Why Cans Hiss Before They Open
Description: For forty years, every better way to open a drink can hurt somebody.
The first cans had to be punched open twice. Pull tabs made opening easier, but the discarded metal cut feet, and some people swallowed tabs dropped into their drinks. Push-button lids created a new problem. The stay-on tab introduced in 1975 uses a small first crack to release pressure before the lid opens.
Illustrative 3D models use a fictional brand. The visible vapor and pressure arrows explain an otherwise invisible process.
Sources: Tedium, “Pop the Top” (https://tedium.co/2023/07/05/aluminum-beverage-can-opener-history/); Rusty Cans, “Opening instructions” (https://rustycans.com/COM/month0910.htm); Consultant360, “Foreign body ingestion: beverage can tab” (https://www.consultant360.com/articles/foreign-body-ingestion-beverage-can-tab).
#engineering #history #design Close description
The first cans had to be punched open twice. Pull tabs made opening easier, but the discarded metal cut feet, and some people swallowed tabs dropped into their drinks. Push-button lids created a new problem. The stay-on tab introduced in 1975 uses a small first crack to release pressure before the lid opens.
Illustrative 3D models use a fictional brand. The visible vapor and pressure arrows explain an otherwise invisible process.
Sources: Tedium, “Pop the Top” (https://tedium.co/2023/07/05/aluminum-beverage-can-opener-history/); Rusty Cans, “Opening instructions” (https://rustycans.com/COM/month0910.htm); Consultant360, “Foreign body ingestion: beverage can tab” (https://www.consultant360.com/articles/foreign-body-ingestion-beverage-can-tab).
#engineering #history #design Close description
