Aluminum Material Varieties, Properties, and Applications in Can Manufacturing

Aluminum Material Varieties, Properties, and Applications in Can Manufacturing

Aluminum cans, also known as two-piece cans, consist of a can body and a can lid, both manufactured on different production lines using various aluminum alloys. In practice, the can lid is composed of two components: the lid body and the pull-tab, both produced with different alloys and thicknesses of aluminum strips on highly automated lines.

The can body typically employs Al-Mn series alloys, such as 3004, AA3004, AA3104, and AA3204, with a thickness ranging from 0.25 to 0.29 mm and a condition of H19. For can lids (cover, pull-tab components, etc.), the majority use 5182-H19 strips, while some may use 5052-H19 or H48. Cans with internal pressure, like beer and carbonated beverage cans, and those without internal pressure, like juice cans, utilize 5082 (or 5182) and 5052 alloy strips, respectively, in an H38 condition. The lid body (base lid) typically employs thin strips of approximately 0.27 mm thickness with 5082 or 5182 alloys. The pull-tab material is mostly 5052-H19, although Novelis Aluminum Sheet and Plate Company exclusively offers 5182-H19 and H48 coil strips. Material widths vary, including 45mm, 46mm, and 68mm.Materials for pull-tabs and sealing components are mostly 5052 alloy, occasionally with some instances of 5182 alloy. The combination of the pull-tab and sealing component is commonly referred to as the pull-tab.