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Temperature Profiling in Industrial Coatings
Temperature Monitoring in Primary Metals Processing

Metal Packaging - 3 Piece Can Coating Wicket & Side Stripe

This application involves the manufacturing of 3 piece metal cans used for food and other consumer packaging solutions. As part of the process, the can body needs to be coated to provide both physical protection and cosmetic quality. The can body requires an internal lacquer coating to create a barrier between the metal and can contents to ensure food safety and prevent damage to the packaging. The external can surface needs a decorative coating to provide product identity/branding and a decorative finish. Both coating processes require controlled thermal curing of large tin plate sheets, performed in a specifically designed Wicket oven. As part of the can assembly process, curing of lacquer applied to the welded side seam is performed in a separate side seam / side stripe oven.

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Application Need 

To control the thermal cure processes of 3 piece cans and ensure product safety and function, it is necessary to provide a temperature profile through the Wicket oven. This profile demonstrates that the whole sheet surface is achieving the correct 'time at temperature' to cure either lacquer, or decorative inks and varnishes, against very specific supplier guidelines. In the side seam cure process, temperature profile data is needed for the rapid side stripe oven to guarantee that the food contents are protected from contamination from the welded can seam. Process validation is essential to comply with strict FDA and other food legislation, to ensure food safety for the consumer.

Benefits to the customer 
  • Prevent under or over cure of internal lacquer coating to eliminate risk of food contamination and ensure consumer safety
  • Eliminate risk of overheating, which may compromise metal packaging strength and damage external print ink color
  • Identify and correct temperature imbalance (hot and cold spots), which can lead to uneven heating of entire sheet surface
  • Provide fully traceable certified process validation reports to comply with FDA requirements and protect against potential warranty claims
Thermal Profiling Systems
  • MonoPaq2 Barrier TB0072 size suitable to fit through fast moving side seam/side strip oven efficiently (safely inside can)
  • DQ1804 - 4 channel logger, capable of fast sampling 0.05s to provide high resolution of quick side stripe run
  • Patch thermocouples attach directly to side seam of can, to give accurate and quick temperature response
Thermal Profiling Systems
  • WicketPaq fits securely to wicket sheet, allowing it to be loaded and travel safely/efficiently through the wicket oven
  • Up to 10 measurement points ensures accurate validation of entire wicket surface temperature throughout process
  • Unique Insight™ Software Contour plot feature creates a thermograph view of sheet surface tempertaure to visually show hot and cold spots for rapid fault finding

Get more information about Fluke Process Instruments solutions for this application

 

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