Bottom finishing station components for a cup making machine

1. A bottom finishing station for a cup making machine comprising:

a mandrel for holding a sidewall blank and a bottom blank such that a flap portion of the sidewall blank is folded around a lip of the bottom blank;

a seam clamp positioned adjacent and movable relative to the mandrel, the seam clamp being engageable with overlapped edges of the sidewall blank to form a side seam; and

a clamp ring selectively movable into engagement with a bottom end of the seam clamp, the clamp ring including an annular wall forming a recess for receiving a rotatable tool which presses against the flap portion and the lip to form a bottom seal,

wherein part of the seam clamp protrudes into the clamp ring, and part of the clamp ring protrudes into the seam clamp to form a bridge acting against the overlapped side seam at the top of the lip, and

the clamp ring includes a cam roller assembly located thereon and engageable with a lower portion of the seam clamp that acts against the side seam at the top of the lip wherein the cam roller assembly is mounted on a bracket held by fasteners to a peripheral edge of a planar top surface of the clamp ring and includes a cam roller engageable with an adjustable bolt threaded into a member on the lower portion of the seam clamp.

2. The bottom finishing station of claim 1 , wherein the seam clamp is formed with a nose that is matingly received in a channel cut into the clamp ring, and is overlappingly engaged with an abutment rising upwardly on a planar top surface of the clamp ring.

3. The bottom finishing station of claim 2 , wherein the nose is formed with tapering sidewalls.

4. The bottom finishing station of claim 3 , wherein the channel has a flat bottom wall and a pair of upwardly diverging sidewalls that terminate at the planar top surface of the clamp ring.

5. The bottom finishing station of claim 4 , wherein the abutment includes an upwardly angled sidewall, a flat top wall and a downwardly and outwardly sloping sidewall that merges with one of the upwardly diverging sidewalls of the channel.

6. The bottom finishing station of claim 5 , wherein part of a length of the top wall and an entire length of the downwardly and outwardly sloping sidewall protrudes into a curved face of the seam clamp above the nose.

7. The bottom finishing station of claim 2 , wherein the channel is formed in an upper portion of the clamp ring.

8. The bottom finishing station of claim 2 , wherein the abutment is integrally formed on the planar top surface of the clamp ring.

9. The bottom finishing station of claim 2 , wherein an external contour of the abutment and channel form a reverse S-shaped configuration.

10. A cup bottom finishing station for use with a cup making machine comprising:

a mandrel configured to receive a bottom blank having an outer lip and a sidewall blank having a lower region and a flap folded over the outer lip to create a recessed area in the bottom of a cup engaged by a finisher wheel;

a seam clamp positioned adjacent and movable relative to the mandrel, the seam clamp being engageable with overlapped edges of the sidewall blank to form a side seam; and

a clamp ring selectively moveable into engagement with the mandrel and a bottom end of the seam clamp for forming a bottom seal of the cup, the clamp ring having an abutment wall defining a recess for receiving the finisher wheel, the clamp ring including a cam roller assembly located thereon and movably engageable with a lower portion of the seam clamp that acts against the side seam at the top of the outer lip,

wherein the bottom end of the seam clamp is formed with a tapered nose that is matingly received in a channel having upwardly diverging sidewalls cut into the clamp ring, and is overlappingly engaged within an abutment rising upwardly on a planar top surface of the clamp ring as the finisher wheel presses the lower region and the flap of the sidewall blank and the outer lip of the bottom blank against the abutment wall of the clamp ring, and

wherein the cam roller assembly is mounted on a bracket held by fasteners to a peripheral edge of a planar top surface of the clamp ring and includes a ram roller engageable with an adjustable bolt threaded into a member on the lower portion of the seam clamp.