Leak Testing Of Tin Cans

Challenge Details

We make Tin Cans that are used for various applications. These Cans are made of Electrolytic Tin-plate. One of the main users of these Cans is the edible oil industry. 

The Cans for this purpose are made from sheets that are typically in the size of 1020 mm X 764 mm and 0.27 mm thickness for the Top and the Bottom Plate and 975 mm X 885 mm and 0.27 mm thickness for the body size. The size of the Can is 0.27 mm X 320 mm X 128 mm. 

The Cans made for such applications are first tested for leakage, pin holes and cracks using a method called Bubble testing before filling the edible oil. Pin holes could be as small as 0.25 micron in diameter. In this bubble testing process, the fabricated Cans are pressurized with air and dipped in water to identify the presence of pin holes or cracks. Once done, the Can is wiped out by cloth and sent for filling of edible oils.   
   
There are two problems associated with this:

• It is a manual and inefficient process 
• Even after proper wiping, water remains on the surface of the can, which leads to rusting.

We are seeking a new solution that:  

• Will enable us to test the Cans for pin holes and cracks.  
• Should ideally not use water so as to avoid the problem of rusting.  
• Should not have any manual operation 
• Should not ask for a large Capital expenditure.   
• Should not contaminate the Can as it is supposed to be used for filling edible oil 
• Should be cost effective 
• Should be fast enough to check 5 Cans per minute   
• Should be able to give detailed testing report/output of each Can tested in terms of leakage.