Can container and its manufacturing method

Abstract

To give a pattern to a can body even under a condition that direct printing is comparatively difficult when the can body has unevenness, and improve productivity of a can container having various patterns.SOLUTION: A structure of a can container 10 has such a structure that a cylindrical can body and at least a part of an outer peripheral surface of the can body are covered, and an electrophotographic image layer is sandwiched between two resin films, in which one or both of the two resin films are PET films, and a print label includes a PET film, a primer layer, an electrophotographic image layer, an adhesive layer and a PET film in this order.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a can container and a method for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] It is known to form an image by printing directly on a can body using an inkjet head (Patent Document 1). [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-108138 A Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, a can container is provided that includes a cylindrical can body and a printed label that covers at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the can body and has a structure in which an electrophotographic image layer is sandwiched between two resin films.

[0004] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the necessary features of the present invention. Also, subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1] An example of a can container 10 in this embodiment is shown. [Diagram 2] An example of the layer structure of the can container 10 in this embodiment is shown. [Diagram 3] An example of a flow of a manufacturing method of the can container 10 of this embodiment by dry molding will be shown. [Figure 4] 11 shows an example of a sub-flow of the dry molding in S100 in this embodiment. [Diagram 5] 11 shows an example of a subflow of the print label production process in step S300 in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0006] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0007] 1 shows an example of a can container 10 in this embodiment. A pattern or the like is formed on the can container 10 by electrophotographic printing. The can container 10 includes a lid portion 100, a body portion 200, and a bottom portion 300.

[0008] The lid 100 is provided at one end of the can container 10. The top surface of the lid 100 is open so that the contents can be filled. After the contents are filled in the lid 100, a lid including a drinking spout and the like may be placed on the lid 100 and fixed by seaming or the like. The lid 100 may have a tapered portion in which the outer diameter is reduced from the body 200 side toward the end.

[0009] The body 200 is located between the lid 100 and the bottom 300, and occupies most of the can container 10. The body 200 may have a substantially constant outer diameter in the longitudinal direction of the can container 10. The body 200 is provided with characters, symbols, repeating patterns, design patterns, and designs (also referred to as "designs, etc.") printed by electrophotography. In the example of FIG. 1, a design 400 and characters 500 are printed on the body 200.

[0010] The bottom 300 is provided on the other end side of the can container 10 and is formed in a dome shape. The bottom 300 enables the can container 10 placed upright to stand on its own. The bottom 300 may have a constant outer diameter or may have a reduced diameter.

[0011] The can container 10 shown in FIG. 1 may be a can for a typical beverage can, but is not limited thereto. For example, the can container 10 may be a food can such as a can containing food or oil, a 18L can, or an industrial can containing medicines, reagents, industrial products, etc. The shapes of the lid 100, body 200, and bottom 300 shown in FIG. 1 are examples of a beverage can, and are not limited thereto. In addition, the can container 10 is not limited to a can before being filled with the contents, but may also include a can after being filled with the contents and an empty can after the contents have been consumed.

[0012] Fig. 2 shows an example of a layer structure of the can container 10 in this embodiment. For example, the can container 10 may have the layer structure shown in Fig. 2 in the can body 200. In addition, the can container 10 may also have the layer structure shown in Fig. 2 on the side surface of the lid 100 and / or the bottom 300.

[0013] The can container 10 has a can body 20, a printed label 30, and an adhesive layer 40. The contents filled in the can container 10 are located on the can body 20 side (lower side in the drawing). The can container 10 is in contact with the outside air on the printed label 30 side (upper side in the drawing). Hereinafter, the can body 20 side is also referred to as the inner surface, and the printed label 30 side is also referred to as the outer peripheral surface.

[0014] The can body 20 is a basic structure of the can container 10 and provides sufficient strength to the can container 10. The can body 20 is formed in a cylindrical shape. The can body 20 may be formed of a seamless can or a welded can. The surface of the can body 20 may be smooth or may be provided with irregularities (e.g., bead processing, embossing, and / or diamond cutting, etc.). The material of the can body 20 may be an aluminum can, a steel can, or other metal. The can body 20 may be surface-treated (e.g., oxide film treatment). The can body 20 may also have a structure in which a film is attached to the outer surface of a metal.

[0015] The printed label 30 is a film-like member on which a pattern or the like is printed, and covers at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the can body 20. In this way, the printed label 30 imparts a pattern or the like to the can container 10 even if the can body 20 is not directly printed on.

[0016] The printed label 30 may be provided on a part or the entirety of the body 200 of the can body 20. The printed label 30 may be provided on a part or the entirety of the lid 100 of the can body 20. The printed label 30 may be provided on a part or the entirety of the bottom 300 of the can body 20.

[0017] The printed label 30 has a structure in which an electrophotographic image layer 34 is sandwiched between two resin films 32 and 36. For example, the printed label 30 may have a structure including a resin film 32, a primer layer 33, an electrophotographic image layer 34, an adhesive layer 35, and a resin film 36 in this order. In one example, the resin film 32 is located on the outer peripheral surface side, and the resin film 36 is located on the inner surface side, but the reverse may also be true. A printed label having such a structure may be formed by a known method. For example, a printed label may be formed by the method described in JP-A-2018-530478.

[0018] The resin film 32 protects the electrophotographic image layer 34 together with the resin film 36 in the printed label 30. The resin film 32 is disposed on the outer peripheral surface side of the printed label 30 and protects the electrophotographic image layer 34 from physical damage. Furthermore, when the can container 10 is a beverage can or a food can, a retort process is performed for sterilization. In such a case, the resin film 32 prevents the electrophotographic image layer 34 from coming into contact with moisture.

[0019] The resin film 32 may be a transparent film. For example, the resin film 32 may be a film that can be used as a transparent barrier film. As an example, the resin film 32 may be an oriented polypropylene (PP), oriented polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or oriented nylon film. In particular, the resin film 32 is preferably a PET film. For example, it is preferable that one or both of the two resin films 32 are PET films.

[0020] The resin film 32 may be surface-treated. For example, the resin film 32 may be a corona-treated film. The corona treatment can improve the adhesion between the resin film 32 and the electrophotographic image layer 34. The thickness of the resin film 32 may be in the range of 1 to 100 μm, and preferably 5 to 50 μm.

[0021] The primer layer 33 is formed as a base for the electrophotographic image layer 34. The primer layer 33 may be a resin having a reactive functional group such as an amine functional group, a polyol functional group, or a carboxyl functional group. The primer layer 33 may have a structure in which these functional groups react to be crosslinked.

[0022] For example, the primer layer 33 may be a resin consisting of one or a combination of two or more types selected from a hydroxyl-containing resin, a carboxyl group-containing resin, an amine-based resin, a cellulose-based resin, a polyester, and a polyurethane, or may be a resin having such a resin as a main component.

[0023] The electrophotographic image layer 34 may be a layer formed from a toner used in electrophotographic printing. As an example, the electrophotographic image layer 34 includes a resin component and a pigment. The electrophotographic image layer 34 may also include components derived from other additives such as wax.

[0024] The electrophotographic image layer 34 may be a layer on which a single-color picture or the like is printed, or a layer on which a multi-color picture or the like is electrophotographically printed. The electrophotographic image layer 34 may be made up of multiple layers. For example, the electrophotographic image layer 34 may be made up of two layers, a first layer and a second layer.

[0025] The electrophotographic image layer 34 may have a thickness of 0.5 μm or more and 100 μm or less. Preferably, the electrophotographic image layer 34 may have a thickness of 1 μm or more and 5 μm or less.

[0026] The adhesive layer 35 may be a layer that contains a crosslinking agent and crosslinks the primer layer 33 and the electrophotographic image layer 34 to firmly bond the entire printed label 30. In FIG. 2 and other drawings, the adhesive layer 35 is described as a layer separate from the primer layer 33 and the electrophotographic image layer 34 for convenience, but is not limited thereto. For example, the adhesive layer 35 may not be clearly separated from other layers and may be at least partially contained in the primer layer 33 and / or the electrophotographic image layer 34. The composition of the adhesive layer 35 may contain a crosslinking agent to be described later. Alternatively, the adhesive layer 35 may be the same as the adhesive layer 40 to be described later.

[0027] The resin film 36 protects the electrophotographic image layer 34 together with the resin film 32. The resin film 36 is disposed on the inner surface side of the printed label 30. The resin film 36 may be the same as the resin film 32.

[0028] The adhesive layer 40 adheres the printed label 30 to the can body 20. The adhesive layer 40 may be a cured adhesive, a cured semi-cured film, or the like. For example, the adhesive layer 40 may be a cured acrylic resin adhesive, a polyurethane adhesive, a polyester adhesive, or an epoxy resin adhesive.

[0029] According to this embodiment, instead of directly printing on the can body 20, a printed label 30 having a structure in which an electrophotographic image layer 34 is sandwiched between two resin films 32, 36 is used to impart a pattern or the like to the can container 10. This makes it easier to print a pattern or the like than directly printing on the can body 20, and since the pattern or the like can be prepared in parallel with the molding of the can container 10, the productivity of the can container 10 having various patterns or the like can be improved. In addition, even under conditions where direct printing is relatively difficult, such as when the can body 20 has irregularities, a pattern or the like can be imparted to the can body 20. Furthermore, since the electrophotographic image layer 34 is protected from both sides by the resin films 32, 36, the pattern can be prevented from deteriorating or peeling off due to heat or moisture during heating such as retort treatment.

[0030] Fig. 3 shows an example of a flow of a manufacturing method of the can container 10 of this embodiment by dry molding. The can container 10 of this embodiment can be manufactured by carrying out the processes of S100 to S800 in Fig. 3. For convenience of explanation, the processes of S100 to S800 will be explained in order, but at least some of these processes may be performed in parallel, or each step may be interchanged within the scope of the present invention. Some steps may also be omitted.

[0031] First, in S100, a metal plate is dry-molded. Dry molding is a molding method that reduces the environmental impact by not using a lubricant when molding the can body 20. Next, each step of the dry molding will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows an example of a subflow of the dry molding in S100 in this embodiment. The dry molding in S100 includes steps S11 to S15.

[0032] In S11, uncoiler processing is performed. Specifically, the coiled metal plate that is to be the material for the can body 20 is uncoiled and stretched. The material for the metal plate may be, for example, aluminum or steel that is primarily composed of iron.

[0033] Next, in S12, a film is laminated. Specifically, a resin film is laminated on one or both sides of the metal plate stretched in S11. The lamination method may be a known method (for example, the method described in JP-A-2004-25640). The resin film may be a polyester resin film such as PET.

[0034] Next, in S13, a cupping press is performed. Specifically, the metal plate laminated with the film in S12 is punched into a disk shape. Here, further drawing is performed to obtain a cup-shaped metal material.

[0035] Next, in S14, a bodymaker is performed. Specifically, the cup-shaped metal material obtained in S13 is subjected to drawing and ironing to form a cylindrical can-shaped container with a constant thickness of peripheral wall and a dome-shaped bottom. This forms the body 200 and bottom 300 of the can container 10.

[0036] Next, in S15, trimming is performed. Specifically, the tops of the can-shaped containers obtained in S14 are trimmed to be uniform.

[0037] After the trimmer, a washer may be performed as necessary. Specifically, the trimmed can-shaped container is washed to remove dirt and the like, and then dried. After S100, the process of S300 is performed.

[0038] In S300, the printed label 30 is manufactured. The manufacturing of the printed label 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows an example of a subflow of the printed label manufacturing of S300 in this embodiment. The printed label 30 may be manufactured by carrying out steps S310 to S340. For example, the materials, processes, etc. used in the manufacturing of the printed label 30 may be those described in JP-T 2018-530478.

[0039] First, in S310, a primer layer 33 is formed on a resin film 32. The resin film 32 may be the one described with reference to Fig. 2. A primer composition is applied to the resin film 32.

[0040] The primer layer 33 may be formed by coating or printing. The primer layer 33 may be formed on the entire surface or a part of the resin film 32. The primer composition is applied in an amount of 0.01 to 1.5 g / m 2 The coating amount may be formed on the resin film 32 .

[0041] The primer composition may include a primer resin. The primer composition may further include a solvent that at least partially dissolves the primer resin. The primer resin may be a resin having a reactive functional group such as an amine functional group, a polyol functional group, or a carboxyl functional group.

[0042] The hydroxyl group-containing resin may include polyvinyl alcohol such as polyvinyl butyral (e.g., Butvar from Eastman Co.). The carboxyl group-containing resin may be a polyolefin-(meth)acrylic acid copolymer, a polyacrylic acid-based polymer, or a polylactic acid-based polymer. The amine-based resin may be a polyamine, a polyethyleneimine, or a polyamide.

[0043] In order to improve the adhesion between the resin film 32 and the toner, etc., a surface treatment may be performed after or before the formation of the primer layer 33. As an example, a corona treatment, a plasma treatment, or the like may be performed on the resin film 32 or the primer layer 33.

[0044] Next, in S320, electrophotographic printing is performed on the primer layer 33 using an ink composition to form an electrophotographic image layer 34. For example, a picture or the like may be printed on the primer layer 33, and then cured and / or dried as necessary to produce the printed label 30. In the electrophotographic printing, a laser beam method or an electron beam method may be used. For example, the electrophotographic printing may be performed using an HP Indigo digital printing machine.

[0045] The ink composition may be a liquid toner or a powder toner for use in electrophotographic printing, and is preferably a liquid toner. For example, the ink composition may include a thermoplastic resin, a colorant, and a solvent.

[0046] The thermoplastic resin may be selected from polyolefin-based resins, (meth)acrylic-based resins, epoxy-based resins, polyvinyl acetate-based resins, polyurethane-based resins, polyethyleneimine-based resins, polyamide-based resins, polyvinyl alcohol-based resins, copolymer resins in which a plurality of these unit structures are combined, or combinations of these resins.

[0047] The thermoplastic resin may also include a resin having an acidic side group (e.g., an acrylic acid group or a methacrylic acid group). The resin having an acidic side group may have an acid value of 50 mgKOH / g or more. The resin having an acidic side group may have a melt flow rate of 10 g / 10 min to 120 g / 10 min. The resin having an acidic side group may have a melt viscosity of 6000 to 15000 poise.

[0048] The thermoplastic resin may also include a resin having an ester side group. The resin having an ester side group may further include an acidic side group, but the resin having an acidic side group does not have an ester side group. The resin having an ester side group may have an acid value of 50 mgKOH / g or more. The resin having an acidic side group may have a melt flow rate of 10 g / 10 min to 120 g / 10 min.

[0049] For example, the thermoplastic resin may be polyethylene, polypropylene, a polyolefin copolymer, a polyethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, a polypropylene-acrylic acid copolymer, a polyethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, a polypropylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, polyacrylic acid (and its alkyl (e.g., C1-5) esters), polymethacrylic acid (and its alkyl (e.g., C1-5) esters), a polyethylene-maleic anhydride copolymer, a polypropylene-maleic anhydride copolymer, a polystyrene, a (crystalline) isotactic polypropylene, a copolymer of ethylene ethyl acrylate, a polyester, a polyvinyl toluene, a polyamide, a styrene-butadiene copolymer, an epoxy resin, an ethylene acrylate terpolymer, an ethylene-acrylic acid ester-maleic anhydride (MAH), a glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) terpolymer, an ethylene-acrylic acid ionomer, a polyethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, or a combination thereof.

[0050] Examples of commercially available thermoplastic resins include Nucrel 403, Nucrel 407, Nucrel 609HS, Nucrel 908HS, Nucrel 1202HC, Nucrel 30707, Nucrel 1214, Nucrel 903, Nucrel 3990, Nucrel 910, Nucrel 925, Nucrel 699, Nucrel 599, Nucrel 960, Nucrel RX76, and N Examples of such compounds include ucrel2806, Bynell2002, Bynell2014, Bynell2020, Bynell2022, Honeywell's AC-5120, AC-5180, AC-540, AC-580, the Aclyn series of Aclyn 201, Aclyn 246, Aclyn 285, Aclyn 295, and Arkema's Lotader 2210, Lotader 3430, and Lotader 8200.

[0051] The thermoplastic resin may be contained in an amount of 5 to 95% by weight of the solid matter in the ink composition.

[0052] The colorant may be a dye or a pigment. When the ink composition is a liquid toner, it is desirable that the colorant is compatible with the solvent. The colorant may be selected from known cyan, magenta, yellow, and black pigments / dyes. The colorant may be included in an amount of 10 to 80% by weight of the solid matter of the ink composition.

[0053] The solvent may be a known organic solvent used as a liquid toner. The solvent may be one that does not dissolve the thermoplastic resin at room temperature but dissolves the thermoplastic resin at a high temperature of at least 80°C. The solvent may be a linear aliphatic compound, a branched aliphatic compound, an aromatic compound, or the like. The solvent may be contained in the ink composition at a ratio of 20 to 99% by weight.

[0054] The ink composition may contain additives in addition to the above, if necessary. For example, the ink composition may further contain, as additives, one or more selected from wax, charging agent, charging assistant, dispersant, surfactant, bactericide, viscosity adjuster, pH adjuster, preservative, etc.

[0055] Next, in S330, an adhesive layer 35 is formed on the electrophotographic image layer 34. The adhesive layer 35 may be formed by applying or printing an adhesive composition onto the electrophotographic image layer 34. The adhesive composition may be formed on the entire surface or a portion of the electrophotographic image layer 34.

[0056] The adhesive composition may include a crosslinking agent that crosslinks the primer resin of the primer layer 33. Alternatively / additionally, the crosslinking agent may crosslink the thermoplastic resin of the electrophotographic image layer 34. Furthermore, the crosslinking agent may crosslink the primer resin and the thermoplastic resin to each other.

[0057] The crosslinking agent may be reactive to carboxyl and / or amine functional groups. The crosslinking agent may be a compound having reactive functional groups such as carboxyl, amine, polyol, etc. By way of example, the crosslinking agent may be selected from epoxides, aziridines, isocyanates, maleic anhydride, organometallic complexes, organometallic complex ions, organosilanes, epoxyorganosilanes, carbodiimides, aldehydes, ketones, acetylacetonates, or combinations thereof. The crosslinking agent may be present in the range of 0.1-20% by weight of the adhesive composition.

[0058] For example, when the thermoplastic resin and / or the primer resin of the ink composition contains carboxyl functional groups, the crosslinker may be selected from epoxides, organometallic complexes, organometallic complex ions, aziridines, organosilanes, epoxyorganosilanes, carbodiimides, isocyanates, acetylacetonates, or combinations thereof.

[0059] For example, when the thermoplastic resin and / or primer resin of the ink composition contains amine functional groups, the crosslinker may be selected from epoxides, aziridines, isocyanates, carbodiimides, aldehydes, ketones, acetylacetonates, isothiocyanates, acyl azides, NHS esters, sulfonyl chloride glyoxal, carbonates, aryl halides, imido esters, maleic anhydride based crosslinkers, acid anhydrides such as glutaric anhydride or phthalic anhydride, polyanhydrides such as polyacrylic anhydride or polymethacrylic anhydride, acetylacetonates such as acetoacetoxyethyl methacrylate, isocyanatoalkylorganosilanes, epoxyorganosilanes, organosilanes such as trimethylaminopropylsilane, or combinations thereof.

[0060] For example, if the thermoplastic resin of the ink composition has acidic side groups and the primer resin has amine functional groups such as polyethyleneimine, the crosslinker may be selected from an epoxy-based crosslinker, an aziridine-based crosslinker, an isocyanate-based crosslinker, a carbodiimide-based crosslinker, or a combination thereof.

[0061] The adhesive composition may further include one or more of a photoinitiator, a solvent, and additives as required. The solvent of the adhesive composition may be water or an organic solvent such as methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, or combinations thereof. The additives may be the same as or different from the ink composition of the electrophotographic imaging layer 34.

[0062] The adhesive layer 35 may be formed by applying or printing the adhesive composition on the electrophotographic image layer 34. As described above, the adhesive layer 35 does not need to be formed as a clearly separated layer. A clear adhesive layer 35 may not be formed on the primer layer 33 and the electrophotographic image layer 34, and the adhesive composition may permeate the primer layer 33 and the electrophotographic image layer 34.

[0063] After the adhesive composition is formed on the electrophotographic image layer 34, an activation treatment of the crosslinking agent may be performed. For example, the crosslinking reaction of the crosslinking agent may be induced by heating in the range of 50 to 200° C., irradiating with ultraviolet rays, irradiating with an electron beam, irradiating with ionizing radiation, irradiating with microwave radiation, or a combination thereof. The activation may be performed immediately after the adhesive composition is formed on the electrophotographic image layer 34, or may be performed after S340 described later.

[0064] Next, in S340, a resin film 36 is laminated onto the adhesive layer 35, and the electrophotographic image layer 34 is sandwiched between the two resin films 32, 36. The resin film 36 may be made of the same material as the resin film 32. A solvent-based or water-based adhesive may be used for lamination.

[0065] In S400, the printed label 30 having a structure in which an electrophotographic image layer 34 is sandwiched between two resin films 32, 36 produced in S300 is attached so as to cover at least a portion of the can body 20 obtained in S100. For example, an adhesive or a semi-cured film obtained by semi-curing an adhesive may be placed between the outer peripheral surface of the can-shaped container and the printed label 30, and the printed label 30 may be bonded to the can-shaped container. The adhesive may be appropriately selected in consideration of the adhesiveness between the adhesive surface of the printed label 30 (i.e., the surface opposite to the resin film 32) and the can-shaped container. For example, the adhesive may be an acrylic resin-based adhesive, a polyurethane-based adhesive, or a polyester-based adhesive, but is not limited to these.

[0066] As a result, an adhesive layer 40 is formed between the can body 20 and the printed label 30 that form a can-shaped container.

[0067] Next, necking is performed in S600. Necking (also called necking) forms one end of the can-shaped container to form a lid 100 for later seaming. A reduced diameter portion may be formed during necking. Necking may be performed by any method known in the can manufacturing field.

[0068] The necking may be performed between S100 and S400. The printed label 30 is attached to the can container 10 that has already been necked. In this case, the printed label 30 may be attached to at least the body portion 200.

[0069] By carrying out the necking, a can container 10 is formed having a lid portion 100, a body portion 200, and a bottom portion 300. Next, the process of S700 is carried out.

[0070] In S700, the can container 10 is inspected. For example, the outer or inner surface of the can container 10 is inspected for dents, holes, scratches, stains, etc. For example, the can container 10 is inspected for a pattern or the like formed on the can container 10 being sufficiently clear, and for printing misalignment, chipping, bleeding, etc. The inspection may be performed by an inspection device or by human visual inspection. Next, the process of S800 is performed.

[0071] In S800, the inspected can container 10 is filled with the contents. A can lid is attached to the can container 10 filled with the contents. Filling with the contents and attaching the can lid may be performed by a known method. For example, a can lid provided with a drinking spout may be placed on the can container 10, and the can lid may be fixed to the can container 10 by rolling and seaming.

[0072] S100 may be performed at a can manufacturing plant. S300 may be performed at a label manufacturing plant. S400 to S800 may be performed at a bottler. When steps S400 and after are performed at a bottler, the can manufacturing plant stores the can containers to which the printed label 30 is not attached.

[0073] In this case, even if the design or other features are changed, the bottler can paste the new design or features onto the can container, which reduces the number of can containers to be discarded. In addition, because the design or features are formed using electrophotographic printing, design changes can be made more quickly and with a high degree of freedom. In addition, since there is no need to store many different types of printed can containers at the can manufacturing factory, it is also advantageous in terms of storage costs and can meet the needs of small lots of many different types of products.

[0074] Alternatively, steps S100 to S700 may be performed at the can factory, and step S800 may be performed at the bottler. The division of steps between the can factory and the bottler is not limited to this.

[0075] In the explanation of Fig. 5, an example in which dry molding is performed in S100 is shown, but wet molding may be performed instead of dry molding in S100. In this case, in S100, a lubricant may be applied to the metal plate in S12 instead of film lamination. The lubricant functions as a lubricant and a coolant, and a known material is used.

[0076] Also, the can body 20 may be formed using a known welding technique without using dry forming and wet forming in S100. In this case, the can body 20 may be formed by welding in S100, or instead, the forming of the can body 20 equivalent to S100 may be performed between S400 (adhering a printed label) and S600 (neck processing). The can body 20 will be a three-piece can.

[0077] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0078] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the can body, can container, and method shown in the claims, specification, and drawings is not specifically indicated as "before," "prior to," etc., and can be realized in any order, as long as the can body or can container from the previous process is not used in the subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specification, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the process in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 10 Can containers 20 can body 30 Printed Labels 32 Resin film 33 Primer layer 34 Electrophotographic Image Layer 35 Adhesive layer 36 Resin Film 40 Adhesive layer 100 Lid 200 Torso 300 bottom 400 designs 500 characters

Claims

1. A cylindrical can body, and a printed label covering at least a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the can body and having a structure in which an electrophotographic image layer is sandwiched between two resin films; The printed label is PET film, A primer layer, an electrophotographic image layer; An adhesive layer, and PET film, in this order, the electrophotographic image layer does not include a watermark image; Tin container.

2. A method for producing a can container according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: a label attachment step of attaching a printed label having a structure in which an electrophotographic image layer is sandwiched between two resin films so as to cover at least a part of the outer circumferential surface of the can body; A method for manufacturing can containers.

Images