Abstract: A method and apparatus are described for angularly orientating the beverage cans of multipacks 12 having sheet plastics couplers. The preformed multipacks, with their cans unorientated, are fed between a pair of opposed scrolls 36 of a can orientation station 34. While held by the scrolls against lateral movement they are clamped longitudinally and then individually rotated to desired orientated positions against the frictional resistance presented by the coupler. Orientation is achieved in two stages, in the first stage of which the cans are orientated to datum positions as determined by sensor recognition features on the can. In the second stage of the orientation process the cans are individually rotated from their datum positions to their desired final orientation in accordance with preset programmes.

Abstract: A lane divider for the conveying of can body cylinders maintains the cylinders in line-ahead formation and in a predetermined orientation, e.g. with their welded side seams uppermost, by maintaining a positive hold on each cylinder at all times during its travel along a feed path and during transfer from the feed path to, and subsequent travel along, a plurality of downstream paths selected by a sequential control unit responsive to the arrival of a cylinder in the feed path. Control of cylinder orientation is obtained by an array of magnets along each path; these include electromagnets in the region of the junction of the paths. Path selection is obtained by selective energisation of the electromagnets.