Error-free 320 Gb/s SOA-based Wavelength Conversion using Optical Filtering

The present invention is directed towards a method and apparatus for making clear plastic canisters, in which the canisters retain the full clarity of the clear plastic canister sidewall stock and base stock while they are being processed into canisters, the plastic sidewall stock and the base stock may be pre-labeled before being processed into canisters without any subsequent distortion of the label during such processing, and the apparatus and method can be modified to accept differently-sized canister component stock with minimal equipment modification and downtime. These objectives are fulfilled by an invention wherein the plastic sidewall stock is bent into a "U" and its unbent side edges are held in a fixed reference position, support means are inserted within the curvature of the "U", clamping means push the unbent side edges to the surface of the support means in overlapping fashion, tube welding means weld the overlapping side edges together to form a seam, the completed tube is placed on a canister base with the canister base in close relation to the bottom edge of the tube, and the canister base is then welded to the tube to complete the canister. The need for equipment modification in the event of changes in the size of the canister component stock is minimized in that the apparatus either self-adapts to differently-sized stock or uses parts which may be quickly changed to accommodate such stock. Further, since only the welded seam areas of the canister stock have forces of any great magnitude acting on them, the clarity of the canister component stock and any labeling on the canister component stock are preserved when the canister is formed.