ASME 1961 Citrus Engineering Conference CEC1961 March 22, 1961, Lakeland, Florida, USA CEC1961-0701

ALUMINU4 CANS FOR THE CITRUS INOUSTRY

M. Nzal Eurieson Product D i rector, A l umi nurn Cans Rzynolds Mzials Com?any

Richmcnd, Virginia Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/CES/proceedings-pdf/CEC1961/99489/1/2370042/cec1961-0701.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021

This group's interest in aluminum cans is very timely. Less tha~one yarr ago, the citrus ir,dustr*jwas still considering the as a ~ossibility, utii today it is a commercial reality.

Behind this success is a lot of work by a lot of people eho recognized the possibilities of aluninum as a can making rar~material many years bcfors proc'eciior, improvements and other considerations ;>adz the aluninum can coi~;rnercially feasib!~, Contributors incl~dethe aiuminum industry, can fabricating industry, an:! tt?e citrus industry. All three groups played an i~portantpart in making the aluminum can a dominant package for frozzn concentrate this season.

Aluminum ~a-itsserious consideration as a can making ral;;material for ssveral reasons. It has always held promise, but only in the past few years has if be2n priced ccinpetiiively with tin plate. Early reseerch work was inifiafed durins th? later stages of V!or Id I,,!arI I and fol lowed by an expanded effort eer l y in the i95,Ss. Research on a!uminum conclud?~specifically that for some products, including orange juice concentrate, aluminum is admirably suited to do a commercial job. In essence, aluminu:nls appearance, k,:eight, strength, corrosion resistance, and supply reco~n2nd it to the can maker.

Let's first ta!

You will note that steel has greater ultimate and yield values. In csrtain applica-i-ions,this is not really imporianf; in others it must be considered. Its modulus of elasticity is greafer than ?hat of alu~tinum;thus, there is some linitrtion placed on a guage for guage substitution of on2 metal for another v:here rigidiiy is L - I primcry concern. This characteristic plays an important part in desianing pressure cans, such as those for beer and soft drinks. Not msntioned on these charts is aluminum's cryogenic chsracteristics which are favorable in designing a csn for frczen products, such as citrus concentrate. AI~~i~inumGoes up in tensile and yield when ihs tenperature is droppcd. Thus, undsr the conditions in which the 6-~z.ccncentrare czn is used, the tensile and yield values are greater than those shown on thc chzrt. This is no? ihe with stsel.

Aluminum's appezrance and compatibility with food products are :;ell known to a1 1 ccnsumers. Th2 house!tife was the first to learn of aluminum's quc!ities, since pots and pans consiituted the firsf major usage of aluminurn. Reynolds \;!rap and other foi I products havs now mado aluninum a household byword. Its surfzce accepts ~rinf- ing bsautifully as typified by tha many foil , , certons and concan- trate labels currently used to attract the shopper's eye. New possibilities in frozen concentrate la5e.l design are possible with aluninum.

Published with permission. STEEL Thickness Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/CES/proceedings-pdf/CEC1961/99489/1/2370042/cec1961-0701.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021

ALUMINUM 008 1 With I 37,000 1 33,400 1 6.0 1 10.2~10' CANr3 Across 44,000 009Wiih 47,600 39,600 1.0 I * 51s-J Across 48,100 38,300 10.5

Figure 1.

/920 /9/0 1920 1930 /940 1950 1960

Figure 2. Regard l css of its mechan ! ca 1 propert i es or appearance, a l urni rium cans v:ou l d not merit much considersticn for a volume markei, Such as citrus concentrate, if there were not an adequate supply of metal.

Figurz 2 shows the primery aluminum production capacity available in the United States. In ISSO, the alurdiinun industry l i.d a cqaci i.y of 2,468,750 tons and produced 2,0 14,500 tons. Sh i pmenis io?a 1 ed 2,332,600 Sons.

Figure 3 shows the sheet rolling capacity available for a spscific item, Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/CES/proceedings-pdf/CEC1961/99489/1/2370042/cec1961-0701.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 such as can stocl;. You w i 1 l rote that we estirmte 196~consumption at approx imatel y 50-million Ibs. of can making quality alur~iinum sheet. There was available in tha Un i ted States someth i ng l i ke 300-ni l l ion I bs. of sheet ro l l i ng capac i Sy capab i e of handling can stock quality. lo oiber wcrds, vce can increase the merket approximately 6 times without adding to our physical plant. Supply, appearance, and mechanical properties join to produce the newest can making raw material in a fashion that is unique to itself, For citrus concentrate, the aluminum is converted into cans much in the same way as tin plate is handled. Tho resulting product has several advantages, including price. The product keeping quality is enhanced, and we believe it is possible to package frozen orange juice concentrate in aluminum cens without an interior . ihis is msney saving qu~litysince we obviate one step in the can making process. The intericr coating now used on the body of the aluminum can is fcr the convenience of the can maker, but viork is under way to eliminate this.

Aluminumls weight, approximately one-third that of steel, means freight savings. Figure 4 shows typical freighl- savings that accrue to the distribution system. A packer may not be able to pick up these dollars, but certainly he will deliver Flroida orange juice to the consumer at less cost, which can be reflected in increased consumption, The citrus concentrate can uses conventional equipment minimizing any changes i n manufacturing techn i ques a1though the can malter must ad just for I i ghter weight and different surface characteristics. The body maker operation of alurninum consists of a flexer, notching station, first operation hooks, sacond operation hooks, application of cenent, forming of the body, bunp side seam, and ref loui ng the cement. Fol lowing th is, there is the flazging, doubie seaming (vihich is much like tha? carried on in processing plants) and testing. From here, the cans are moved through a bulk handl ing system to shipping via palletizing, cell bin or jumble pack. Citrus proccssars receive aluminum cans by their preferred method and find that handling the empiy cans is no different than wiih steel cans dzspite the three- to-one weight d i fierent i a I. Doub l e belt elevators are preferred and inter locked cable conveyors assure that %ere will be no burns or cut throughs on the double seam, Since aluminum is non--;ndrjnetlc,srtif-ches must be activated by an electric eye or mechanical device, Sorns packei-s have found thet the in-feed dead plate functions rhore consistently if it is chrmo plated after s high p~lish, A little scap added $0 the wash water on the f i l l er dead p late provides I ubr icant and improves operation. 1,500MM- 1960 1.400 MM- Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/CES/proceedings-pdf/CEC1961/99489/1/2370042/cec1961-0701.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021

I. 7vrAL PRODUOION- 1,369,004000 POUNDS 2. SHEET&Pun OF CANMAKING QUALITY- 300,omooo POUNDS 3. SHEET 6 PLRTE a7ffSYMa hX LA1Y MAKLNG - 50,000,000 POUNDS

Figure 3.

ESTIMATED FREIGHT SAVINGS OF VARIOUS 202 X 314 6-02.CITRUS CANS COMPARED WITH 75NTIN PLATE CANS IN PRINCIPAL MARKET AREAS FREIGHT RATES FROM ORLANDO, FLORIDA 1 I 1 All Alumm Tin 59Body -To: 75' End Boshxl,Mass. 36,0001k )136 Phibde!phia,Pd 36,000 Ibs. 1.27 New York, N.Y 36,000 Ibs. 1.30 Chicago, Ill. 36,000 ibs. 1.40 Housfon,Tews 36,000 lbs. 1.49 Portland, Ore. 43,200 Ibs. 2.46 10s Angeles,Calif. 43,200 1bs. 2.46 AVERAGE SAVINGS PER CASE AVERAGE WEIGHT SAVINGS PER CASE

Figure 4. On the double seamer, the a1 l-al~riiinum can shou Id be seamed iiiti~ less bsse pla-i-e pressure fhan used for tin pl~fe, and ths firs* opkra~ionnust bz core genfiz i aItno!lgh -ike sarns contour chucks and rol:s can be used for both can n1a-i-erials. After Ths can is doub le seamod, it wi i I Le ~novad $0 -ihe regr~1 ar freazer. kitlare long ruLs ere requirsd a :la-;- top nylon chain irsquently providos enough slip for the 1 csns so that fhey ir i l l not siumb lo. Ny Ion or De lr in inserts 01: the f l at5, twists and 7 urzs xi 1 ! h3 1 p reducs ir ict ion, a lthou~hsome packers hsve found th is is not Lxesszr\; Hard chrcifie or nylon parls on soms of the sliding caser parts reducz friction 2nd rmprovs liacdling. Each installaficn r,-iusf02 survcyed sincz tiler2 are differznt idios

Tk,e iinpaci extrusion process is an old technique most familiarly used to pro- duce ccl lapsible tcbes. The process inherently leaves a heavl,~bottom -;-hicknessv.hic3 can be an advazi-age in aerosol cans, bct would be a disadvantage in hof packed citrus, As the dismaier height ratio begins to exceed 3-1/2 or 4 to I, then the impact procas.; seems to do a very good job. Equipmen-i- is corr,mercially available to ma!:e cans by this I tcchniqge. Perhaps you have read about fhe successful problem a? Coors Brewery in Co lcrado v:i>er 7-oz, aluminum beer cans are mad2, f i l led and niarf:eted. High purity alu:ninum slugs are used as the can malting raw material.

Like inpact extrusion, the draw and iron method can be used to produce tall, sssmless cans snd uncoated sheet stocic is used. This technique has received consic's-- 1 a5 le em?has i s 1 ate 1 y because it a! lows f he use of h i gh strength a l loys i ns$ead of the almost pure aluminum used for impact extrusion. In the draw and iron method, a preformed cup is fed into a draw and ironing press, which consists of multiple reducing diameter dies. This lengthens the metal in the side wall without appreciably changing the metal in the bottom. The process is not fully refined to a production stage, but it does hold promise and several organizations are actively attempting to improve the can making speed which is currently a process limitation,

Aluminum is a new can making material, and we have only a short history of mechanization behind us. Tin plate cans have been made on fairly automatic equipment

for more than 50 years. Engineering ingenuity can certainly solve the problems of Downloaded from http://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/CES/proceedings-pdf/CEC1961/99489/1/2370042/cec1961-0701.pdf by guest on 26 September 2021 bringing aluminum can making speeds up to those of tin plate. The present 3-piece can has achieved that objective. Equivalent speeds in the other methods will follovt. Newton's third law states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, In the dynamic packaging industry, this also applies. Aluminum's action and entry into the citrus concentrate industry assures that suppliers of other can making materials will counter with their suggestions, Thus, the steel industry offers a new thin tin plate, and an aluminum foil combination is suggested for the body of a can. This healthy competition between methods and materials can only benefit the citrus industry in additional opportunities,