Michigan Patent of the Month – November 2021

Typical can seaming equipment can effectively form a double seam on an aluminum can. The typical machinery works well for large scale production, successively sealing cans. However, the equipment is large and costly, making it difficult to incorporate into a smaller scale facility. Oktober, LLC has designed an easy to operate can seaming device which works in small scale facilities.

Oktober started out from basic pen and paper sketches jumping to a brewery-tested prototype and grew from there. Their most recent can seaming device can seal a lid to a can through a double seam can seal. The operator positions the can, clamping it between an upper and lower chuck. The can driving assembly spins the can and the chucks. A series of rollers pivots about the same axis of rotation, crimping the lid and seaming it closed. The operator rotates the overcenter arm which raises the bottom chuck, pressing the can into alignment with the axis, slightly spaced from the wall, and holding it there during seaming. This step ensures the can does not press against the side of the machine and ensures it will not be marked or damaged.

Most existing small-scale can seaming devices are complex to operate and require extensive training. Oktober’s device is much simpler, using a chamfered outer rim to assist and urge the can into the proper orientation. The chucks can be replaced based on the can size, to ensure they properly guide the can through the process. This design better supports the needs of small-scale canning facilities such as homebrewers or local breweries. 

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