Aqueous lubricant and surface conditioner for formed metal surfaces
AssigneeHenkel Corporation
InventorSami B. Awad
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A lubricant and surface conditioner for formed metal surfaces, particularly beverage containers, which reduces the coefficient of static friction of said metal surfaces and enables drying said metal surfaces at a lower temperature. The conditioner is a water-soluble organic material selected from a phosphate ester, alcohol, fatty acid including mono-, di-, tri-, and poly-acids; fatty acid derivatives such as salts, hydroxy acids, amides, esters, ethers and derivatives thereof; and mixtures thereof.
Claims20
A liquid lubricant and surface conditioner composition for application to at least one exterior surface of a cleaned aluminum can to improve the mobility of the can when conveyed, said composition consisting essentially of a solution of water and water-soluble ethoxylated organic material selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated fatty acids, salts of ethoxylated fatty acids, and mixtures thereof, said liquid lubricant and surface conditioner composition having a pH of between about 1 and about 6.5 and forming a film on the can surface when applied thereto and dried, thereby reducing the coefficient of static friction of said surface.
An aluminum can, at least one exterior surface of which is coated with a film formed from water-soluble ethoxylated organic material selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated fatty acids, salts of ethoxylated fatty acids, ethoxylated alcohols having at least 4 carbon atoms and containing up to about 20 moles of condensed ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol, ethoxylated alkyl alcohol phosphate esters, and mixtures thereof, the amount of film on said surface being sufficient to reduce the coefficient of static friction thereof, thereby improving the mobility of the can when conveyed.
A process of reducing the coefficient of static friction on at least one exterior surface of a cleaned aluminum can thereby increasing the mobility of the can when conveyed comprising applying to said surface a liquid lubricant and surface conditioner composition consisting essentially of a solution of water and water-soluble ethoxylated organic material selected from the group consisting of ethoxylated fatty acids, salts of ethoxylated fatty acids, ethoxylated alcohols having at least 4 carbon atoms and containing up to about 20 moles of condensed ethylene oxide per mole of alcohol, ethoxylated alkyl alcohol phosphate esters, and mixtures thereof, said liquid lubricant and surface conditioner composition having a pH of between about 1 and about 6.5;
- and drying said surface to form thereon a film which reduces the coefficient of static friction of said surface.
A process comprising the steps of cleaning an aluminum can with an aqueous acidic or alkaline cleaning solution, drying the cleaned can, and subsequently conveying the cleaned and dried can via automatic conveying equipment to a location where it is lacquered or decorated by printing or both, wherein the improvement comprises contacting at least one exterior surface of said aluminum can, prior to the last drying of said exterior surface before automatic conveying, with a lubricant and surface conditioner composition, thereby forming a film on the can surface to provide the surface of the can after drying with a coefficient of static friction that is not more than 1.5 and that is less than would be obtained on a can surface of the same type without such film coating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.