Experimental Investigation of Ironing with Polymer Laminated Steels

[EN] Can making is an enormous industry, and technical advances that improve the economy or environmental situation in this industry can have huge impact as a result. The use of polymer coatings on steel can result in successful ironing without any additional lubricants, and leads to reduction in volatile organic compound exhaust. This paper investigates the use of a three-layer polymer laminate coated steel, and demonstrates the good ironability that can be achieved, while presenting superior coatings for decoration. Two materials are investigated at a range of die angles, temperatures and speeds, and the resultant surface is evaluated to judge ironability. Consistent with previous results, good ironability is achieved with low die angles and cool tooling.