This includes cans of all kinds, including food cans and aerosol cans, collapsible tubes and caps and closures of many kinds. Cans can be considered as a single material, consisting of a metal substrate with an organic lacquer.
Container coatings were historically called metal decorating coatings, since a major portion of the business was in coating flat sheets, followed by lithographic printing and a finishing varnish (clear top coat) to protect the ink.
The field now usually referred to as container or can coatings. Most cans are food or beverage containers, and one of the key requirements is that there be no possibility of introducing toxic compounds into the foods or beverages.
The interior coating of cans is very important because it prevents the metal from reacting with the ingredients of the filling goods.
The can exterior is painted to prevent corrosion, but also for decorative reason. Accordingly, the requirements for can coatings are extreme in many ways. They include printability and block and scratch resistance yet sufficient elasticity to permit forming and drawing without damage to the paint.
Can coatings
