New steel grade makes easy-open ends even more convenient

Easy-open ends (EOEs) were first introduced in Europe in the 1990s and are now used on more than two-thirds of the food cans sold in Europe[1]. Trivium was one of the first can makers to introduce pre-cut indentations in the EOE. The pre-cuts allow the lid to deform and open easily. At the same time, the lid remains strong – resisting the high level of pressure which builds up inside the can when it goes through the sterilisation process.

“This project began when we noticed that we had to adjust our processing parameters with ArcelorMittal steel,” explains Fabrice Leboucher, Trivium’s R&D Innovation and Project Manager for EOE and Components. “ArcelorMittal suggested a visit to our plant so they could gain a better understanding of the issues we were experiencing.”

When the first coils in the new grade were ready, a team including representatives from ArcelorMittal R&D, Quality, and Technical Support accompanied them to Trivium.“Together we did trials with different coils of the new steel to precisely understand how they worked in our production process,” notes Fabrice Leboucher. “The results were very positive and have led to significant productivity gains.”

“The results of our tests confirmed that the force required to open the EOE had been reduced by 10 newtons – in line with Trivium’s target.” notes Tété Dossah.

One of the key tests of the new EOE steel grade was its deployment on vacuum-packed cans. “Vacuum packaging is used for some vegetables,” explains Fabrice Leboucher. “The steel we use must be very high quality or the EOE could implode when opened. An implosion pushes the EOE panel into the can and prevents the consumer accessing the contents. Our testing proved that the metallurgy of the new EOE grade is very stable. There is no risk that implosion will occur.”

The new steel grade is already in use in Trivium’s can-making plant in Erftstadt (Germany). “We have also used the grade in our plant in Deventer (the Netherlands) in a slightly different process,” says Fabrice Leboucher. “The qualification process is ongoing in other plants, but we are on our way to ramp-up EOE production with the new steel.”

And the next steps? “We currently use the new grade to produce EOEs of 0.18 and 0.20 mm,” says Fabrice Leboucher. “The aim is to achieve EOEs that are 0.16 mm thick and the new steel has the properties which will allow us to achieve that target. Reducing the thickness of the EOE reduces material use and contributes to making steel an even more sustainable packaging material.”

[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20131203010423/http://www.canmaker.com/news/index.php/home/faqs