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DystoposB
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
A more practical idea would be to put all the necessary information (logo, UPC, nutritional info) in a strip covering half the can. That would eliminate half the problem without having to re-engineer the can design and retool production.
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Dynosaulo
11/19/09

@DystoposB: That wouldn't make much sense for them because, yes, they wouldn't spend as much paint, but they would still need to have the painting equipment, which costs money. With the naked can, they could just ditch the equipment thus saving even more money. =)
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MrEvil
11/19/09

@Dynosaulo: But, the can maker would require new machines that are able to stamp the design in the can. It's six of one half a dozen of the other. Either keep the paint machines or buy stamping machines.
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Michai
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
Some more math:
1 empty can = 13.6 grams = 0.0299828677 pounds

.029983 * 75,380,201,500 (cans/year) = around 2,260,124,580 pounds of aluminum a year or 1,130,062.29 tons.

The Empire State Building weighs approximately 370,000 tons. The amount of cans produced every year by Coke alone is three times the weight of the Empire State Building.

**All conversions and statistics are easily found doing simple Google searches.**
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MaQ
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
^__^

Great idea,

But you r so right

those two will get wet when they hear about it.

^__^
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ThatsNotPudding
11/21/09

@MaQ: And then sue for stealing their styling.
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MaQ
11/22/09

@ThatsNotPudding: Probably, or demand the name to be
iCan

or a part of revenue,
or ,

they would think of something.
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fuchikoma
11/29/09

@ThatsNotPudding: Steve Jobs invented minimalism.
You learn something every day...
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ThatsNotPudding
11/29/09

@fuchikoma: Such as being a monopolist and a horrible, horrible person.
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BeyondtheTech
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
If only Scotty were still alive, we'd have transparent aluminum by now. Double dumb ass on you!
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Tom90deg
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
I just thought of something. I'm no physicist, but wouldn't the embossing weaken the cans structure? The cans are under a lot of pressure, the edges and metal that's bent would create weak points, right? How would a can like that hold up?
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iamxyj
11/19/09

@Tom90deg: Yes, the cans are (or can be, if you shake it) under a lot of pressure. But this pressure is pushing outward from the inside and the most it can do is flatten out the embossing and push the can back to a perfect cylindrical shape. This kind of pressure probably won't be able to "deform" the can any more than that.

However, another problem I can think if is when these cans are stacked really high (i.e. for storage). In that case they are subjected to a great amount of compressional force which could theoretically cause the can to collapse if the structural integrity of the cylinder is compromised and there's enough downward compressional force from the weight of the inventory.
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Adam
11/19/09

@iamxyj: Hello, Mr. Notanengineer.

The embossing most definitely reduces the strength of the can, both from the pressure vessel aspect and the column forces. It would not flatten the embossing (for starters, the "emboss" is actually protruding from the can in these pictures, but that doesn't even matter) it would just burst at one of the corners. Stacking will not be a problem (empty cans can take over 100 lbs of vertical force before crushing, full cans can take much more for a variety of reasons).

The main thing here is that cans are considerably overbuilt right now. Adding the design shouldn't be a problem, strength wise. Cost, is another concern. Can factories are designed to form regular cans, and paint them. Retooling would be considerably expensive, and I imagine the embossing would be a more difficult process than painting. Not to mention the fact that embossing uses energy too. If it cost any more money to do this, there is no way they would do it. Multiply a tenth of a cent by 25 billion and you'll realize why they won't.

This of course, is ignoring the fact that marketing loves colors. This is never going to happen. Imagine a store refrigerator filled with these. Normally, you grab the red can and know it's a Coke. What if Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, etc, all have the same color can? You need to look way too close to differentiate.

It is cool if a single brand did it, but that defeats most of the purpose.
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DeLarge
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
I am selling out all my stocks related to the pigment industry!!!
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LukeDukem
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
How are you going show the ingredients which are required to sell food and drink products in the US?
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synrg023
11/19/09

@LukeDukem: Can't you just have those ingredients printed on the packaging or vending machine?
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bucho54
11/19/09

@synrg023: Any product that is sold individually must have the information on itself. I vote for laser engraving.
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senorbelly
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
ding da da ding problem solved
[www.sodastreamusa.com]
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twoeightnine promoted this comment Edited by senorbelly at 11/19/09 12:29 PM senorbelly was starred senorbelly was unstarred

twoeightnine
11/19/09

@senorbelly: I have one of those, from a different brand I believe, that I received as a product tester. They suck. The pop they produce is seriously lacking in proper flavor and consistency. The only thing I used it for nowadays is to make carbonated water.
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senorbelly
11/19/09

@twoeightnine: ah crap. It looks like such a good idea...
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Fractal the Meek
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
Nice try, Coke. Go ahead and take the red off your cans. We still know you're a bunch of communist hippies.
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Dr.Jeckyl
11/19/09

@Fractal the Meek: Heh, communist hippies.
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nemoo
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
Cans should be banned, just like plastic bottles. That would really allow us to save some energy and get rid of pollution.
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OrbitalGun
11/19/09

@nemoo: Wow, that is ignorant. Cans are cost-effective, relatively durable, and easy to recycle. When empty they compact, making transportation to recycling centers easier. What are your proposed alternatives?
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nemoo
11/20/09

wow, easy guys.
i could not find any statistics about the global recycling rate of cans but im pretty sure its very low. most articles rate it around 50 percent and those are US articles. i am sure the rate is lower in other parts of the world.
the number of cans disposed of is estimated to a trillion.

so even if i take the very high recycling rate of california of 73% that still means 27% of cans wasted.

i personally do not use cans and i do not purchase plastic bottles because it makes me sick if i think of all the trash produced from one single consumption.
i am lucky enough to live in austria where we can enjoy tab water of very high quality. So if im thirsty ... i drink water. But i have to confess: If i am out doing sports i sometimes get me a plastic bottle to carry with me. Thats me being lazy, i guess i should switch to a reusable bottle in the future. #tips
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RipRapRob
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
So, can you scan an embossed bar-code?

And what about all the fine print?
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LaraPandion I
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
I could see them doing this for a limited time, but merely as a marketing stunt as most packaging changes are.

It will certainly affect the cost of production, it is much cheaper to paint a can using existing line equipment rather than implement new embossing techniques.

I don't know the cost for embossing aluminum, but from my experience working in Print Shops in my youth, embossing a printed sheet of paper, more than doubled it's cost over simple printing.

Plus add in that that printing out dietary info and ingredients lists required in the US and most other countries would be impractical using embossing and they would have to resort to using a label , inkjet, some laser etching.

Foil pouches like Capri-Sun are probably some of the more efficient packaging methods, but can't really be used for carbonated products.
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FooSchnickens - BPH Free
11/19/09

@LaraPandion I: The ingredient list and UPC would be the biggest caveats to this idea. However, the small amounts of paint needed to print both would be minuscule compared to what is used currently.
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
Get ready for Coke Silver....
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semi-renaissance man
11/19/09

@Jrsy Devil's Advocate®: It's just like Coke Zero, but this time, No Caffeine! =D
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Jrsy Devil's Advocate® promoted this comment

Jrsy Devil's Advocate®
11/19/09

@semi-renaissance man: No, it's like Coke with unpainted cans..

#tips
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Monty
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
It is a beautiful design and I would love to see how they list the ingredients and other required information with this naked concept. Wait - wait -- I know -- the can should be empty so then there is no information to list. Zero calories, zero contents, and nothing but a cool can. How refreshing.
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Chimaera
11/19/09

In reply to The Paint-Less Coca-Cola Would Save Earth One Can at a Time
Sure it's "unicolor", but I'm failing to see the "unibody."
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maven2k
11/19/09

@Chimaera: You're right, there is no design difference just nekkid. Great movie, btw.
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