Tinplate cans are one of the most recycled food packaging in the world.
The steel ensures a healthy package, which preserves the nutrients of the food it contains unaltered.Tinplate is steel coated with a layer of tin that prevents corrosion.
They were invented more than 200 years ago, when they were used to preserve food in the Napoleonic wars.And they have been distributed commercially for more than a century.
And they have been commercially distributed for more than a century.Families around the world prefer canned foods because of their practicality, convenient price, easy preparation and nutritional value. It is the easiest way to preserve food at home for a long time, while maintaining all its nutritional value without the need for refrigeration; however, food preservation is only one of the applications of steel in packaging.
Because they are durable, inviolable and convenient, steel containers are used in tinplate applications, as they can preserve their contents without deteriorating for a long time.> Beverages> Aerosols> Paints and chemicals> Bottle capsSteel in mass marketing Through packaging, steel enters the demanding competitive dynamics of mass consumer marketing. In this market, getting to the supermarket shelves first with innovative and attractive products is key.
Thus, in addition to ensuring the highest quality of the products it contains, the steel must allow its display in the most attractive way possible and its production in the fastest way possible.
The production processes used to manufacture packaging materials are sophisticated. A can producer can currently make around 1,000 cans per minute.
To achieve a very attractive appearance, once the steel has been coated with tin, it can be painted, coated with polymers and lacquered. The end result is products that are attractive to the eye of the consumer, safe and highly functional. In addition, there are such innovative developments as those that prevent fingerprints, etc.,from being marked.
Tinplate manufacturing tinplate – steel for packaging – is one of the most traditional materials in the manufacture of packaging. It is inextricably linked to modern canning, which dates back to the French Revolution.
Tinplate can be defined in an elementary way as a sheet of steel between 0.14 and 0.49 mm thick, coated on both sides with a tin film (between 0.9 and 14 g/m2 , depending on the application).
The reality is rather more complex. The sheet, made of low-carbon steel, must meet very strict mechanical and dimensional conditions, and the formulation, rolling processes, heat treatments and coating must meet the requirements of each type of tinplate.
The steel is prepared in coils, which undergo various processes to reduce their thickness and to control and regenerate the physical characteristics of the material.
The electrolytic tin plating process is what gives tinplate its properties by applying a microscopic layer of tin to the steel strip to act as a barrier against corrosion. The formulation, rolling processes, heat treatments and coating must meet the requirements of each type of tinplate.
At the end of these processes, the tinplate is delivered to its user: the metal container manufacturer.
There are basically two types of tinplate containers: the three-piece container, traditional in the food industry, which consists of a bottom, a body and a lid, and the two-piece container, the best known example of which is the beverage can, although it is also used for other food products.