Aug 17 2010 --- The market for aluminum beverage cans in the Asia-Pacific region is growing fast. As a material, aluminum offers key benefits for example it can be recycled repeatedly without any drop in quality. One of the world’s largest beverage can manufacturers, Crown, has responded to this fast market growth by opening a new Asian production facility. In early 2011, a high-speed cupping press supplied by Schuler will also start production at the US company’s new facility. For the Goeppingen-based metalforming experts, it will be the first tailored system for the production of beverage cans to be supplied to the region.

The new line for Crown boasts some impressive performance figures: with a single stroke of the press, the die can turn out 14 so-called “cups”. At a maximum speed of 250 strokes per minute, this means that the machine can produce up to 3,500 cups per minute. Is top quality still possible at such tremendous speeds? “Absolutely,” stresses Markus Roever, head of Schuler’s Highspeed division and responsible for planning the new line for Crown. He adds: “A whole number of components are responsible for ensuring top product quality. At the same time, the line’s high level of availability and long service lives guarantee maximum production efficiency.”