Clear cans made with innovative extrusion technology from Sonoco Products Co., Hartville, S.C., are making their way to shelves and supermarkets throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region. Called TruVue, the clear cans have three components: a multilayered, coextruded body made from PP and ethylene vinyl alcohol, and two metal ends. McCall Farms, Effingham, S.C., a major food canner, will sell products in the cans at Harris Teeter and Ingles stores, Sonoco announced in February.
In developing the technology, one of the major challenges Sonoco had to overcome was maintaining can clarity while making the containers tough enough to withstand the high temperatures and high-pressure environments of continuous rotary retort systems. TruVue containers can handle temperatures of up to 265 degrees and seamer speeds of up to 500 cans per minute without degrading the transparency of the plastic. Companies don't need to modify their filling machinery to accommodate the TruVue technology, Sonoco said.
