Tinplate is created by coating sheets of tin over coils of steel with a thin film to prevent corrosion, and is widely used to produce food cans as well as domestic utensils such as pans and pots.
Tinplate can withstand harsh environments, so its use should be carefully considered when setting out to do your project. There are a few precautions you should keep in mind when working with this material, however.
Corrosion Resistance
Tinplate is a thin steel sheet covered with tin plating that features beautiful metallic luster and outstanding corrosion resistance, solderability, and weldability properties. Additionally, this surface offers bright printing and lacquering surfaces; making tinplate ideal for various containers ranging from food cans and beverage cans up to 18-liter cans; it is also used in electrical machinery parts, musical instruments and automotive components – though competing materials like aluminium have threatened its market position worldwide.
Tin plate is created from steel coils through either electrolytic tinning or hot dip processes, typically consisting of an average coating weight of between 0.5 gsm to 34 gsm or less – less than one percent of total weight – of deposited tin that has been electrolytically applied by applying an electric differential between an uncut steel strip and dissolvable electrode, or by running the steel coil through a bath of tin-containing solution. Once completed, this surface material may then be further protected with passivation layers containing layers of chromium or another passivation material.
Conventional tinplate can generally be divided into two grades. The first, standard electrolytic tinplate, represents production lines using standard inspection and classification procedures and allows lacquering and printing across its entirety. A higher quality electrolytic tinplate known as second grade may contain sheets with defects or off gauge dimensions, though not pinholed material.
Durability
Tinplate is a product composed of steel (or sometimes iron) coated with tin that’s typically used to manufacture food cans; however it can also be found in beverage cans, biscuit cans and some automotive parts. Tinplating involves milling raw metal using rolling mills before being pickled to remove mill scale before being treated with an anticorrosive chromate solution for improved corrosion resistance in certain environments and then an oil treatment to protect from damage during handling.
Tin is non-toxic and tasteless, making it suitable for food applications. Furthermore, its properties make it an excellent coating material for metal products; such as its ability to resist corrosion in various environments and its strength, hardness and formability. Furthermore, soldering it easily provides good appearance protection as well as surface protection.
Tinplate is typically straightforward to produce, can be formed into various shapes easily, and remains relatively inexpensive compared to its alternatives. As a result, it has many uses both industrially and consumer goods production, including physical deterioration from weathering, physical stress or corrosion that causes its corrosion resistance to break down over time and reveal the steel beneath.
Tinplate must be properly protected from corrosion in harsh environmental conditions like marine environments. The best way to do this is to store it correctly and keep it out of direct sunlight, as well as inspect it regularly for signs of damage that could impair its corrosion resistance. In some instances, passivation or heat treatment may be needed in order to improve performance; such treatments help avoid hydrogen embrittlement which occurs when exposed to hydrogen gas in an oxygen-free environment; they will also extend its life while improving corrosion resistance.
Chemical Resistance
Note that for optimal corrosion resistance, tinplate must be stored under ideal conditions. Storage conditions have an enormous influence on how containers respond to their contents – acidic substances tend to form hygroscopic areas on their surface which increases corrosion rates significantly faster.
Tinplate can come in different thicknesses known as gauges or coat weights and tempers that depend on both its quality of steel used to manufacture it as well as production process steps such as heat treatment and cold rolling stages. National and international standards regulate this aspect, which allows manufacturers to create plates with various mechanical properties depending on their desired application.
Lapham-Hickey offers high-quality tinplate in various gauges, coat weights and tempers to meet a range of industrial applications. Our flexible production processes enable us to craft shapes and sizes tailored specifically to customer requirements; its strength, rust-resistance and non-toxicity make it perfect for precision uses such as food packaging, cosmetics or consumer goods production. If you would like more information on why our tinplate could benefit your business then reach out!
Environmental Resistance
Tinplate’s primary use is in manufacturing cans, though it also finds use in other areas. This material boasts the strength, formability and non-toxicity of steel combined with corrosion resistance from tin; making it perfect for use in beverage cans, food cans, oil cans and paint cans as well as aerosol cans, packaging and radio equipment parts.
Cold-rolled steel coils are fed into an electrolytic coating line for electrolytic coating with tin, at an electrolysis coating rate of 2.8 grams/m2, which are then brushed to remove impurities and smooth out. Once completed, they undergo chemical treatments such as passivation film production to help protect from excessive oxidation as well as an oil coating to avoid scratching during shipping and handling.
Tin plating offers cost-effective protection from corrosion and oxidation, making it an attractive option. Tin can be applied in various environments and its thin coating means it will not be affected by punctures or dent, while resisting chemical or acid corrosion. Even damaged cans can benefit from having their surfaces protected with this layer of tin plating which will protect it further damage.
Tinplate can often be mistaken for either galvanised or uncoated steel, however it differs significantly. Zinc and aluminium coatings are frequently used as protective layers on other metals; however, due to its unique properties tin is an exceptional way of shielding steel from damage – leading manufacturers to prefer this coating over others such as paint.
Tinplate acts as a shield that shields steel underneath from its harsh environment, protecting it from water, oxygen and oxygen that would otherwise cause it to rust. Tin also prevents other metals, like copper, from being exposed to acidic environments that cause oxidation; providing essential protection from corrosion or oxidation damage for sensitive products.
