balancer 32 supplies shells in stick form to three sets of track work 34, 36 and 38 leading to three separate shell conversion presses 40. The conversion presses 40 take the shells of FIG. 1A and complete the formation of the end features in the shell. The conversion presses 40 also have a set of tools that receive a continuous sheet of tab stock from a source 42 and form tabs in the tab stock. The conversion presses 40 attach the tab to the shell, complete the formation of the ends, and supply the finished ends to three sets of track work 43 leading to three bagging stations 44. The converted ends are bagged in stick form and loaded on pallets for distribution to the site where theof an end from a shell 15 supplied from the balancer 32. The details of the work stations and forming operations performed on the shell will depend on the type of end and the requirements of the customer.
A representative embodiment for producing an end for a beverage can in the conversion press will be described for purposes of example. The operation of the first station in the shell conversion press 40 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C. A bubble 50 is formed in the center of the panel 52 of the shell 15. The bubble is the first step in the formation of a rivet that is used for attaching a tab to the end. At the second station, the bubble 50 is reformed