Tin can is our usually food packaging. Tinplate is the main material of the surface is steel and tin. It is a layer of tin plated on the surface of the steel. The function of tin plating is to isolate the steel and the air, so that the steel will not be corroded and rusted. Because tinplate is tinned on steel, tinplate is also called matal tin. It can combine the strength of steel and the non-corrosion of tin, so that tinplate has the advantages of corrosion resistance, high strength, excellent ductility and non-toxicity. At present, tinplate is mainly used in the manufacture of food cans, which can effectively preserve the deliciousness of food.

The British invented the first tinplate can for food and long-term preservation in 1800, but the tinplate at this time was produced by the hot-dip tin method. After the 1820s, tin cans have been very large in the United States. In 1847, the United States invented the can-making machine, which gradually replaced manual can-making; the invention of the electric welding machine in 1900 greatly improved the efficiency of tinplate can-making, and because of the high price of tin, people gradually gradually Tinplate is produced by electroplating tin; after the 1990s, can making technology has developed rapidly, and high-speed welding machines can reach a production level of 1,000 cans per minute. Since the mid-20th century, electroplated chrome steel sheets have appeared one after another to replace the use of some tin can products.