A filmic overview
From steel to tinplate – before finally becoming a can
From the ends and bottoms of pet food cans, to mounting cups on aerosol cans, right through to crown corks and offset ink tins – the cutting-edge coating facility supplies special chromium-coated steel for different types of steel packaging. Thanks to its extremely thin coating, the material is ideal for further processing and protected against corrosion.
The new procedure for manufacturing special chromium-coated material – TCCT – replaces chromium(VI) with chromium(III). “The technology is based on a patent from Tata Steel Ijmuiden. We acquired a license for it,” reports Oliver Hoffmann. The company’s existing competencies in the manufacturing of special chromium-coated steel in Andernach will be crucial in perfecting the procedure: “We have pooled our expertise in one joint technology team and this will allow us to further develop the procedure,” he explains. It’s not only customers who are set to benefit in the future, but also the company itself.
Chromium(VI)-free production from 2022
The company will offer manufacturers of steel packaging a REACH-compliant solution that is comparable with conventional ECCC material (electrolytical chromium-coated steel) in terms of appearance and processing, yet boasts significant advantages:
Boost to innovation with energy-saving effects
Paul Michels, Project Manager for the new VA13 coating line, commented on the investment: “The steel façades on our premises give you a rough idea of how big our new production site will be. The new building – in which the company is investing hundreds of millions of euros – covers 10,000 square meters, or about one and a half soccer fields. “All of the important milestones are currently on target. Production will start with a run-up phase in the second and third quarters of 2022,” he says.
The packaging steel will be coated on the surface with a nanometer-thin protective layer in an electrolytical bath in the VA13. This will reduce the quantity of resources needed. A further advantage of the modern system is as follows: “We will be at the cutting edge of technology in every sense of the word – even in terms of energy consumption and occupational safety,” says Michels. Oliver Hoffmann reveals another groundbreaking aspect of the system: “In the future we will be able to work with an even broader production range.” This means that even wider and thinner plates from the site that are even more solid and robust will soon be used as primary materials for cans. “Our customers will of course benefit from this. Further progress will also be made possible, as our new measuring technology will go far beyond today’s standards.”
Cans made from tinplate are recycling champions
The modern system is state of the art from a technological perspective, especially because additional more efficient and energy-saving processes will be implemented using the digitalized workflow. Michels makes the following predication: “After further tests and calculations we can look forward to lower CO2 emissions from production.” The can also contributes to the recycling process: as the most frequently and most efficiently recycled packaging material, tinplate remains unparalleled when it comes to ecological sustainability.
The VA13 in Andernach will ensure environmental conservation, occupational safety, and resource efficiency. The investment promises added value in many respects, as employees, manufacturers, customers, and consumers will all benefit equally from the switch to the new TCCT process.
