ejected endwise from the pockets into two separate cans.