Ardagh launches ‘next-generation’ food can

Ten years of hard work has paid off for Ardagh Group and Bonduelle, culminating in the launch of a new food can that delivers environmental benefits as well as enhanced consumer appeal. The companies say the development represents a significant advance in DWI can production and processing technology.

In developing a completely new steel can for vegetable canner Bonduelle, Ardagh Group employed nitrogen dosing techniques, similar to those used in the beverage industry, for the first time in food canning.

The new 400 g can reportedly uses 15% less material than the current best-in-class can, largely due to a 43% reduction in the thickness of the can wall. Ardagh estimates that if 1 billion cans were to convert to the new design, the material saving would be equivalent to the weight of metal in the Eiffel Tower. This also translates to a CO₂ saving of approximately 15%, Ardagh says.

The introduction of nitrogen dosing in a consistent and controlled way, and how best to accommodate the increased internal pressure on the can’s bottom and end, also presented a design challenge. This was successfully met, and the completely redesigned and re-engineered can is able to withstand pressures of up to 4.5 bar.

The concept for this type of can goes back six years when a pilot line was commissioned at Ardagh’s R&D centre in Crosmières, France, based on finite element analysis (FEA) techniques established several years earlier to numerically calculate suitable can concepts and design. The project started in earnest in May 2011 once the first patent was granted, covering both can geometry and shape in addition to the re-engineered easy-open end and new pressure-resistant can bottom.

The Bonduelle cans are made at Ardagh’s DWI advanced production facility in Deventer in The Netherlands, and filled at Bonduelle’s facility in Vaulx Vraucourt, Northern France. The first application of the new packaging is on Bonduelle’s Winter Vegetable range (red beans and black beans), to be followed by the gradual rollout on other products in their canned vegetable range.

Following recent investment in DWI technology, Ardagh says the new-style cans are suitable for production at its European production facilities. The company has successfully carried out tests on cans for other food products.