At present, the metal cans used for packaging on the market are mainly aluminum two-piece cans. The aluminum two-piece can is made of aluminum alloy thin plate as the material, and the thinning and stretching process is used in the manufacturing process, so the thickness of the can wall is significantly thinner than that of the can bottom.
Compared to traditional canning techniques, laminated iron has more advantages in terms of performance, material cost, production cost, environmental protection, and energy consumption. Its application range is very wide:
1. Applications in food metal cans: food cans, beverage cans, four screw lids, candy cans, tea cans, easy to open lids, etc.
2. Application in chemical cans: chemical cans, paint cans, paint cans, two-piece aerosol cans, and various top and bottom covers. Especially the blank film processing technology can be applied to the production of various three piece cans.
3. Application in decorative cans: portable ashtray, gift box, stationery box, jewelry box, cigarette box, wine box, etc.
4. Applications in other industries: building panels, walls, ceilings, anti-theft doors, flooring, sunshades, etc.
Although there are many theoretical applications, in fact, the biggest advantage of coated iron is still its application in food and beverage cans, especially in two-piece cans where the advantages are more obvious. There are also many laminated iron three piece cans in Japan, mainly to avoid the TULC technology patent of Toyo can making, which is a last resort.
At present, the annual consumption of two cans (steel and aluminum) in China is about 30 billion pieces. Calculated at an annual growth rate of 10%, the demand for two-piece cans in China will reach nearly 50 billion units in 5 years, with a net increase of 20 billion units. As the requirements for green environmental protection become increasingly strict and resources become scarce, recyclable and reusable metal packaging materials are becoming more and more popular among people. Therefore, it can be foreseen that the domestic market prospects for making two-piece cans with green and environmentally friendly coated iron are very broad.
As early as around 2000, the Metal Container Committee of the China Packaging Federation had been concerned about the development of Japanese laminated iron and hoped to introduce this technology from Japan. But Japan has a strict blockade in this regard and has no intention of exporting to China. Baosteel had held negotiations with the Japanese side for many years, but ultimately had no results. In the end, Baosteel decided to develop it on its own and officially announced the completion and operation of the production line in July 2016. At present, its products have not yet seen applications in food and beverage.
Metal packaging giant Origen is the largest company in China to invest in laminated iron projects, with an annual production capacity of 50000 tons established in 2014. However, due to incomplete key equipment, its products are mainly used for chemical tanks and dare not be widely promoted on food tanks. In 2016, the company made significant adjustments to the laminated iron project, with several core management and technical personnel leaving. Now, there won't be a major breakthrough in its coated iron project in the short term.
Now, the country is actively formulating various policies to support the development of the laminated iron industry, some of which have been introduced in the past two years. In April 2017, the National Standards Committee and the Metal Container Committee of the China Packaging Federation convened a special meeting of industry experts in Wuzhen to discuss the formulation of national standards for laminated iron. From these phenomena, it can be seen that China's laminated iron industry, after more than a decade of brewing, will soon usher in a spring of rapid development.