Anybody ever seen a square can?

[CrackedButter]

I'm looking for a square can, so has anybody seen one designed for human consumption, it can be any sort of can, a beer can or a fizzy drinks can. It has to be a can you can drink out of though.

[wordmunger]

So this (http://www.spam.com/) doesn't count? Under the right conditions, it's drinkable! :)

[virividox]

liquid spam, all the spamy goodness in a drink

that might sell IT JUST MIGHT SELL

[CrackedButter]

Liquid spam...mmm, no. But thanks anyway. :eek: :( :rolleyes: :eek:

[Mr. Anderson]

It would be easy enough to make a photo realistic one in 3D - what do you need it for?

D

[wordmunger]

Here's another drinkable item (http://64.41.112.175/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=G&Product_Code=GSL10) in a square can. I wouldn't recommend drinking it all in one swig, though! ;)

[Koodauw]

Does it need to be cube shaped, or can it be more rectangular like that Oil can that Wordmunger posted?

[CrackedButter]

It can be any sort of cubic shape as long as it has right angles!

I am designing a square can myself for a graphic design lesson at college, i need something to base my design off, otherwise I could be flying blind. For example, i need to take into account the pressures inside the can, if my design is square, its going to bulge. I might make it eliptical instead slightly to counteract the effect but anyway.

A square can, i'm sure there is some company that has done it, i've found a pyramid shaped one and one shaped like a syringe, google coughs up nothing however. Remember its going to be harder with a pressurised can compared to an oil can.

[Dippo]

I am designing a square can myself for a graphic design lesson at college, i need something to base my design off, otherwise I could be flying blind. For example, i need to take into account the pressures inside the can, if my design is square, its going to bulge. I might make it eliptical instead slightly to counteract the effect but anyway.


Can't you just imagine it instead of having to find a picture??

Well here is all I could find:
http://www.paramountcan.com/closedheadpails/5galsqr.jpg

http://www.dollhouseminiatures.com/images/handley/tins/ac32025.jpg

http://www.jemko.com.hk/Mesh500adj.jpg

[MongoTheGeek]

Perhaps if you were to build it slighty concave with 4 85 degree angles. Tension from the base will keep it from going convex but there will be the appearance of a squareness to it.

The corners will of necessity be bulkier. Manufacture and distribution would be a b#*$# and a half.

There is a reason the cans are round. Actually there are at least a dozen. I guess if for some artish thing doing it is okay, but for real life its bad...

[iMeowbot]

Square? In real life you'd end up with a glass or multilayer PET bottle, the cost of a rectangular pressurized can would be prohibitive (if they were practical, they'd be everywhere now cutting down on storage and transportation costs).

Your square can, if that's the way you've got to go because an assignment or whatever, will want ridged sides, which might even look pretty cool.

[CrackedButter]

Square? In real life you'd end up with a glass or multilayer PET bottle, the cost of a rectangular pressurized can would be prohibitive (if they were practical, they'd be everywhere now cutting down on storage and transportation costs).

Your square can, if that's the way you've got to go because an assignment or whatever, will want ridged sides, which might even look pretty cool.

I can use glass if you contributors think it is better? I suppose that way i could merge the design of a glass bottle with a metalic can.

What is a PET bottle?

Interesting avenues you guys are giving me. Thanks.

[SilentPanda]

I really have no clue what you're doing but... why don't you make a can that is square on the outside but cylindrical on the inside? Would that help your pressure problem?

[mactastic]

Cylindrical cans are the most efficient in terms of material consumed per volume contained. Mathematacal analysis will tell you that. It's why you typically don't see square cans.

[CrackedButter]

I really have no clue what you're doing but... why don't you make a can that is square on the outside but cylindrical on the inside? Would that help your pressure problem?

Good idea and its similar to one I had suggested when speaking to a few lecturers today, the problem is the bulging effect will be all over the surface so its effect would still apply to the straight parts of the can.

My idea was to have a base which went into the can moreso than the conventional concave design, thus increasing its surface area, looking at it from any other angle wouldn't have you think it was any different underneath the bottom.

[MongoTheGeek]

I really have no clue what you're doing but... why don't you make a can that is square on the outside but cylindrical on the inside? Would that help your pressure problem?
It would solve his pressure problem completely but the problem is that the can would be 25% metal and 75% product. Making it out of aluminum the can would weight twice as much as the soda, Steel would be even worse.

[MongoTheGeek]

Cylindrical cans are the most efficient in terms of material consumed per volume contained. Mathematacal analysis will tell you that. It's why you typically don't see square cans.

They also have several other useful properties.

1) they are the same from any direction so you don't have to worry about aligning the lid when you attach it.

2) You don't have to worry about getting the can aligned properly when you print on the side of it.

3) there is only 1 side to print.

4) the cans roll so you can move them through the production line with less friction and wear on the assembly line

5) bridging is far less of an issue than with any other shape (bridging is where you have objects that pile up in such a way that they can't go through a hole even though it is big enough. You get an arch formed where friction against the sides holds up the mass and the more force you apply down the greater the force holding it up.)

6) you don't have to align the cans when you put them into the cartons.

7) deformations due to internal pressure will not change the shape.

8) deformations from the outside are uniformly resisted by internal pressure (ie no weak spots.)

[MongoTheGeek]

Square? In real life you'd end up with a glass or multilayer PET bottle, the cost of a rectangular pressurized can would be prohibitive (if they were practical, they'd be everywhere now cutting down on storage and transportation costs).

Your square can, if that's the way you've got to go because an assignment or whatever, will want ridged sides, which might even look pretty cool.

Square cans used to be normal. Not really for beverages because until recently they couldn't get a good enough seal.

Real advantages to round are in manufacture

[CrackedButter]

They also have several other useful properties.

1) they are the same from any direction so you don't have to worry about aligning the lid when you attach it.

2) You don't have to worry about getting the can aligned properly when you print on the side of it.

3) there is only 1 side to print.

4) the cans roll so you can move them through the production line with less friction and wear on the assembly line

5) bridging is far less of an issue than with any other shape (bridging is where you have objects that pile up in such a way that they can't go through a hole even though it is big enough. You get an arch formed where friction against the sides holds up the mass and the more force you apply down the greater the force holding it up.)

6) you don't have to align the cans when you put them into the cartons.

7) deformations due to internal pressure will not change the shape.

8) deformations from the outside are uniformly resisted by internal pressure (ie no weak spots.)

Not to diss you or anything as i welcome all the input i can get, but. With your point 3 there are technically 3 sides to a circular can and not 1. Excluding the top and bottom.

[CrackedButter]

It would solve his pressure problem completely but the problem is that the can would be 25% metal and 75% product. Making it out of aluminum the can would weight twice as much as the soda, Steel would be even worse.

Not that i HAVE to build a can using metal, I could do it this way.

Sorry Mongo but I just understood what you meant in your post! :rolleyes:
Now that IS interesting, but of course it would have to be lightweight to counteract the second skin of metal covering the first skin.

[thecow]

Not to diss you or anything as i welcome all the input i can get, but. With your point 3 there are technically 3 sides to a circular can and not 1. Excluding the top and bottom. Last time i checked a circle doesn't have 3 sides. Those things are called triangles.

[CrackedButter]

Last time i checked a circle doesn't have 3 sides. Those things are called triangles.

But we are talking about printing sides not actual physical sides.

On a can, you have the front of course, then the backing which is a smaller area and then the side which holds the boring info that nobody reads like recycle label and the barcode.

[parrothead]

I have seen a squarish can used for various iced-coffee products here in hawaii. They can get away with odd shaped cans because the contents are not under pressure. Try a search for iced coffee hawaii or something.

[Toppa G's]

As far as I know, cans are printed as a flat sheet or filmbefore they are molded into the can shape, so there is only one side. The nice thing about a cylindrical can is that the print can be anywhere and it will still look fine, whereas with a square can it would look silly if the logo or a graphic ended up wrapped around one of the corners.

[armchainmstenw]

Here's another drinkable item (http://64.41.112.175/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=G&Product_Code=GSL10) in a square can. I wouldn't recommend drinking it all in one swig, though! ;)
I believe that said "Tin". I dont know if that would officially count as a can then, according to the can standard #23523...A tin is not a can, unless its a can made of tin...jk.

[armchainmstenw]

Imagine trying to open one of those with a can opener.

[iMeowbot]

I can use glass if you contributors think it is better? I suppose that way i could merge the design of a glass bottle with a metalic can.

The nice thing about glass is you can add thickness easily to make up for weaknesses in the shape. FWIW, for a carbonated drink you want your container to be able to take about 100 psi.

What is a PET bottle?

Your basic plastic juice and soda bottle, polyethylene. They're blow molded, so you get a lot of flexibility with the shape -- this is what the recent juice and beer bottles that have all the weird shapes use. The multilayer variety has become popular because it includes barriers to resist acid and keep fizzy drinks fizzy.