The strip and foil used in the production of aluminium is widely used in the food industry and the pharmaceutical industry, because it is non-toxic, non absorbent, not easy to crack, can inhibit the growth of bacteria and can be cleaned with steam. When the container or the conveyor belt shall enter the heating or freezing zone, low volumetric aluminum can play a role in saving energy. The non sparking properties of aluminium are valuable to the mills and other plants vulnerable to fire and explosion hazards. The corrosion resistance of aluminium is very important for the transportation of brittle goods, chemical reagents and cosmetics. A sealed aluminium container for shipping, shipping, train and truck loading, which can be used for shipping bulk chemicals.
Packaging industry has been one of the important consumer market of aluminium, and the rapid development of the world’s packaging and containers in 2005 accounted for about 2l% of the total aluminium production. Packaging products include household packaging materials, flexible packaging, food containers, caps, hoses, beverage cans, food cans, etc.
Aluminium beverage cans is the application of aluminum in the history of a successful; aluminium food cans are also accelerating market penetration, soft drinks, beer, coffee, fast food, meat, wine, can be packaged in aluminium cans; draft beer can be shipped in barrels of aluminum in aluminium; aluminium is also widely used in soft packing bag tooth paste, ointment, food and pigment packaging hose and drugs. To sum up, the main form of packaging aluminium:
1Aluminum foil made of flexible packaging bags for the food industry, pharmaceutical industry and cosmetics industry;
2The semi rigid container with aluminum foil (boxes, cans, cups, saucers, box);
3Aluminum foil for food and food packaging;
4The sealing cover metal cans boxes, plastic bottles and;
5The rigid aluminum cans, especially two pieces of aluminum cans of beer and soft drink cans (hard packing cans);
6The composite foil container;
7The soft tube shaped container;
8The large rigid containers, such as containers, refrigerated containers, beer barrel, oxygen bottles, liquefied natural gas etc..
The United States aluminium cans material with aluminum amount was 650 thousand T in 1975, 1980 reached more than 1 million T; in 2005 the United States aluminium cans production was only about 130 billion (consumption of more than 100 billion, exports accounted for about 23%), aluminium consumption of more than 2 million T, accounting for the total production of aluminium strip (4 million 650 thousand T) 4l%, in a stable period of development (annual growth of 1% to 2%). Japan’s 2005 aluminium pot material production and consumption is about 440 thousand T, which can cover and ring L4 million T material tank 300 thousand T, is in a stage of development (annual growth rate of about 2%).
In 2005, the production capacity of aluminum cans in Europe is about 1 million 200 thousand T, South Korea’s 115 thousand T, Brazil, t, other countries about l0 million T, the annual growth rate of these countries is about 5% ~ 10%.
At present, the total global production of aluminium cans material has reached about 4 million 300 thousand TLA, 2 million 890 thousand T / a the material tank, tank cover and ring material 1 million 410 thousand T / A. In addition to the United States, Japan, Europe and other countries and regions have a relatively stable development period, Chinese, Brazil, India and other countries are still in a period of rapid development, so the global annual growth rate will remain above 8%.
The application history of aluminium cans in China is not long, but the foundation is poor. 2003 annual output of only 7 billion 500 million, in 2004 was only in 2005, up to 10 billion 300 million, with an average annual growth of l7.5% (). Estimated that up to 18 billion in 2010, will grow at a rate of more than 10% years. In 2005 the country has L6 home canning enterprises, a total of 22 production lines, the total production capacity of 11 billion 500 million per year. It is expected that in the near future, China will not only be the largest producer of aluminium cans, but also become a large consumer of aluminium cans.