How Are Two-Piece Aluminium Cans Made?

You see a can. We see a 10-stage engineering transformation.  An aluminium can looks simple. 

But before it reaches your fridge, it has travelled through a highly precise, high-speed manufacturing process that transforms a flat sheet of aluminium into a lightweight, branded and protected can body. 

And the fascinating part? 

The entire can body is made from one piece of aluminium. 

Here's how. 

1. Aluminium Sheet → Aluminium Cup 

It all starts with a thin sheet of aluminium. 

The  Cupping Press  punches out circular blanks and draws them into shallow cups. This is the first step in turning a flat sheet into a three-dimensional can.

2. Aluminium Cup → Can Body 

The cup enters the  Bodymaker , where it is drawn and wall-ironed. 

The cup becomes taller, its walls become thinner and the familiar cylindrical can body begins to take shape. The Bodymaker also adds the dome to the base, making the can stronger and easily stackable. 

All while maintaining the precision needed for the processes that follow. 

3. Can Body → Trimmed Can 

The  Trimmer  removes excess material from the top of the can, creating a consistent height and perfectly uniform edge. 

Because when thousands of cans are moving through a production line, consistency matters. 

4. Cleaned and Prepared 

The can body is then washed and dried. 

The  Can Washer & Dryer  removes residues from the forming process and etches the surface for decoration and coating. 

5. Engineering Meets Branding 

Now the can gets its identity. 

The  Decorator  applies the graphics, colours and branding that consumers recognise. The  Pin Oven  then cures the ink, helping lock the design onto the can. 

6. Protecting the Inside 

The outside may carry the brand, but the inside needs protection too. 

The  Lacquer Spray Machine  applies a protective internal coating, creating a barrier between the aluminium and the beverage. 

The  Internal Bake Oven  then cures the coating to complete the protection. 

7. The Can Gets Its Neck 

Until this point, the can has remained largely cylindrical.

The  Die Necker  progressively reduces the diameter at the top to create the familiar neck of a beverage can. 

This also reduces the amount of aluminium required for the can end. 

CMbE's Die Necker can operate at speeds of up to  3,400 cans per minute . 

8. One Body. One End. 

And this is where the name  two-piece can  comes from. 

The can body is one continuous piece of aluminium. 

The second piece is the can end. 

After the can body leaves the canmaking line, it is filled, the end is placed on top and the two pieces are seamed together. 

That's it. A flat sheet has become a finished beverage can. 

But the real engineering lies in everything that happened in between. 

From forming and ironing to trimming, decorating, coating and necking, every stage requires precision, consistency and machinery capable of performing at extraordinary speeds. 

With  90+ years of canmaking engineering experience and 4,750+ machines operational worldwide , CMbE helps make that transformation possible. 

You see a can. 

We see the engineering behind it. 

CMbE | Engineering the future of canmaking.