Can container and manufacturing method for can container

Abstract

According to a first mode of the present invention, provided is a can container comprising a cylindrical can body and an electron beam (EB) coating layer that is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the can body and includes an electron beam cured resin. According to a second mode, provided is a manufacturing method for a can container, the method comprising an EB application step for concurrently applying an electron beam curable resin composition onto the outer circumferential surfaces of a plurality of can bodies by using a plurality of EB coating devices, and an EB curing step for irradiating the electron beam curable resin composition with an electron beam to cure the same, and forming an EB coating layer on the outer circumferential surfaces of the can bodies that includes an electron beam cured resin.

Description

Can container and method for manufacturing can container

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

[0002] It is known that in can containers such as beverage cans, a protective layer is formed on the surface of the can body to protect the printing on the surface. For example, Patent Document 1 states, "In the image formation process in a printer (PR), after image formation by the inkjet head 300, paint is applied to the outer peripheral surface 19 of the can body to form a protective layer (overcoat layer) (paragraph 0034)." Cited Document 2 describes a method for manufacturing an organic resin-coated metal sheet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents] [Patent document 1] JP 2019-025521 A [Patent document 2] JP 2004-25640 A General disclosure

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a can container including a can body and an EB coating layer. The can body may be cylindrical. The EB coating layer may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body and may contain an electron beam curable resin.

[0004] In the above, the EB coating layer may be formed only on a part of the outer circumferential surface of the can body.

[0005] In the above, the EB coating layer may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body in a stripe pattern extending in the horizontal direction of the can body.

[0006] In the above, the can body may have a reduced diameter portion whose one end is reduced in diameter, and a can barrel portion. The EB coating layer may be provided on at least the outer peripheral surface of the reduced diameter portion.

[0007] In the above, the thickness of the EB coating layer may be 0.5 to 20 μm.

[0008] In the above, the EB coating layer may contain a resin obtained by polymerizing an oligomer selected from polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, silicon acrylate, melamine acrylate, and polyether acrylate.

[0009] In the above, the can container may further include a printed layer between the can body and the EB coating layer.

[0010] In the above, the can body may have a can body and a resin film covering the inner surface and / or the outer surface of the can body.

[0011] In the above, the can container may further include a UV coating layer. The UV coating layer may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body and may contain an ultraviolet curable resin.

[0012] In the above, the UV coating layer may be at least partially provided between the can body and the EB coating layer.

[0013] In the above, the can container may further include a printed layer between the can body and the EB coating layer.

[0014] In the above, at least a portion of the printed layer may be provided between the can body and the UV coating layer.

[0015] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a can container, comprising an EB coating step and an EB curing step. In the EB coating step, an electron beam curable resin composition may be coated on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical can body. In the EB curing step, the electron beam curable resin composition may be irradiated with an electron beam to be cured, thereby forming an EB coating layer containing the electron beam curable resin on the outer peripheral surface of the can body.

[0016] In the above, the method for manufacturing a can container may include a printing step. The printing step may be performed before the EB coating step, and may involve forming a printed layer on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body. The EB coating step may be performed by forming an electron beam curable resin composition on the printed layer.

[0017] In the above, the intensity of the electron beam in the EB curing step may be 2 to 100 kGy.

[0018] In the above, the thickness of the electron beam curable resin composition applied in the EB application step may be 0.5 to 20 μm.

[0019] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a can container, comprising an EB coating step and an EB curing step. In the EB coating step, an electron beam curable resin composition may be applied in parallel to the outer peripheral surfaces of a plurality of cylindrical can bodies using a plurality of EB coaters. In the EB curing step, the electron beam curable resin composition may be irradiated with an electron beam to be cured, thereby forming an EB coating layer containing the electron beam curable resin on the outer peripheral surface of the can body.

[0020] In the above, the method for manufacturing a can container may include an inkjet printing step. The inkjet printing step may be performed before the EB coating step. The inkjet printing step may involve forming inkjet-printed layers in parallel on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body using multiple inkjet printing devices. The EB coating step may be performed by forming an electron beam curable resin composition on the printed layer.

[0021] The method for manufacturing a can container may include a can body supplying step in which a plurality of cylindrical can bodies are supplied to both an inkjet printing step and a plate printing step in which a plate-printed layer is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can bodies by plate printing.

[0022] The method for manufacturing a can container may include a diameter reducing step in which a common diameter reducing device may be used to reduce the diameter of a portion of the can body before being supplied to the inkjet printing step and the can body that has been subjected to the plate printing step to form a reduced diameter portion.

[0023] In the above, the method for manufacturing a can container may include a plate printing step. The plate printing step may be performed before the inkjet printing step. In the plate printing step, a plate-printed layer may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body by plate printing.

[0024] In the above, the method for manufacturing a can container may include a storage step. The storage step may be performed before the can body supply step. In the storage step, a plurality of cylindrical can bodies may be stored before the can body supply step.

[0025] In the above, the EB coating device may be an inkjet printing device.

[0026] In a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a can container including a can body and an EB image layer. The can body may be cylindrical. The EB image layer may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body and may contain an electron beam curable resin and a dye material.

[0027] In the above, the EB image layer may be formed only on a part of the outer circumferential surface of the can body.

[0028] In the above, the can body may have a reduced diameter portion, one end of which is reduced in diameter, and a can body portion. The EB image layer may be provided on at least the outer peripheral surface of the reduced diameter portion.

[0029] In the above, the thickness of the EB image layer may be 0.1 to 50 μm, preferably 0.5 to 20 μm, and more preferably 1 to 10 μm.

[0030] In the above, the EB image layer may contain a resin obtained by polymerizing an oligomer selected from polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, silicon acrylate, melamine acrylate, and polyether acrylate.

[0031] In the above, the can container may include an EB coating layer. The EB coating layer may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body and may contain an electron beam curable resin.

[0032] In the above, the can body may have a can body and a resin film covering the inner surface and / or the outer surface of the can body.

[0033] In a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a can container, comprising an EB printing step and an EB image forming step. In the EB printing step, an ink composition containing an electron beam curable resin and a colorant material may be printed on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical can body. In the EB image forming step, the ink composition may be irradiated with an electron beam to cure it, thereby forming an EB image layer on the outer peripheral surface of the can body.

[0034] In the above, the method for manufacturing a can container may include a can body supplying step, in which cylindrical can bodies are supplied to both an EB printing step using inkjet printing and an EB printing step using plate printing.

[0035] In the above, the method for manufacturing a can container may include a diameter reducing step, in which a diameter of a part of the can body is reduced using a common diameter reducing device before inkjet printing and after plate printing to form a reduced diameter portion.

[0036] In the above, the method for manufacturing a can container may include a storage step. The storage step may be performed before the can body supply step. In the storage step, a plurality of cylindrical can bodies may be stored.

[0037] In the above, the EB printing step may be carried out by printing the ink composition onto the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body by inkjet printing.

[0038] In the above, the EB printing step may be carried out by printing the ink composition on a plurality of can bodies in parallel using a plurality of inkjet printing devices.

[0039] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also be inventions.

[0040] 8 shows an example of an overall view of a can container 10 in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows an example of a cross section of a can container 10 in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a modified ... an example of a flow of a manufacturing method for a can container 10 in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows an example of a flow of a manufacturing method for a can container 10 in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows another example of a subflow (wet molding) of S100 in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 shows another example of a subflow (dry molding) of S100 in FIG. 8. FIG. 8 shows an example of parallelization of a manufacturing method in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows an example of parallelization of a manufacturing method in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a modified example of parallelization of a manufacturing method in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a modified example of parallelization of a manufacturing method in this embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a modified example of parallelization of a manufacturing method in this embodiment. A modified example of the parallelization of the manufacturing method in this embodiment is shown. A modified example of the parallelization of the manufacturing method in this embodiment is shown. A modified example of the parallelization of the manufacturing method in this embodiment is shown. An example of a cross section of a can container 10 in the second embodiment is shown. A modified example of a cross section of a can container 10 in the second embodiment is shown. A modified example of a cross section of a can container 10 in the second embodiment is shown. A modified example of a cross section of a can container 10 in the second embodiment is shown. A modified example of a cross section of a can container 10 in the second embodiment is shown. An example of a flow of a manufacturing method of a can container 10 in the second embodiment is shown. An example of a flow of a manufacturing method of a can container 10 in the second embodiment is shown.

[0041] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0042] The can may include a layer containing an electron beam curable resin, which can enhance the safety of the can while providing sufficient protection to the can.

[0043] FIG. 1 shows an example of an overall view of a can container 10 according to this embodiment. The can container 10 according to this embodiment has an EB coating layer that coats the surface, thereby enhancing safety for people and protecting the can body and / or the print formed on the can body surface. The can container 10 according to a second embodiment has an EB image layer containing an electron beam curable resin and a dye material, which will be described later, thereby enhancing safety for people of the can container 10 bearing a printed image.

[0044] The can container 10 has a reduced diameter portion 20 provided on one end side, a bottom portion 30 provided on the other end side, and a can body portion 40.

[0045] The reduced diameter portion 20 is a portion where one end of the can container 10 is reduced in diameter. The reduced diameter portion 20 may be provided at the opening of the can container 10. The reduced diameter portion 20 may be formed so that the outer diameter gradually decreases as it approaches the one end of the can container 10.

[0046] The reduced diameter portion 20 may be formed by necking the end of the can container 10 before the diameter is reduced. The reduced diameter portion 20 may have a flange formed simultaneously with the necking. A can lid can be attached by the formed flange. By providing the reduced diameter portion 20 on the can container 10, the amount of can lids used to attach to the opening of the can container 10 can be reduced. The can container 10 may have a can lid attached.

[0047] The bottom 30 is a bottom formed at the other end of the can container 10. The bottom 30 allows the can container 10 to hold a filled product such as a beverage. The bottom 30 may be formed so that the outer diameter gradually decreases toward the other end of the can container 10. The bottom surface of the bottom 30 may be formed in a dome shape that is convex upward.

[0048] The can body 40 is the region between the reduced diameter portion 20 and the bottom portion 30 of the can container 10. The can body 40 may have a cylindrical shape with a substantially constant outer diameter in the longitudinal direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 1 ) of the can container 10. The can body 40 has a larger outer peripheral surface area than the reduced diameter portion 20 and the bottom portion 30, and has a substantially constant outer diameter, making it a region suitable for printing on the surface.

[0049] The can body 40 may have a uniform, flat surface overall, or alternatively, the can body 40 may be formed with irregularities such as embossing, or with bent portions, etc.

[0050] As described in Fig. 1 , the can container 10 may include three regions: the narrowed diameter portion 20, the bottom portion 30, and the can body portion 40. Alternatively, the can container 10 may not have the narrowed diameter portion 20. For example, if the can container 10 is a straight can or a cup, it may not have the narrowed diameter portion 20.

[0051] In the following embodiment, a configuration in which the can container 10 has an EB coating layer will be mainly described.

[0052] 2 shows an example of a cross section of a can container 10 in this embodiment. The can container 10 includes three layers: a can body 110, a printed layer 120, and an EB coating layer 130. The can body 110 side (left side of the figure) is the inside of the can container 10, and the EB coating layer 130 side (right side of the figure) is the outside of the can container 10.

[0053] The can body 110 has a cylindrical shape and forms the structure of the can container 10. The can body 110 may be a seamless can such as a two-piece can or a welded can such as a three-piece can. The can body 110 may also be a cup without a metal lid. The can body 110 may be formed of a single metal that can be used for beverage cans and food cans. For example, the can body 110 may be formed of aluminum, steel, or the like.

[0054] The printed layer 120 is an image layer that expresses symbols, letters, designs, and / or pictures, etc. The printed layer 120 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. The printed layer 120 is formed on at least one of the reduced diameter portion 20 and the can body portion 40.

[0055] The printing layer 120 may be a layer of a dried and cured ink composition. The printing layer 120 may contain a coloring material such as a pigment or a dye, a binder resin, and other solid components of the ink composition. The ink composition may be, but is not limited to, an aqueous ink, a solvent ink, an ultraviolet curable ink, or an electron beam curable ink. The printing layer 120 may include an EB image layer 122 and / or a non-EB image layer 125, which will be described later.

[0056] Alternatively, the printed layer 120 may be a shrink film on which an ink image is printed, which further covers the outside of the can body 110. For example, the printed layer 120 may be formed by printing an ink composition on one or both sides of a shrink film and then attaching the film to the can body 110.

[0057] The print layer 120 may be a monochrome image or a color image including multiple colors. The print layer 120 may be a mixture of monochrome and color images in different regions.

[0058] Although not shown, a lubricating layer such as varnish may be provided between the can body 110 and the printed layer 120. In particular, a lubricating layer may be provided in the reduced diameter section 20. When an upper layer such as the printed layer 120 is formed after the diameter is reduced, the lubricating layer protects the can body 110 from damage during the diameter reduction. On the other hand, when the upper layer is formed before the diameter is reduced, the upper layer can protect the can body 110, so a separate lubricating layer is not necessarily provided.

[0059] The EB coating layer 130 protects the can body 110 and the printed layer 120 from physical and / or chemical damage. The EB coating layer 130 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed directly on the printed layer 120 and / or on the can body 110. This forms the printed layer 120 between the can body 110 and the EB coating layer 130.

[0060] The EB coating layer 130 is provided on at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the can container 10. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be provided on at least the outer circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion 20. By providing the EB coating layer 130, the can body 110 and the printed layer 120 can be protected and color transfer from the printed layer 120 can be prevented. Furthermore, the EB coating layer 130 can make the can feel smooth to the touch.

[0061] The EB coating layer 130 contains an electron beam curable resin. Electron beam curable resin is safer for the human body than UV curable resin, etc. By providing the EB coating layer 130 on a portion that comes into contact with the human body (for example, the reduced diameter portion 20 that is likely to come into contact with the mouth), the safety of the can container 10 can be improved.

[0062] The EB coating layer 130 may be formed by reacting a reactive oligomer (e.g., an acrylic-modified resin) and a reactive monomer (e.g., an acrylate-based monomer) with an electron beam, as described in detail below. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may include a resin formed by polymerizing an oligomer selected from polyol polyacrylate, polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, silicone acrylate, melamine acrylate, and polyether acrylate.

[0063] The thickness of the EB coating layer 130 may be 0.1 to 50 μm, preferably 0.5 to 20 μm, and more preferably 1 to 10 μm. By reducing the amount of electron beam curable resin used and ensuring that the thickness of the EB coating layer 130 satisfies the above range, the printing layer 120 and the like can be adequately protected.

[0064] It is desirable that the EB coating layer 130 has a certain degree of cross-linking or more. For example, the gel fraction of the EB coating layer 130 may be 80% or more. The gel fraction is measured using a method similar to that of JIS K 6796, but using methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) as the solvent instead of xylene.

[0065] The degree of crosslinking of the EB coating layer 130, as evaluated by a rubbing method, may be 5 or more times under a load of 500 g. The rubbing method is performed by the following method. Detailed procedures may be adopted in accordance with JIS K5600-8. (1) Eight layers of gauze are wrapped around the hemispherical tip of a cylindrical rod with a diameter of 15 mm and a radius of 7. (2) 1 ml of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is dropped onto the gauze to moisten it. (3) The moistened gauze is brought into contact with the measurement object (EB coating layer 130), and a load of 500 g is applied. The rod is then moved back and forth over a width of approximately 5 cm. (4) The number of times it takes for the surface of the measurement object to peel off is measured.

[0066] In this example, the printed layer 120 and the EB coating layer 130 are formed on both the reduced diameter portion 20 and the can body 40. Alternatively, at least a portion of the printed layer 120 and the EB coating layer 130 may not be formed on the reduced diameter portion 20. For example, the printed layer 120 and the EB coating layer 130 may not be formed on the reduced diameter portion 20. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the reduced diameter portion 20, but the printed layer 120 may not be formed.

[0067] The printed layer 120 and the EB coating layer 130 may not be formed on the bottom portion 30. Alternatively, the printed layer 120 and the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the bottom portion 30. The can container 10 may have other layers not shown. For example, an inner surface protective layer may be formed on the inside of the can body 110 (on the left side of the figure).

[0068] 3 shows a modified cross section of the can container 10 according to the present embodiment. In this example, the can body 110 is not made of a single metal, but has a can body 112 as a core, and resin films 114 and 116 that cover the inner and / or outer surfaces of the can body 112.

[0069] The can body 112 may be a metal layer that can be used for beverage cans and food cans, such as aluminum or steel. The resin films 114 and 116 may be polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films. For example, the can body 110 may be formed by laminating a PET film onto the inner and outer surfaces of a metal plate. The can body 110 may be TULC (Toyo Ultimate Can) or aTULC (Aluminum Toyo Ultimate Can) manufactured by Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd.

[0070] By using the can body 110 coated with a resin film in this manner, it is possible to prevent the contents from adhering to the can body 110. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the amount of lubricant and water used when forming the can body 110.

[0071] The previously described configurations of the printing layer 120, the EB coating layer 130, etc. may be the same as those previously described unless otherwise specified.

[0072] 4 shows a modified cross section of the can container 10 in this embodiment. In this example, the can container 10 further has a UV coating layer 140. The UV coating layer 140 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110.

[0073] For example, the UV coating layer 140 may be provided entirely between the printing layer 120 and the EB coating layer 130. For example, the UV coating layer 140 may be provided partially between the printing layer 120 and the EB coating layer 130. In this case, the printing layer 120 is at least partially provided between the can body 110 and the UV coating layer 140.

[0074] When the surface of the can body 110 includes an area where the printed layer 120 is not formed, the UV coating layer 140 may be formed directly on the outer circumferential surface of the can body 110. In this case, at least a portion of the UV coating layer 140 may be provided between the can body 110 and the EB coating layer 130.

[0075] In this way, the UV coating layer 140 covers and protects the can body 110 and / or the printed layer 120. Furthermore, at least a portion of the UV coating layer 140 is coated with the EB coating layer 130. As a result, the surface of the can container 10 is further protected by the UV coating layer 140 in addition to the EB coating layer 130, and by providing the EB coating layer 130 on at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface, safety for people can be improved.

[0076] The UV coating layer 140 contains an ultraviolet curable resin, and may be formed by curing an ultraviolet curable resin composition such as a photocationic polymerizable resin composition or a photoradical polymerizable composition.

[0077] In this example, the printed layer 120, the EB coating layer 130, and the UV coating layer 140 are formed on both the reduced diameter portion 20 and the can body 40. Alternatively, at least a portion of the printed layer 120, the EB coating layer 130, and the UV coating layer 140 may not be formed on the reduced diameter portion 20.

[0078] For example, the printing layer 120, the EB coating layer 130, and the UV coating layer 140 may not be formed on the reduced diameter section 20. For example, only the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the reduced diameter section 20, and the printing layer 120 and the UV coating layer 140 may not be formed on the reduced diameter section 20. For example, the EB coating layer 130 and the UV coating layer 140 may be formed on the reduced diameter section 20, and the printing layer 120 may not be formed on the reduced diameter section 20.

[0079] 5 shows a modified cross section of the can container 10 according to this embodiment. The EB coating layer 130 may be formed only on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the can body 110. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be provided only on the reduced diameter portion 20. This allows the EB coating layer 130 to reliably cover the portion requiring high safety (e.g., the reduced diameter portion 20) while reducing the amount of electron beam curable resin used.

[0080] In this embodiment, the UV coating layer 140 may be provided on the entire or part of the outer circumferential surface of the can body 110. If the surface of the can body 110 includes an area where the printed layer 120 is not formed, the UV coating layer 140 may be formed directly on the outer circumferential surface of the can body 110. In this case, at least a portion of the UV coating layer 140 may be provided between the can body 110 and the EB coating layer 130.

[0081] 6 shows a modified cross section of the can container 10 in this embodiment. The EB coating layer 130 may be formed only on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the can body 110. The UV coating layer 140 may be formed only on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the can body 110. For example, the UV coating layer 140 may be formed on a portion where the EB coating layer 130 is not provided. As an example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the reduced diameter portion 20, and the UV coating layer 140 may be formed on the can body portion 40.

[0082] This allows portions requiring high safety (e.g., the reduced diameter portion 20) to be reliably coated with the EB coating layer 130, while other portions are protected with the UV coating layer 140. Although the UV coating layer 140 and the EB coating layer 130 are formed so as not to overlap each other in Fig. 6, the two layers may overlap at their boundaries or the like.

[0083] 7 shows a modified cross section of the can container 10 according to this embodiment. The EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110 in a predetermined pattern. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110 in a stripe pattern extending horizontally (horizontally in the drawing) of the can body 110. This reduces the amount of electron beam curable resin used while protecting the surface of the can container 10 with the highly safe EB coating layer 130. The UV coating layer 140 may be at least partially omitted.

[0084] 7 , the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110 in a stripe pattern extending along the vertical direction (the longitudinal direction in the figure) of the can body 110. Alternatively, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110 in a stripe pattern extending along the diagonal direction of the can body 110. Alternatively, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110 in a pattern in which a plurality of stripes extending in different directions are mixed.

[0085] 2 to 7 illustrate an example of the shape of the can container 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the can container 10 shown in Fig. 2 to 7 may not include the printed layer 120. For example, the can container 10 may be a blank can or a plain can for later forming the printed layer 120 on the can body 40 or the like, in which case the can container 10 does not include the printed layer 120.

[0086] 2 to 7 may be combined. For example, a can body 110 having a can body 112 in FIG. 3 and resin films 114 and 116 covering the inner and / or outer surfaces of the can body 112 may be applied to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4 to 7.

[0087] 8A and 8B show an example of a flow chart of a method for manufacturing the can container 10 according to the present embodiment. The can container 10 according to the present embodiment can be manufactured by the processes of S100 to S800 in Fig. 8A. For convenience of explanation, the processes of S100 to S800 will be described in order, but the order of the processes may be reversed and / or some of the processes may be omitted without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0088] First, in S100, molding is performed to form the bottom 30 and the can body 40 of the can container 10. There are two types of molding: wet molding, which uses water, and dry molding, which does not use water.

[0089] Fig. 9 shows an example of a subflow (wet molding) of S100 in Fig. 8A. S100 (wet molding) may be performed by executing S105 to S170 in Fig. 9.

[0090] In step S105, the metal sheet material wound in a coil shape is uncoiled and stretched (uncoiler). The sheet material may be, but is not limited to, an aluminum sheet or a steel sheet.

[0091] In S110, a process (lubricator) is performed in which a lubricant is applied to the stretched plate material. Any known lubricant may be used.

[0092] In S120, the plate material coated with the lubricant is punched into a cup shape (cupping press).

[0093] In S130, the cup-shaped member is drawn and ironed to thin and stretch the sides of the cup. A dome-shaped bottom is also formed at the same time, thereby forming the can body 40 and the bottom 30 (body maker). A cooling / lubricant (coolant) may be used separately during the process.

[0094] In S140, a process (trimmer) is carried out to remove unnecessary portions of the molded member.

[0095] In S150, the molded member is washed and dried, and a process (washer) is carried out to remove the lubricant.

[0096] In S155, a lubricating layer is formed by applying varnish or the like to the outer circumferential surface of the cleaned member (i.e., the outer surface of the cup), which prevents scratches on the surface of the can body 110 during the diameter reduction process described below.

[0097] In S170, an inner surface protective layer is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the cleaned component (i.e., the inner surface of the cup). For example, the inner surface protective layer may be formed by applying paint to the inner circumferential surface and baking the paint. This prevents the inner circumferential surface from being scratched.

[0098] Fig. 10 shows an example of a subflow (dry molding) of S100 in Fig. 8A. S100 (dry molding) may be performed by executing S105 to S140 in Fig. 10.

[0099] The process of S105 (uncoiler) may be the same as S105 in FIG.

[0100] In S115, a resin film is laminated on one or both sides of the plate material by a known method, such as the method described in JP-A-2004-25640.

[0101] The resin film may be made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Instead of the thermoplastic resin, a thermosetting resin such as a thermosetting acrylic resin, a thermosetting epoxy resin, a thermosetting polyurethane resin, or a thermosetting polyester resin may be used. By using a resin film, molding can be achieved without using the lubricant used in steps S110, S120, and S130 of FIG. 9 , and therefore the cleaning step in step S150 can be omitted.

[0102] The thickness of the resin film may be 0.5 μm or more and 30 μm or less. If the thickness of the resin film is less than 0.5 μm, the surface of the resin film will be less slippery, which may cause scratches on the can body 110 or metal powder to adhere to the tool when forming the reduced diameter portion 20. If the thickness of the resin film exceeds 30 μm, there is a risk of poor resin adhesion after the reduced diameter processing and the flanging processing.

[0103] Before laminating the resin film, a primer composition may be applied to the lamination surface of the plate. For example, a primer composition containing a polyester resin, a curing agent, and / or a solvent may be roll-coated onto the plate, followed by baking to form a primer layer, and then the resin film may be laminated onto the primer layer. The curing agent may be, for example, a resol-type phenolic resin derived from m-cresol.

[0104] The primer composition may further contain a coloring material such as a pigment and / or a food coloring, thereby enhancing the decorative properties of the can container 10 even in a portion thereof where the printed layer 120 is not provided (e.g., the bottom portion 30, etc.).

[0105] The processes of S120 to S140 may be the same as those described in Fig. 9. Here, heat treatment (not shown) may be performed between S130 and S140 or after S140. By performing heat treatment, distortion of the resin film that occurs during molding can be removed.

[0106] In dry molding, the processes from S150 onwards can be omitted. On the other hand, in dry molding, S155 may be carried out to form a lubricating layer on the resin film. In particular, in dry molding, the lubricating layer may be formed using a highly volatile lubricant. Even when a highly volatile lubricant is used, part of the lubricating layer remains on the resin film. For example, hexane may be used as the lubricant. After the process of S100, the process of S200 is carried out.

[0107] In S200, the formed can body 110 is necked to form the reduced diameter portion 20. The necking may be performed using a known die-necking tool. Simultaneously with or after the necking, the can body 110 may be flanged to form a flange for attaching a can lid.

[0108] After necking, a process for removing the lubricating layer may be performed. For example, at least a portion of the lubricating layer may be removed by washing with water or heating. Heating methods may include a hot air heating device, an induction heating (IH) device, and / or an infrared (IR) heating device. In particular, when forming a printing layer in step S300 after step S200, it is preferable to remove the lubricating layer to prevent ink repellency, etc.

[0109] In S300, a printing step is performed to form a printed layer 120 on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body 110. The printed layer 120 may be formed on the can body 110 by inkjet printing and / or plate printing.

[0110] Inkjet printing may be a method in which an ink composition is ejected directly onto the can body 110 from an inkjet head (IJH) of an inkjet printing device, or an offset method in which an ink composition ejected from the IJH onto a blanket (i.e., a transfer plate) is transferred to the can body 110.

[0111] Plate printing may be a method of transferring the ink composition to the can body 110 using a plate such as a relief printing plate. The ink composition may be transferred directly to the can body 110 using the relief printing plate, or an offset method may be used in which the ink composition transferred to a blanket (i.e., a transfer plate) is further transferred to the can body 110.

[0112] The ink composition may be a water-based ink, a solvent ink, an ultraviolet-curable ink, or an electron beam-curable ink. The ink composition may contain a colorant selected from pigments, dyes, etc., a resin binder, a monomer / oligomer, an initiator, a solvent, and / or additives such as a dispersant, as needed.

[0113] After printing, the ink composition may be subjected to a drying / curing treatment, such as air drying, heat treatment, ultraviolet irradiation, electron beam irradiation, or a combination thereof, depending on the type of ink composition.

[0114] The printed layer 120 may be formed on the entire or a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. For example, the printed layer 120 may be formed on the entire or only a portion of the can body 40. For example, the printed layer 120 may be formed on the entire or only a portion of the reduced diameter portion 20 and the entire or only a portion of the can body 40.

[0115] The printing layer 120 may be formed in parallel. For example, the process of S300 may be performed simultaneously by a plurality of inkjet printing devices and / or a plurality of plate-based printing devices. This will be described in detail later.

[0116] The printed layer 120 may be formed in multiple steps. For example, a common design, common pattern, and / or common characters may be formed in advance by plate printing or inkjet printing, and then individual designs, individual patterns, and / or individual characters that differ for each product or lot may be formed on demand by inkjet printing later. If the printed layer 120 is not formed, such as when manufacturing blank cans or plain cans to be later printed, the process of S300 may be omitted.

[0117] In S400, a UV coating layer 140 is formed on the reduced diameter can body 110. For example, the UV coating layer 140 may be formed by a UV coating step of coating an ultraviolet curable resin composition on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body 110, and a UV curing step of irradiating the ultraviolet curable resin composition with ultraviolet light to cure it and form a UV coating layer containing the ultraviolet curable resin on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. If the ultraviolet curable resin composition contains a solvent, for example, a drying step may be provided between the UV coating step and the UV curing step as needed.

[0118] When the printed layer 120 is formed, the ultraviolet curable resin composition may be formed on the printed layer 120 in the UV coating step. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the UV coating layer 140 may be formed on the entire surface of the printed layer 120 or on a portion of the printed layer 120. The UV coating layer 140 may also be formed on the can body 110 on which the printed layer 120 is not formed. The UV coating layer 140 may be provided in a stripe pattern using a stripe coater.

[0119] The UV coating layer 140 may be formed on the entire or a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. For example, the UV coating layer 140 may be formed on the entire or only a portion of the can body 40. For example, the UV coating layer 140 may be formed on the entire or only a portion of the reduced diameter portion 20 and the entire or only a portion of the can body 40.

[0120] The UV-curable resin composition may be a transparent or nearly transparent resin composition containing a UV-curable resin and an initiator. The UV-curable resin may be a photocationic polymerizable resin or a photoradical polymerizable resin. The initiator may be a photocationic initiator or a photoradical initiator depending on the type of UV-curable resin. The UV-curable resin composition may further contain additives such as a solvent, a sensitizer, a catalyst, and / or a pigment, as necessary.

[0121] The UV coating step may be performed by a coating device such as a roll coater, etc. Additionally / alternatively, the UV coating step may be performed by a printing device such as a plate printing device and / or an inkjet printing device.

[0122] In the UV coating step, the ultraviolet curable resin composition may be coated to a predetermined thickness. For example, the thickness of the ultraviolet curable resin composition in the UV coating step may be 0.1 to 50 μm, preferably 0.5 to 20 μm, and more preferably 1 to 10 μm. The UV curing step may be performed by irradiating the coated or dried ultraviolet curable resin composition with an electron beam of a predetermined intensity using an ultraviolet irradiation device.

[0123] The formation of the UV coating layer 140 may be performed in parallel. For example, the UV coating process may be parallelized by applying the ultraviolet curable resin composition in parallel using multiple UV coating devices. The UV curing process may be parallelized using multiple ultraviolet irradiation devices. If the UV coating layer 140 is not formed, the process of S400 may be omitted.

[0124] In S500, the EB coating layer 130 is formed on the reduced can body 110. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed by an EB coating step in which an electron beam curable resin composition is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body 110, and an EB curing step in which the electron beam curable resin composition is irradiated with an electron beam to cure it, thereby forming an EB coating layer containing the electron beam curable resin on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. If the electron beam curable resin composition contains a solvent, for example, a drying step may be provided between the EB coating step and the EB curing step as necessary.

[0125] When the printing layer 120 is formed, the EB coating step may be performed by forming an electron beam curable resin composition on the printing layer 120. For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , an EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the entire surface of the printing layer 120 or on a part of the printing layer 120.

[0126] When the UV coating layer 140 is formed, the EB coating step may be performed by forming the electron beam curable resin composition on the UV coating layer 140. For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the entire surface of the UV coating layer 140 or on a part of the UV coating layer 140.

[0127] The EB coating step may be performed by forming the electron beam curable resin composition on the can body 110 on which the printing layer 120 and the UV coating layer 140 are not formed. The EB coating layer 130 may be provided in a stripe pattern using a stripe coater as shown in FIG.

[0128] The EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the entire or a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on only the entire or a portion of the reduced diameter portion 20. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on only the entire or a portion of the can body 40. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the entire or a portion of the reduced diameter portion 20 and the entire or a portion of the can body 40.

[0129] The electron beam curable resin composition may be an electron beam curable resin itself or a transparent or nearly transparent resin composition containing an electron beam curable resin. The electron beam curable resin may contain a reactive oligomer, a reactive monomer, and / or other additives that are highly reactive to electron beams. The electron beam curable resin composition does not require an initiator, which poses safety concerns for humans, and is therefore safer than an ultraviolet light curable resin composition.

[0130] The reactive oligomer may be an acrylic-modified resin containing a (meth)acrylic group selected from polyol polyacrylate, polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, silicon acrylate, melamine acrylate, polyether acrylate, and the like.

[0131] The reactive monomer may be a monofunctional or polyfunctional acrylate selected from acrylic acid, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, N-vinylpyrrolidone, hexadiol acrylate, tripropylene glycol diacrylate, diethylene glycol diacrylate, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, glycerol propoxy triacrylate, trimethylolpropanethoxy triacrylate, and pentaerythritol triacrylate.

[0132] The additives may be selected from fillers, binder resins, pigments, leveling agents, solvents, antifoaming agents, and the like, as needed.

[0133] The EB coating step may be performed by a coating device such as a roll coater. Additionally / alternatively, the EB coating step may be performed by a printing device such as a plate printing device and / or an inkjet printing device.

[0134] In the EB coating step, the electron beam curable resin composition may be coated to a predetermined thickness. For example, the thickness of the electron beam curable resin composition in the EB coating step may be 0.1 to 50 μm, preferably 0.5 to 20 μm, and more preferably 1 to 10 μm.

[0135] The EB curing step is performed by irradiating the applied or dried electron beam curable resin composition with an electron beam of a predetermined intensity using an electron beam irradiation device. For example, the intensity of the electron beam in the EB curing step may be 2 to 100 kGy.

[0136] The formation of the EB coating layer 130 may be performed in parallel. For example, the EB coating process may be parallelized by applying the electron beam curable resin composition in parallel using a plurality of EB coating devices. The EB curing process may be parallelized by using a plurality of electron beam irradiation devices.

[0137] In S600, the can container 10 on which each layer has been formed is inspected. The outer or inner surface of the can container 10 may be inspected for dents, holes, and / or scratches. The printed image of the printing layer 120 may be inspected for chips, misalignments, and / or unclear areas.

[0138] In S700, the contents are filled into the can container 10. For example, the can container 10 may be filled with beverages, food, medicines, chemical products, gases, liquids and / or solids.

[0139] In S800, a can lid is attached to the can container 10. For example, the can lid may be attached by placing the lid on the flange portion of the can container 10 and tightening it using a lid tightening machine.

[0140] 8 to 10 show the basic process flow for manufacturing the can container 10, but as will be described later, the order of the processes may be changed or parallelized. This will improve the efficiency of the can manufacturing process. Also, if the can container 10 is a cup, steps S700 to S800 may be omitted.

[0141] As shown in Fig. 8B, the diameter reduction (necking) in S200 in Fig. 8A may be performed between the formation of the EB coating layer 130 in S500 and the inspection of the can container in S600. In this case, the EB coating layer 130 protects the can body during necking. In this case, the process of S155 in Fig. 9 may be omitted.

[0142] S100 to S800 may be performed by a single entity / location, or by multiple different entities / locations. For example, S100 to S600 may be performed at a can manufacturing plant, and S700 and subsequent steps may be performed at a filling plant (also called a packer or bottler).

[0143] Alternatively, for example, steps S100 to S200 may be performed at a can manufacturing factory, and steps S300 and beyond may be performed at a filling factory (also called a packer or bottler). This allows a printing device to be installed at the filling factory, and the number of can containers 10 bearing any desired image required for filling cans to be quickly manufactured and shipped.

[0144] 11A shows an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method according to this embodiment. In this example, the inkjet printing process for forming inkjet-printed layers may be performed in parallel using multiple inkjet printing devices. For example, in S300, printing may be performed in parallel on the can body 110 after diameter reduction in S200 using multiple inkjet printing devices (three in the example of FIG. 11A). In addition to or instead of the multiple inkjet printing devices, multiple plate-based printing devices may also be used.

[0145] The formation of the EB coating layer 130 in S500 may be performed in parallel. For example, in S500, the electron beam curable resin may be formed in parallel on the printed layer 120 of the can body 110 after printing in S300 using multiple coating devices (three in the example of FIG. 11A). Drying and / or electron beam irradiation may also be performed in parallel, or the drying and / or electron beam irradiation processes may be performed in a common device. After S500, the processes from S600 onwards may be performed.

[0146] 11B shows an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method of this embodiment. In FIG. 11B, the diameter reduction of S200 is performed after the formation of the EB coating layer 130 of S500, which may be parallelized, rather than after the molding of S100. Other aspects may be similar to those of FIG. 11A.

[0147] 12A shows a modified example of parallelization of the manufacturing method of this embodiment. In this example, in addition to S300 and S500, the formation of the UV coating layer in S400 may also be performed in parallel. For example, in S400, the UV-curable resin may be applied in parallel to the can body 110 after printing in S300 using multiple application devices (three in the example of FIG. 12A ). Drying and / or ultraviolet irradiation may also be performed in parallel, or the drying and / or electron beam irradiation processes may be performed in a common device.

[0148] In S300, a plurality of plate-based printing devices may be used in addition to or instead of a plurality of inkjet printing devices. After S500, the processing from S600 onward may be executed. The points other than S400 may be the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11A.

[0149] 12B shows an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method of this embodiment. In FIG. 12B, the diameter reduction of S200 is performed after the formation of the EB coating layer 130 of S500, which may be parallelized, rather than after the molding of S100. Other aspects may be similar to those of FIG. 12A.

[0150] 13A shows a modified example of the parallelization of the manufacturing method of this embodiment. In this example, inkjet printing and plate printing are used in combination to form the printed layer 120. In this example, the can body supply step S190 may be performed after the molding step S100.

[0151] In S190, a can body supplying process is performed. In the can body supplying process, multiple cylindrical can bodies 110 are supplied to both an inkjet printing process and a plate printing process in which a plate-printed layer is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can bodies by plate printing, in response to requests from downstream processes. For example, the number of can bodies to be inkjet printed is supplied to the inkjet printing device, and the number of can bodies to be plate printed is supplied to the plate printing device.

[0152] Before the can body supplying step, a storage step may be performed in which a plurality of cylindrical can bodies 110 that have been formed (S100) are stored. This allows the formed can bodies 110 to be stored for the subsequent can body supplying step until they are needed.

[0153] The can body 110 supplied for inkjet printing is subjected to diameter reduction in step S200A. The diameter reduction in step S200A may be performed in the same manner as in step S200.

[0154] After S200A, in S300A, inkjet printing is performed on the reduced can body 110. S300A may be performed in the same manner as the inkjet printing in S300. The printing in S300A may or may not be performed in parallel.

[0155] After S300A, in S500, the EB coating layer 130 is formed on the printed can body 110. The process of S500 may or may not be performed in parallel. After S500, the processes from S600 onwards may be performed.

[0156] The can bodies 110 supplied for plate printing are subjected to plate printing in S300B. S300B may be performed in the same manner as the plate printing in S300.

[0157] After S300B, a lubricating layer such as varnish is formed in S350. For example, the lubricating layer may be formed by applying varnish or the like and then baking it. Since the printed layer 120 was provided in S300B on the lubricating layer formed in S155 and the resin film laminated in S115, S350 is executed if a lubricating layer is to be provided again on the surface. The process of S350 may be omitted.

[0158] After S350, diameter reduction is performed in S200B. The diameter reduction in S200B may be performed similarly to S200. After S200B, processing from S400 or S500 onward may be performed. Processing from S200A onward may be similar to that in FIG. 11A. A UV coating layer may be formed in a manner similar to that in FIG. 12A. According to the embodiment in FIG. 13A, the molded can body 110 can be printed using various printing methods, such as inkjet printing and plate printing. Note that, although an example in which S300A and S500 are parallelized is described in FIG. 13A, S300A and / or S500 do not necessarily have to be parallelized.

[0159] 13B shows an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method of this embodiment. In FIG. 13B , instead of performing plate printing in S300B, forming a lubricating layer such as varnish in S350, then reducing the diameter in S200B, and forming the EB coating layer 130 in S500 in the embodiment of FIG. 13A , the EB coating layer 130 may be formed after plate printing in S300B, and then reducing the diameter in S200B. In this way, the EB coating layer 130 also functions as a lubricating layer, so the formation of the lubricating layer in S350 can be omitted. Other aspects may be the same as those of FIG. 13A .

[0160] 13C shows an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method according to this embodiment. In FIG. 13C, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 13A, the diameter reduction in step S200 may be performed after the formation of the EB coating layer 130 in step S500. In this case, the EB coating layer 130 also functions as a lubricating layer for the diameter reduction. Other aspects may be similar to those of FIG. 13A.

[0161] FIG. 14A illustrates a modified example of the parallelization of the manufacturing method according to this embodiment. In this example, in the diameter reduction step S200, a common diameter reduction device is used to reduce the diameter of a portion of the can body 110 before it is supplied to the inkjet printing process and the can body 110 that has undergone the plate-based printing process, thereby forming a reduced diameter portion. For example, the diameter reduction equipment, such as a die-necking tool, shown in FIG. 13 as S200A and the diameter reduction equipment shown in S200B are shared to perform the S200 (diameter reduction) process. This allows for savings in the equipment, resources, and costs required for manufacturing the can container 10. The process from S200 onward may be the same as that shown in FIG. 11A. A UV coating layer may be formed before S500 in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 12A. While FIG. 14A illustrates an example in which S300A and S500 are parallelized, S300A and / or S500 do not necessarily need to be parallelized.

[0162] 14B shows an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method of this embodiment. Unlike the embodiment of FIG. 14A, in FIG. 14B, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed in S500 instead of the lubricating layer such as varnish in S350. In this case, the EB coating layer 130 also functions as a lubricating layer for diameter reduction. Other aspects may be the same as those of FIG. 14A.

[0163] 15A shows a variation of the parallel manufacturing method of this embodiment, in which both plate printing and inkjet printing are performed on the formed can body 110.

[0164] First, in S190, a process is performed in which the formed can bodies 110 are divided into those to be subjected to inkjet printing only and those to be subjected to both plate printing and inkjet printing, depending on the request. The number of can bodies to be subjected to inkjet printing only is supplied to the diameter reduction process in S200, and then inkjet printing is performed in S300A. The can bodies 110 to be subjected to inkjet printing only are processed in the same manner as in the example of FIG. 11A.

[0165] Meanwhile, the number of can bodies to be used together is supplied to the plate printing process (S300B). The plate printing (S300B) is performed before the inkjet printing process (S300A). The plate printing (S300B) forms a plate-printed layer on the outer surface of the cylindrical can body 110. The plate-printed layer can express a common design, common picture, and / or common character, etc. Then, in S350, a lubricating layer such as varnish is formed, and the can bodies are then supplied to the diameter reduction process in S200.

[0166] After the diameter is reduced, inkjet printing is performed using S300A to form an inkjet printing layer. The inkjet printing layer can express a common design, common picture, and / or common characters, etc. The reduced can body 110 can be stored in a warehouse or the like until a request for inkjet printing is received.

[0167] 15A , common designs, etc., which are produced in large quantities, can be printed on the can bodies 110 using plate printing, while individual designs, etc., can be printed on demand using inkjet printing. Steps S200 and beyond may be the same as those in FIG. 11A . Before step S500, a UV coating layer may be formed using a method similar to that in FIG. 12A . While FIG. 15A illustrates an example in which steps S300A and S500 are performed in parallel, steps S300A and / or S500 do not necessarily have to be performed in parallel.

[0168] FIG. 15B shows an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method of this embodiment. Unlike the embodiment of FIG. 15A , in FIG. 15B , instead of forming a lubricating layer such as varnish in S350, an EB coating layer 130 may be formed in S500. In this case, the EB coating layer 130 also functions as a lubricating layer for diameter reduction. In this case, after plate printing in S300B and EB coating layer formation in S500, diameter reduction in S200 and inkjet printing in S300A may be performed, and then an EB coating layer may be formed again in S500. Alternatively, the second EB coating layer formation may be omitted. Other configurations may be similar to those of FIG. 15A .

[0169] In the following second embodiment, an embodiment in which the can container 10 has an EB image layer will be mainly described. Note that at least a part of the configuration of the second embodiment may be used in combination with at least a part of the configuration of the above-described present embodiment.

[0170] FIG. 16 shows an example of a cross section of a can container 10 in the second embodiment.

[0171] The can container 10 has two layers: a can body 110 and an EB image layer 122. The can body 110 side (left side of the figure) is the inside of the can container 10, and the EB image layer 122 side (right side of the figure) is the outside of the can container 10.

[0172] The can body 110 has a cylindrical shape and forms the structure of the can container 10. The can body 110 may be a seamless can such as a two-piece can or a welded can such as a three-piece can. The can body 110 may also be a cup without a metal lid. The can body 110 may be formed of a single metal that can be used for beverage cans and food cans. For example, the can body 110 may be formed of aluminum, steel, or the like.

[0173] The EB image layer 122 is a layer of an image that expresses symbols, letters, designs, and / or pictures. The EB image layer 122 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. The EB image layer 122 may be formed at least on the reduced diameter portion 20. The EB image layer 122 may be formed on the can body portion 40 and / or the bottom portion 30.

[0174] The EB image layer 122 may be a monochrome image or a color image containing multiple colors, or may be a mixture of monochrome and color images in different regions.

[0175] The EB image layer 122 includes a layer of a dried and cured electron beam curable resin composition, a dye material, and an electron beam curable resin.

[0176] For example, the EB image layer 122 may contain, as an electron beam curable resin, a resin obtained by polymerizing an oligomer selected from polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, silicone acrylate, melamine acrylate, and polyether acrylate. For example, the EB image layer 122 may contain a pigment, a dye, or the like. The EB image layer 122 may further contain other solid components.

[0177] The thickness of the EB image layer 122 may be 0.1 to 50 μm, preferably 0.5 to 20 μm, and more preferably 1 to 10 μm.

[0178] Although not shown, a lubricating layer such as varnish may be provided between the can body 110 and the EB image layer 122. In particular, a lubricating layer may be provided in the reduced diameter section 20. When an upper layer such as the EB image layer 122 is formed after the reduction, the lubricating layer protects the can body 110 from damage during the reduction. On the other hand, when the upper layer is formed before the reduction, the upper layer can protect the can body 110, so a separate lubricating layer is not necessarily provided.

[0179] According to the second embodiment, a layer using an electron beam curable resin is provided as an image on the can container 10, thereby improving safety for people.

[0180] 17 shows a modified cross section of the can container 10 in the second embodiment. The EB image layer 122 may be formed only on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the can body. For example, the EB image layer 122 may be provided only on the reduced diameter portion 20. This allows the EB image layer 122 to enhance safety in areas where safety is highly required (e.g., the reduced diameter portion 20), and reduces the amount of electron beam curable resin used.

[0181] 17, the can container 10 may further include a non-EB image layer 125 that does not contain an electron beam curable resin. The non-EB image layer 125 is an image layer that does not contain a cured product of an electron beam curable resin, and may be a cured product of an aqueous ink, a solvent ink, a heat curable ink, and / or an ultraviolet curable ink.

[0182] The non-EB image layer 125 is a layer of an image that expresses symbols, letters, designs and / or pictures, etc. The non-EB image layer 125 is formed on at least one of the reduced diameter portion 20 and the can body portion 40.

[0183] The non-EB image layer 125 may be a monochrome image or a color image containing multiple colors, or may be a mixture of monochrome and color images in different regions.

[0184] A non-EB image layer 125 may be provided in an area where the EB image layer 122 is not provided. For example, as shown in the figure, the EB image layer 122 may be formed in the reduced diameter portion 20, and the non-EB image layer 125 may be formed in the can body portion 40.

[0185] The EB image layer 122 may be formed so as to overlap at least a portion of the non-EB image layer 125. For example, the EB image layer 122 may be formed on a portion or the entirety of the non-EB image layer. This ensures a variety of image expressions while increasing the safety of the can container 10 by arranging the EB image layer 122 on the surface side.

[0186] 18 shows a modified cross section of the can 10 in the second embodiment. The can 10 further includes an EB coating layer 130. The EB coating layer 130 includes a layer formed by drying and curing an electron beam curable resin composition.

[0187] The EB coating layer 130 protects the can body 110 and the EB image layer 122 from physical and / or chemical damage. The EB coating layer 130 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the EB image layer 122 and / or directly on the can body 110. This forms the EB image layer 122 between the can body 110 and the EB coating layer 130.

[0188] The EB coating layer 130 is provided on at least a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the can container 10. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be provided on at least the outer circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion 20. By providing the EB coating layer 130, the can body 110 and the EB image layer 122 can be protected and color transfer from the EB image layer 122 can be prevented. Furthermore, the EB coating layer 130 can make the can feel smooth to the touch.

[0189] The EB coating layer 130 contains an electron beam curable resin. Electron beam curable resin is safer for the human body than UV curable resin, etc. By providing the EB coating layer 130 on a portion that comes into contact with the human body (for example, the reduced diameter portion 20 that is likely to come into contact with the mouth), the safety of the can container 10 can be improved.

[0190] The EB coating layer 130 may be formed by reacting a reactive oligomer (e.g., an acrylic-modified resin) and a reactive monomer (e.g., an acrylate-based monomer) with an electron beam, as described in detail below. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may include a resin formed by polymerizing an oligomer selected from polyol polyacrylate, polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, silicone acrylate, melamine acrylate, and polyether acrylate.

[0191] The thickness of the EB coating layer 130 may be 0.1 to 50 μm, preferably 0.5 to 20 μm, and more preferably 1 to 10 μm. By reducing the amount of electron beam curable resin used and ensuring that the thickness of the EB coating layer 130 satisfies the above range, the EB image layer 122 and the like can be adequately protected.

[0192] It is desirable that the EB coating layer 130 has a certain degree of cross-linking or more. For example, the gel fraction of the EB coating layer 130 may be 80% or more. The gel fraction is measured using a method similar to that of JIS K 6796, but using methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) as the solvent instead of xylene.

[0193] The degree of crosslinking of the EB coating layer 130, as evaluated by a rubbing method, may be 5 or more times under a load of 500 g. The rubbing method is performed by the following method. Detailed procedures may be adopted in accordance with JIS K5600-8. (1) Eight layers of gauze are wrapped around the hemispherical tip of a cylindrical rod with a diameter of 15 mm and a radius of 7. (2) 1 ml of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is dropped onto the gauze to moisten it. (3) The moistened gauze is brought into contact with the measurement object (EB coating layer 130), and a load of 500 g is applied. The rod is then moved back and forth over a width of approximately 5 cm. (4) The number of times it takes for the surface of the measurement object to peel off is measured.

[0194] In this example, the EB image layer 122 and the EB coating layer 130 are formed on both the reduced diameter portion 20 and the can body 40. Alternatively, at least a portion of the EB image layer 122 and the EB coating layer 130 may not be formed on the reduced diameter portion 20. For example, the EB image layer 122 and the EB coating layer 130 may not be formed on the reduced diameter portion 20. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the reduced diameter portion 20, but the EB image layer 122 may not be formed.

[0195] The EB image layer 122 and the EB coating layer 130 may not be formed on the bottom portion 30. Alternatively, the EB image layer 122 and the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the bottom portion 30. The can container 10 may have other layers not shown. For example, an inner surface protective layer may be formed on the inside of the can body 110 (the left side of the figure).

[0196] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the EB image layer 122 and the EB coating layer 130 coat the can body 110, thereby further improving safety when forming an image on the can container 110. That is, not only does the EB coating layer 130 ensure safety for the human body, but even if the EB coating layer 130 is scratched or the like and the underlying image layer is exposed, the EB image layer 122 can ensure safety for the human body.

[0197] Fig. 19 shows a modified cross section of the can container 10 in the second embodiment. For example, an EB coating layer 130 as shown in Fig. 18 may be provided on the surface of the can container 10 as shown in Fig. 17.

[0198] 20 shows a modified cross section of the can container 10 in the second embodiment. In this example, the can body 110 is not made of a single metal, but has a can body 112 as a core, and resin films 114 and 116 that cover the inner and / or outer surfaces of the can body 112.

[0199] The can body 112 may be a metal layer that can be used for beverage cans and food cans, such as aluminum or steel. The resin films 114 and 116 may be polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films. For example, the can body 110 may be formed by laminating a PET film onto the inner and outer surfaces of a metal plate. The can body 110 may be TULC (Toyo Ultimate Can) or aTULC (Aluminum Toyo Ultimate Can) manufactured by Toyo Seikan Co., Ltd.

[0200] By using the can body 110 coated with a resin film in this manner, it is possible to prevent the contents from adhering to the can body 110. Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the amount of lubricant and water used when forming the can body 110.

[0201] Fig. 21 shows a modified cross section of the can container 10 in the second embodiment. For example, an EB coating layer 130 as shown in Fig. 18 may be provided on the surface of the can container 10 as shown in Fig. 20.

[0202] 16 to 21 illustrate an example of the configuration of the can container 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. Two or more of the configurations illustrated in Fig. 16 to 21 may be combined. For example, a can body 110 having a can body 112 in Fig. 20 and resin films 114 and 116 covering the inner and / or outer surfaces of the can body 112 may be applied to the configurations illustrated in Fig. 16 to 19.

[0203] Fig. 22A shows an example of a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a can container 10 according to the second embodiment. The can container 10 according to the second embodiment can be manufactured by steps ST100 to ST800 shown in Fig. 22A. For ease of explanation, steps ST100 to ST800 will be described in order, but the steps may be interchanged and / or some of the steps may be omitted without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0204] First, in ST100, molding is performed to form the bottom 30 and the can body 40 of the can container 10. There are two types of molding: wet molding, which uses water, and dry molding, which does not use water.

[0205] Fig. 9 may be an example of a subflow (wet molding) of ST100 in Fig. 22A. ST100 (wet molding) may be performed by executing S105 to S170 in Fig. 9.

[0206] Fig. 10 may be an example of a subflow (dry molding) of ST100 in Fig. 22A. ST100 (dry molding) may be performed by executing ST105 to ST140 in Fig. 10.

[0207] In ST200, necking is performed on the formed can body 110 to form the reduced diameter portion 20. The necking may be performed using a known die-necking tool. Simultaneously with or after the necking, the can body 110 may be subjected to flanging to form a flange for attaching a can lid.

[0208] After necking, a process for removing the lubricating layer may be performed. For example, at least a portion of the lubricating layer may be removed by washing with water or heating. A hot air heating device, an induction heating (IH) device, and / or an infrared (IR) heating device may be used as the heating method. In particular, when forming an image layer in ST300 after ST200, it is preferable to remove the lubricating layer to prevent ink repellency, etc.

[0209] In ST300, an image forming step is carried out to form an image layer on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body 110.

[0210] The image forming process includes a printing process and an image forming process. In the printing process, an ink composition may be printed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body 110. In the image forming process, the ink composition may be cured to form an image layer on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110.

[0211] The printing step may be performed by applying or printing an ink composition onto the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110 by inkjet printing and / or plate printing. The printing step may also be achieved by application using a coater or the like.

[0212] Inkjet printing may be a method in which an ink composition is ejected directly onto the can body 110 from an inkjet head (IJH) of an inkjet printing device, or an offset method in which an ink composition ejected from the IJH onto a blanket (i.e., a transfer plate) is transferred to the can body 110.

[0213] Plate printing may be a method of transferring the ink composition to the can body 110 using a plate such as a relief printing plate. The ink composition may be transferred directly to the can body 110 using the relief printing plate, or an offset method may be used in which the ink composition transferred to a blanket (i.e., a transfer plate) is further transferred to the can body 110.

[0214] The image layer may include the EB image layer 122 and / or the non-EB image layer 125 described in Figures 16 to 21. When forming the EB image layer 122, the ink composition may be an electron beam curable ink. In this case, the printing process is also referred to as an "EB printing process." When forming the non-EB image layer 125, the ink composition may be a water-based ink, a solvent ink, or a UV-curable ink.

[0215] The electron beam curable ink includes an electron beam curable resin and a pigment material. The electron beam curable ink may further include a solvent. The electron beam curable resin may include a reactive oligomer and a reactive monomer that are highly reactive to electron beams. The electron beam curable resin composition does not require an initiator, which poses safety concerns for humans, and is therefore safer than an ultraviolet light curable resin composition.

[0216] The reactive oligomer may be an acrylic-modified resin containing a (meth)acrylic group selected from polyol polyacrylate, polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, silicon acrylate, melamine acrylate, polyether acrylate, and the like.

[0217] The reactive monomer may be a monofunctional or polyfunctional acrylate selected from acrylic acid, ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, N-vinylpyrrolidone, hexadiol acrylate, tripropylene glycol diacrylate, diethylene glycol diacrylate, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, glycerol propoxy triacrylate, trimethylolpropanethoxy triacrylate, and pentaerythritol triacrylate.

[0218] The color material may include pigments, dyes, or colorants such as food colors.

[0219] The UV curable ink contains a UV curable resin and a pigment material, and may further contain a solvent.

[0220] The UV-curable resin composition may be a transparent or nearly transparent resin composition containing a UV-curable resin and an initiator. The UV-curable resin may be a photocationic polymerizable resin or a photoradical polymerizable resin. The initiator may be a photocationic initiator or a photoradical initiator depending on the type of UV-curable resin. The UV-curable resin composition may further contain additives such as a solvent, a sensitizer, a catalyst, and / or a pigment, as necessary.

[0221] The pigment material may be similar to that of the electron beam cured ink.

[0222] Water-based and solvent-based inks contain a thermosetting resin and a pigment material, and may further contain a solvent.

[0223] In addition to the above, the ink composition may further contain additives such as a dispersant, a leveling agent, and an antifoaming agent, if necessary.

[0224] In the printing step, the ink composition may be printed to a predetermined thickness. For example, the thickness of the ink composition in the printing step may be 0.1 to 50 μm, preferably 0.5 to 20 μm, and more preferably 1 to 10 μm.

[0225] The image forming process is carried out by curing the applied ink composition depending on the type of ink composition. For example, when the ink composition is an electron beam curable ink, the image forming process is carried out by irradiating the ink with an electron beam of a predetermined intensity. In this case, the image forming process is also called an "EB image forming process." For example, the intensity of the electron beam in the EB curing process may be 2 to 100 kGy.

[0226] When the ink composition is a UV curable ink, a solvent ink, or a water-based ink, the image forming process may be carried out by ultraviolet irradiation, heat treatment, air drying, or a combination thereof.

[0227] The image layer may be formed on the entire or a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. For example, the image layer may be formed on the entire or only a portion of the can body 40. For example, the image layer may be formed on the entire or only a portion of the reduced diameter portion 20 and the entire or only a portion of the can body 40.

[0228] The image layers may be formed in parallel. For example, the process of ST300 may be performed simultaneously by a plurality of inkjet printing devices and / or a plurality of plate-based printing devices. This will be described in detail later.

[0229] The image layer may be formed in multiple batches. For example, a common design, common pattern, and / or common characters may be formed in advance by plate printing or inkjet printing, and then individual designs, individual patterns, and / or individual characters that differ for each product or lot may be formed on demand by inkjet printing.

[0230] Alternatively, for example, a common design, common pattern, and / or common characters may be formed in advance as the EB image layer 122, and then individual designs, individual patterns, and / or individual characters that differ for each product or lot may be formed on demand later by inkjet printing as the non-EB image layer 125. If no image layer is formed, such as when manufacturing plain or white cans to be later printed, the process of ST300 may be omitted.

[0231] In ST500, the EB coating layer 130 is formed on the can body 110 after the diameter reduction. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed by an EB coating step in which an electron beam curable resin composition is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body 110, and an EB curing step in which the electron beam curable resin composition is irradiated with an electron beam to cure it, thereby forming an EB coating layer containing the electron beam curable resin on the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. If the electron beam curable resin composition contains a solvent, for example, a drying step may be provided between the EB coating step and the EB curing step as necessary.

[0232] When an image layer is formed, the EB coating step may be performed by forming an electron beam curable resin composition on the image layer. For example, as shown in FIG. 18 , an EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the entire surface of the EB image layer 122 or on a portion of the EB image layer 122.

[0233] The EB coating step may be performed by forming the electron beam curable resin composition on the can body 110 on which no image layer is formed. The EB coating layer 130 may be provided in a stripe shape using a stripe coater.

[0234] The EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the entire or a portion of the outer peripheral surface of the can body 110. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on only the entire or a portion of the reduced diameter portion 20. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on only the entire or a portion of the can body 40. For example, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed on the entire or a portion of the reduced diameter portion 20 and the entire or a portion of the can body 40.

[0235] The electron beam curable resin composition may be an electron beam curable resin itself or a transparent or nearly transparent resin composition containing an electron beam curable resin. The electron beam curable resin may be the same as that described for the electron beam curable ink.

[0236] The electron beam curable resin composition may further contain additives such as a filler, a binder resin, a pigment, a leveling agent, a solvent, and an antifoaming agent, as required.

[0237] The EB coating step may be performed by a coating device such as a roll coater. Additionally / alternatively, the EB coating step may be performed by a printing device such as a plate printing device and / or an inkjet printing device.

[0238] In the EB coating step, the electron beam curable resin composition may be coated to a predetermined thickness. For example, the thickness of the electron beam curable resin composition in the EB coating step may be 0.1 to 50 μm, preferably 0.5 to 15 μm, and more preferably 1 to 10 μm.

[0239] The EB curing step is performed by irradiating the applied or dried electron beam curable resin composition with an electron beam of a predetermined intensity using an electron beam irradiation device. For example, the intensity of the electron beam in the EB curing step may be 2 to 100 kGy.

[0240] The formation of the EB coating layer 130 may be performed in parallel. For example, the EB coating process may be parallelized by applying the electron beam curable resin composition in parallel using a plurality of EB coating devices. The EB curing process may be parallelized by using a plurality of electron beam irradiation devices.

[0241] If the can container 10 does not have the EB coating layer 130, the process of ST500 may be omitted. Also, instead of or in addition to the EB coating layer using the electron beam curable resin, a UV coating layer using an ultraviolet curable resin may be formed.

[0242] In ST600, the can container 10 on which each layer has been formed is inspected. The outer or inner surface of the can container 10 may be inspected for dents, holes, and / or scratches. The printed image of the image layer may be inspected for chips, misalignments, and / or unclear areas.

[0243] In ST700, the contents are filled into the can container 10. For example, the can container 10 may be filled with beverages, food, medicines, chemical products, gases, liquids and / or solids.

[0244] In ST800, a can lid is attached to the can container 10. For example, the can lid may be attached by placing the lid on the flange portion of the can container 10 and tightening it using a lid tightening machine.

[0245] 22A shows the basic process flow for manufacturing the can container 10, but as will be described later, the order of the processes may be changed or parallelized. This can improve the efficiency of the can manufacturing process. Furthermore, if the can container 10 is a cup, steps ST700 to ST800 may be omitted.

[0246] As shown in Fig. 22B, the diameter reduction (necking) in ST200 in Fig. 22A may be performed between the formation of the EB coating layer 130 in ST500 and the inspection of the can container in ST600. In this case, the EB coating layer 130 protects the can body during necking. In this case, the process in ST155 in Fig. 9 may be omitted.

[0247] Steps ST100 to ST800 may be performed by a single entity / location, or by multiple different entities / locations. For example, steps ST100 to ST600 may be performed at a can manufacturing plant, and steps ST700 and beyond may be performed at a filling plant (also called a packer or bottler).

[0248] Alternatively, for example, steps ST100 to ST200 may be performed at a can manufacturing plant, and steps ST300 and beyond may be performed at a filling plant (also called a packer or bottler). This allows a printing device to be installed at the filling plant, and the number of can containers 10 bearing any desired image required for filling cans to be quickly manufactured and shipped.

[0249] 11A to 15B may also be used in the second embodiment, and the notations S100 to S500 in FIGS. 11A to 15B may be read as ST100 to ST500.

[0250] 11A may be an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method in the second embodiment. In this example, in the printing step, image layers may be formed by printing ink compositions in parallel using a plurality of inkjet printing devices.

[0251] For example, in ST300, multiple inkjet printing devices (three in the example of FIG. 11A ) may print in parallel on the can body 110 after the diameter is reduced in ST200 to form an image layer. In addition to or instead of the multiple inkjet printing devices, multiple plate-based printing devices may also be used.

[0252] The formation of the EB coating layer 130 in ST500 may be performed in parallel. For example, in ST500, the EB coating layer 130 may be formed in parallel on the image layer of the can body 110 after printing in ST300 using multiple coating devices (three in the example of FIG. 11A ). Drying and / or electron beam irradiation may also be performed in parallel, or the drying and / or electron beam irradiation processes may be performed in a common device. After ST500, the processes from ST600 onward may be performed.

[0253] 11B may be an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 11B, the diameter reduction of ST200 is performed after the formation of the EB coating layer 130 of ST500, which may be parallelized, rather than after the molding of ST100. In other respects, the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 11A may be adopted.

[0254] 13A may be a modified example of the parallelization of the manufacturing method in the second embodiment. In this example, the image layer is formed using a combination of inkjet printing and plate printing. In this example, the can body supply step of ST190 may be performed after the molding of ST100.

[0255] In ST190, a can body supplying process is performed. In this can body supplying process, multiple cylindrical can bodies 110 are supplied to both a printing process and an image forming process using inkjet printing (e.g., an EB image forming process) and a printing process and an image forming process using plate printing (e.g., an EB image forming process) in accordance with requirements from downstream processes. For example, the number of can bodies to be subjected to inkjet printing is supplied to the inkjet printing device, and the number of can bodies to be subjected to plate printing is supplied to the plate printing device.

[0256] Before the can body supplying step, a storage step may be performed in which a plurality of cylindrical can bodies 110 that have been formed (ST100) are stored. This allows the formed can bodies 110 to be stored for the subsequent can body supplying step until they are needed.

[0257] The can body 110 supplied for inkjet printing is subjected to diameter reduction in ST200A. The diameter reduction in ST200A may be performed in the same manner as in ST200.

[0258] After ST200A, in ST300A, inkjet printing is performed on the reduced can body 110. ST300A may be performed in the same manner as the inkjet printing in ST300. The printing in ST300A may or may not be performed in parallel.

[0259] After ST300A, in ST500, the EB coating layer 130 is formed on the printed can body 110. The processes in ST500 may or may not be performed in parallel. After ST500, the processes in ST600 and thereafter may be performed.

[0260] The can bodies 110 supplied for plate printing are subjected to plate printing in ST300B. ST300B may be performed in the same manner as the plate printing in ST300.

[0261] After ST300B, a lubricating layer such as varnish is formed in ST350. For example, the lubricating layer may be formed by applying varnish or the like and then baking it. Since an image layer was formed in ST300B on the lubricating layer formed in ST155 and the resin film laminated in ST115, ST350 is performed if a lubricating layer is to be formed on the surface again. The process of ST350 may be omitted.

[0262] After ST350, diameter reduction is performed in ST200B. Diameter reduction in ST200B may be performed in the same manner as in ST200. After ST200B, processing from ST500 onwards may be performed. Processing from ST200A onwards may be the same as in FIG. 11A. According to the embodiment of FIG. 13A, the molded can body 110 can be printed using various printing methods, such as inkjet printing and plate printing. Note that, although an example in which ST300A and ST500 are arranged in parallel has been described in FIG. 13A, ST300A and / or ST500 do not necessarily have to be arranged in parallel.

[0263] 13B may be an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method of the second embodiment. In FIG. 13B , instead of performing plate printing in ST300B, forming a lubricating layer such as varnish in ST350, then reducing the diameter in ST200B, and forming the EB coating layer 130 in ST500 in the embodiment of FIG. 13A , the EB coating layer 130 may be formed after plate printing in ST300B, and then reducing the diameter in ST200B. In this way, the EB coating layer 130 also functions as a lubricating layer, so the formation of the lubricating layer in ST350 can be omitted. Other aspects may be the same as those of FIG. 13A .

[0264] 13C may be an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method in the second embodiment. In FIG. 13C, unlike the embodiment in FIG. 13A, the diameter reduction of ST200 may be performed after the formation of the EB coating layer 130 of ST500. In this case, the EB coating layer 130 also functions as a lubricating layer for diameter reduction. Other aspects may be similar to those of FIG. 13A.

[0265] FIG. 14A may be a modified example of the parallelization of the manufacturing method in the second embodiment. In this example, in the diameter reduction step ST200, a common diameter reduction device is used to reduce the diameter of a portion of the can body 110 before inkjet printing (ST300A) and after plate printing (ST300B) to form a reduced diameter portion. For example, the diameter reduction equipment, such as a die necking tool, in ST200A in FIG. 13A and the diameter reduction equipment in ST200B are shared to perform ST200 (diameter reduction). This saves equipment, resources, and costs required for manufacturing the can container 10. Steps after ST200 may be the same as those in FIG. 11A. Note that FIG. 14A illustrates an example in which ST300A and ST500 are parallelized, but ST300A and / or ST500 do not necessarily need to be parallelized.

[0266] 14B may be an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method in the second embodiment. Unlike the embodiment in FIG. 14A, in FIG. 14B, the EB coating layer 130 in ST500 may be formed first, instead of forming a lubricating layer such as varnish in ST350. In this case, the EB coating layer 130 also functions as a lubricating layer for diameter reduction. Other aspects may be the same as those in FIG. 14A.

[0267] 15A may be a modified example of the parallel manufacturing method in the second embodiment. Here, an example is shown in which both plate printing and inkjet printing are performed on the formed can body 110.

[0268] First, in ST190, a process is performed in which the formed can bodies 110 are divided into those to be printed only with inkjet printing and those to be printed with both plate and inkjet printing, depending on the request. The number of can bodies to be printed only with inkjet printing is supplied to the diameter reduction process in ST200, and then inkjet printing is performed in ST300A. The can bodies 110 to be printed only with inkjet printing are processed in the same manner as in the example of FIG. 11A.

[0269] Meanwhile, the number of can bodies to be used together is supplied to the plate printing process (ST300B). The plate printing (ST300B) is performed before the inkjet printing process (ST300A). The plate printing (ST300B) forms an image layer on the outer surface of the cylindrical can body 110 by plate printing. The image layer by plate printing can express a common design, common picture, and / or common character, etc. After that, a lubricating layer such as varnish is formed in ST350, and the can bodies are then supplied to the diameter reduction process in ST200.

[0270] After the can body 110 is reduced in diameter, it is subjected to inkjet printing by ST300A, and an inkjet-printed image layer is formed. The inkjet-printed image layer can express an individual design, individual picture, and / or individual character, etc. The reduced can body 110 can be stored in a warehouse or the like until a request for inkjet printing is received.

[0271] 15A, common designs that are produced in large quantities can be printed on can bodies 110 using plate printing, while individual designs can be printed on demand using inkjet printing. Steps from ST200 onward may be the same as those shown in FIG. 11A. While FIG. 15A illustrates an example in which ST300A and ST500 are arranged in parallel, ST300A and / or ST500 do not necessarily need to be arranged in parallel.

[0272] FIG. 15B may be an example of parallelization of the manufacturing method of the second embodiment. Unlike the embodiment of FIG. 15A , in FIG. 15B , instead of forming a lubricating layer such as varnish in ST350, an EB coating layer 130 may be formed in ST500. In this case, the EB coating layer 130 also functions as a lubricating layer for diameter reduction. In this case, after plate printing in ST300B and formation of the EB coating layer in ST500, diameter reduction in ST200 and inkjet printing in ST300A may be performed, and the EB coating layer may be formed again in ST500. Alternatively, the second formation of the EB coating layer may be omitted. Other configurations may be similar to those in FIG. 15A .

[0273] 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 will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0274] It should be noted that the order of execution of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the can bodies, can containers, and methods shown in the claims, specification, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and can be realized in any order unless the can bodies or can containers from a previous process are used in a later 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 necessary to perform the process in this order.

[0275] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Can container 20 Reduced diameter portion 30 Bottom portion 40 Can body portion 110 Can body 112 Can main body 114 Resin film 116 Resin film 120 Printed layer 122 EB image layer 125 Non-EB image layer 130 EB coating layer 140 UV coating layer

Claims

1. A can container comprising: a cylindrical can body; and an EB coating layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body, the EB coating layer including an electron beam curable resin.

2. The can container according to claim 1, wherein the EB coating layer is formed only on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the can body.

3. A can container according to claim 1, wherein the EB coating layer is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the can body in a stripe pattern extending horizontally along the can body.

4. A can container according to claim 1, wherein the can body has a reduced diameter portion whose one end is reduced in diameter and a can barrel portion, and the EB coating layer is provided on at least the outer circumferential surface of the reduced diameter portion.

5. The can container according to claim 1, wherein the EB coating layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 20 μm.

6. The can container according to claim 1, wherein the EB coating layer contains a resin obtained by polymerizing an oligomer selected from the group consisting of polyol polyacrylate, polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, silicon acrylate, melamine acrylate, and polyether acrylate.

7. The can container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a printing layer between the can body and the EB coating layer.

8. A can container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the can body comprises a can body and a resin film covering the inner surface and / or the outer surface of the can body.

9. The can container according to claim 1, further comprising a UV coating layer formed on the outer circumferential surface of the can body and containing an ultraviolet curing resin.

10. The can container according to claim 9, wherein the UV coating layer is at least partially provided between the can body and the EB coating layer.

11. The can container according to claim 10, further comprising a printed layer between the can body and the EB coating layer, and at least a portion of the printed layer is provided between the can body and the UV coating layer.

12. A method for manufacturing a can container, comprising: an EB coating step of coating an electron beam curable resin composition on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical can body; and an EB curing step of irradiating the electron beam curable resin composition with an electron beam to cure it, thereby forming an EB coating layer containing an electron beam curable resin on the outer peripheral surface of the can body.

13. A method for manufacturing a can container as described in claim 12, further comprising a printing step of forming a printed layer on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical can body, which is carried out before the EB coating step, and the EB coating step is carried out by forming the electron beam curable resin composition on the printed layer.

14. The method for manufacturing a can container according to claim 12, wherein the intensity of the electron beam in the EB curing step is 2 to 100 kGy.

15. The method for manufacturing a can container according to claim 12, wherein the thickness of the electron beam curable resin composition applied in the EB application step is 0.5 to 20 μm.

16. A method for manufacturing a can container, comprising: an EB coating process in which an electron beam curable resin composition is applied in parallel to the outer peripheral surfaces of a plurality of cylindrical can bodies using a plurality of EB coating devices; and an EB curing process in which the electron beam curable resin composition is irradiated with an electron beam to cure it, thereby forming an EB coating layer containing an electron beam curable resin on the outer peripheral surfaces of the can bodies.

17. A method for manufacturing a can container as described in claim 16, further comprising an inkjet printing process, which is carried out before the EB coating process, in which inkjet printing layers are formed in parallel on the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical can body using a plurality of inkjet printing devices, and the EB coating process is carried out by forming the electron beam curable resin composition on the inkjet printing layers.

18. A method for manufacturing a can container as described in claim 17, comprising a can body supplying process for supplying a plurality of the cylindrical can bodies to both the inkjet printing process and a plate-based printing process for forming a plate-based printed layer on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can bodies by plate-based printing.

19. A method for manufacturing a can container as described in claim 18, further comprising a diameter reduction process in which a common diameter reduction device is used to reduce the diameter of a portion of the can body before it is supplied to the inkjet printing process and the can body that has undergone the plate printing process to form a reduced diameter portion.

20. The method for manufacturing a can container according to claim 17, further comprising a plate printing process, which is carried out before the inkjet printing process, for forming a plate-printed layer on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body by plate printing.

21. The method for manufacturing can containers according to claim 18, further comprising a storage step of storing the plurality of cylindrical can bodies prior to the can body supply step.

22. The method for manufacturing a can container according to claim 16, wherein the EB coating device is an inkjet printing device.

23. A can container comprising: a cylindrical can body; and an EB image layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body, the EB image layer including an electron beam curable resin and a dye material.

24. The can container according to claim 23, wherein the EB image layer is formed only on a portion of the outer circumferential surface of the can body.

25. The can container according to claim 23, wherein the can body has a reduced diameter portion whose one end is reduced in diameter and a can barrel portion, and the EB image layer is provided on at least the outer peripheral surface of the reduced diameter portion.

26. The can container according to claim 23, wherein the EB image layer has a thickness of 0.5 to 20 μm.

27. The can container according to claim 23, wherein the EB image layer comprises a resin in which an oligomer selected from polyester acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyurethane acrylate, silicone acrylate, melamine acrylate, and polyether acrylate is polymerized.

28. A can container according to any one of claims 23 to 27, comprising an EB coating layer formed on the outer peripheral surface of the can body and containing an electron beam curable resin.

29. A can container according to any one of claims 23 to 27, wherein the can body comprises a can body and a resin film covering the inner surface and / or the outer surface of the can body.

30. A method for manufacturing a can container, comprising: an EB printing step of printing an ink composition containing an electron beam curable resin and a dye material onto the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical can body; and an EB image forming step of irradiating the ink composition with an electron beam to cure it, thereby forming an EB image layer on the outer peripheral surface of the can body.

31. The method for producing a can container according to claim 30, wherein the EB printing step is performed by printing the ink composition on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical can body by inkjet printing.

32. The method for manufacturing a can container according to claim 31, further comprising a can body supplying step of supplying the cylindrical can body to both the EB printing step using inkjet printing and the EB printing step using plate printing.

33. The method for manufacturing a can container according to claim 32, further comprising a diameter reducing step of reducing a part of the can body using a common diameter reducing device to form a reduced diameter portion before the inkjet printing and after the plate printing.

34. The method for manufacturing can containers according to claim 32, further comprising a storage step of storing a plurality of the cylindrical can bodies prior to the can body supply step.

35. The method for manufacturing a can container according to any one of claims 30 to 33, wherein the EB printing step is performed by printing the ink composition in parallel on a plurality of the can bodies using a plurality of inkjet printing devices.

Images