TWO IRON TOOL PACK FOR FORMING TALL METAL BOTTLE SHAPED CONTAINERS

Abstract

A tool pack is described that includes a redraw die, a first ironing die and a second ironing die. The tool pack may be incorporated in a bodymaker that has about a thirty-inch stroke to form a metal cup with a height to diameter ratio of about four. In some embodiments, the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die are situated in the body maker so that each reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup that is forced through the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die by a plunger by a predetermined amount to produce a cup that can be formed into a bottle-shaped container with low defect rates.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to a tool pack for use in manufacturing metal containers, and in particular, to a tool pack that includes a redraw die and two ironing dies for consistently forming tall, aluminum cups for use in producing bottle-shaped containers at high production speeds.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Thin-walled, two-piece metal cans are often produced using drawing and ironing processes. In a drawing and ironing process, a flat circular blank of metal is drawn through one or more drawing dies to form a shallow preform cup. The preform cup is then mounted on a free end of a punch which extends from a reciprocating ram. The preform cup is then passed through one or more redraw dies and is then “ironed” by passing through one or more ironing dies to lengthen and thin the sidewall of the cup to form a formed cup. The term “ironing” refers to the operation of forcing the cup through an ironing die by means of the punch resulting in a reduction of the sidewall thickness of the cup and an elongation in the height of the cup. Once the cup is formed, a cutter removes any excess length of the cup and a stripper assembly removes the formed cup from the punch.

After one or more additional manufacturing steps, such as applying ink or other coatings to the cup, a liquid is placed in the cup and a lid is clamped onto the formed cup to complete the formation of the two-piece metal can. In order to economically produce cans using drawing and ironing technology, drawing and ironing machines produce cans at a high rate, for example, 400 cans per minute. The general design and function of a bodymaker used to form two-piece metal cans is described in various patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,657 to Maytag filed Nov. 19, 1970; U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,322 to Clowes filed Sep. 3, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,532 to Mueller et al. filed Jun. 16, 1992; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,722 to Dziedzic et al. filed Mach 13, 1995, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Recently, metal forming processes similar to those used to form two-piece metal cans have been used to form metal, bottle-shaped containers that have a narrow neck and an open end that is either threaded to receive a cap or includes a lip to receive a crown. The narrow neck and slender shape of metal, bottle-shaped containers provide more comfort for drinkers holding the bottle and also provide an appealing visual appearance. However, the elongated body shape, the narrow neck shape and the threaded or crowned opening of metal bottles require increased deformation of the original aluminum cup during the drawing and ironing process and have resulted in increased manufacturing defects and higher rejection rates when compared with two-piece aluminum can manufacturing.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect, there is described an apparatus for making a bottle-shaped container that includes a bodymaker with a redraw die, a first ironing die and a second ironing die. The bodymaker has about a 30-inch stroke length and forms a metal cup with a height of between about 8.83 inches and about 9.76 inches and a wall thickness between about 0.0083 inches and about 0.0096 inches.

In some embodiments, the first ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 10 and about 40 percent.

In other embodiments, the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 35 and about 44 percent.

In yet other embodiments, the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 38 and about 42 percent.

In still other embodiments, the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 39 and about 41 percent.

In another embodiment, a contact portion of a working land of the redraw die is spaced about 4.5 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the first ironing die.

In still another embodiment, a contact portion of a working land of the first ironing die is spaced about 6.6 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the second ironing die.

In yet another embodiment, a contact portion of a working land of the redraw die is spaced about 11.1 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the second ironing die.

In some embodiments, the metal cup has a height between about 9.08 inches and about 9.36 inches.

In a second aspect, there is described a method of creating a metal bottle-shaped container that includes providing a redraw die, a first ironing die and a second ironing die, wherein a contact portion of the redraw die is positioned about 4.5 inches from a contact portion of the first ironing die and the contact portion of the first ironing die is positioned about 6.6 inches from a contact portion of the second ironing die. The method also includes forcing a cup through the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die and producing a finished cup with a height to width ratio of about four at production speeds of about 200 to 230 cups per minute.

In some embodiments, forcing the cup through the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 38 and about 42 percent.

In other embodiments, forcing the cup through the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 39 and about 41 percent.

In yet other embodiments, forcing the cup through the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by about 40 percent.

In still other embodiments, the height to width ratio of the finished cup is about 4.03.

In another embodiment, a bottle formed from the finished cup is about 9.4 inches tall and has a sidewall thickness of between about 0.0083 inches and 0.0086 inches.

In still another embodiment, the cup includes 3104 series aluminum alloy.

In some embodiments, the method includes providing a bodymaker, wherein the bodymaker includes about a 30-inch stroke and the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die are located in the bodymaker.

In a third aspect, there is described a bottle made by a process that includes the steps of proving a bodymaker having about a 30-inch stroke and providing a redraw die, a first ironing die and a second ironing die, wherein a contact portion of a working land of the redraw die is about 4.5 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the first ironing die and the contact portion of the working land of the first ironing die is about 6.6 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the second ironing die. The process also includes forcing a cup through the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die to produce a formed cup with a height between about 9.08 inches and about 9.36 inches and a sidewall thickness of between about 0.0083 inches and about 0.0086 inches.

In some embodiments, the first ironing die reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 10 and about 40 percent.

In other embodiments, forcing the cup through the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die occurs at between about 200 to 230 cups per minute.

Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this disclosure and which illustrate, by way of example, principles of the inventions disclosed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying drawings facilitate an understanding of the various embodiments.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a bodymaker that includes a redraw die, a first ironing die and a second ironing die in accordance with this disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a redraw die, a first ironing die and a second ironing die in accordance with this disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a cup formed by the tool pack of FIG. 2 in accordance with this disclosure.

FIG. 4. is a schematic side view of an thin-walled, aluminum, bottle-shaped container formed in part by the tool pack of FIG. 2 in accordance with this disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a process for creating a metal, bottle-shaped container using the tool pack of FIG. 2 in accordance with this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a bodymaker 100 that includes a ram 108 and ram assembly 110, a yoke slide 112, a primary bulkhead 114, a secondary bulkhead 116, a redraw assembly 118, a redraw die 102, a first ironing die 104, a second ironing die 106, a dome die 120 and a stripper assembly 122. As will be discussed in more detail below, the bodymaker 100 has a stroke length of about 30 inches and, when used in conjunction with the tool pack 200 of FIG. 2, can be used to form a cup with a height to diameter ratio of about 4 and a total height of about 9.4 inches which may then be used to form a bottle-shaped container with a height to diameter ration of about 4.

As described above, the longest stroke length currently available in a commercial, high-speed bodymakers is about 30 inches. Conventional tool pack designs in 30-inch stroke length bodymakers have been found to be ineffective in forming tall, thin-walled, bottle-shaped, aluminum containers on a consistent basis at high speeds. For example, conventional tool pack designs have been found to be ineffective in creating cups for use in forming bottle-shaped metal containers with heights over about 8 inches and necked portions with small drinking openings due to overworking of the metal material which causes manufacturing defects, such as tearing and splitting of the material. The tool pack design of the present disclosure allows for high-speed production of tall cups and allows for controlling the work performed on the cups by each die to reduce defect rates in the production of tall, bottle-shaped aluminum containers. As will be described in more detail below, it has been found that the tool pack allows for the creation of a bottle with an overall height of about 9.37 inches while avoiding contact between the cup and more than one die 102, 104 or 106 at a time during production to thereby lower the risk of tearing the cup material. It has also been found that the tool pack 200 allows for an appropriate amount of work hardening to the cup to allow the cup to be necked, threaded and flanged with low instances of cracking or tearing during these operations.

FIG. 1 shows a 30-inch bodymaker 100 for use with an improved tool pack design 200 (FIG. 2). The bodymaker 100 includes a ram 108 that reciprocates within the bodymaker 100 to force a metal cup (not shown) through the tool pack 200, i.e., the redraw die 102, the first ironing die 104 and the second ironing die 106. The ram 108 may be any type of ram 108 and the ram 108 moves within the yoke slide 112 and the ram assembly 110. The secondary bulkhead 116 of the bodymaker 100 couples the ram assembly 110 to the primary bulkhead 114. The primary bulkhead 114 is coupled to the redraw assembly 118 and the dome die 120.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a tool pack 200, including a redraw die 102, a first ironing die 104 and a second ironing die 106, is shown in greater detail. The redraw die 102, the first ironing die 104 and the second ironing die 106 are generally aligned along a central axis 218 and are spaced from one another within the bodymaker 100. The redraw die 102, the first ironing die 104 and the second ironing die 106 each include a working land 202, 204 and 206 that is configured to contact a cup (not shown) that is forced through the tool pack 200. Each working land 202, 204 and 206 includes a portion configured to contact the cup as the cup is forced through the die 102, 104 or 106, referred to herein as the contact portions 208, 210 and 212. In use, the redraw assembly 118 accepts a cup, which may be formed of a 3104 series aluminum alloy, and the ram 108 forces the cup through the redraw die 102. As the cup sidewalls contact the contact portion 208 of the working land 202 of the redraw die 102, the redraw die 102 elongates the sidewalls of the cup, decreases the sidewall thickness of the cup and decreases the overall diameter of the cup. After passing through the redraw die 102, the cup passes through the first and second ironing dies 104 and 106 where the cup is further lengthened and the sidewall of the cup is further thinned as the cup contacts the contact portions 210 and 212 of the working lands 204 and 206 of the first and second ironing dies 104 and 106, respectively. Referring again momentarily to FIG. 1, after passing through the first ironing die 104 and the second ironing die 106, a bottom portion of the cup engages the dome die 120 to form a dome-shaped indentation in the cup. The cup is then cut and the stripper assembly 122 removes the cup from the ram 108. The cup may then be further shaped, for example, by forming the cup with one or more necking dies, expanding dies, threading machines, or other forming equipment.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the distance between the dies 102, 104 and 106 is controlled in order to consistently form tall, thin-walled cups for use in creating tall, bottle-shaped containers at high production speeds with low defect rates. In some embodiments, the contact portion 208 of the redraw die 102 is spaced by a distance 214 that is between about 4.4 inches and about 4.6 inches from the contact portion 210 of the first ironing die 104. In other embodiments, the contact portion 208 of the redraw die 102 is spaced by a distance 214 that is between about 4.49 inches and about 4.55 inches from the contact portion 210 of the first ironing die 104. In yet other embodiments, the contact portion 208 of the redraw die 102 is spaced by a distance 214 that is about 4.5 inches from the contact portion 210 of the first ironing die 104. In some embodiments, the contact portion 208 of the redraw die 102 is spaced by a distance 214 that is about 4.4924 inches from the contact portion 210 of the first ironing die 104.

In some embodiments, the contact portion 210 of the first ironing die 104 is spaced by a distance 216 that is between about 6.5 inches and about 6.7 inches from the contact portion 212 of the second ironing die 106. In other embodiments, the contact portion 210 of the first ironing die 104 is spaced by a distance 216 that is between about 6.6 inches and about 6.65 inches from the contact portion 212 of the second ironing die 106. In some embodiments, the contact portion 210 of the first ironing die 104 is spaced by a distance 216 that is about 6.6265 inches from the contact portion 212 of the second ironing die 106.

In many cases, tool pack designs used to form metal cans include at least one redraw die and three ironing dies in a 30-inch stroke bodymaker. It has been found, however, that such “three-iron” tool packs do not consistently produce tall, thin-walled cups for use in forming tall, thin-walled bottle-shaped containers at high production speeds. By restricting the number of dies, and, specifically, by incorporating only 2 ironing dies 104 and 106 into a 30-inch bodymaker 100, it has been found that defect rates in the production of tall, thin-walled, bottle-shaped containers can be reduced and that the amount of work performed on the cup can be controlled to more consistently produce acceptable cups for use in forming tall, thin-walled, bottle-shaped metal containers. In some embodiments, the above-described distances between the redraw die 102, the first ironing die 104 and the second ironing die 106 provide for a tool pack 200 that can be contained within a 30 inch stroke bodymaker 100 to consistently produce a tall, aluminum, bottle-shaped containers at high production speeds. For example, it has been found that the above-described distances between the redraw die 102, the first ironing die 104 and the second ironing die 106 provide for a tool pack 200 that can consistently produce a cup that has a total height between about 8.285 inches and about 9.76 inches and a sidewall thickness of between about 0.0083 inches and about 0.0086 inches at high production speeds of between about 200 and about 230 bottles or cups per minute. In other embodiments, it has been found that the above-described distances between the redraw die 102, the first ironing die 104 and the second ironing die 106 provide for a tool pack 200 that can consistently produce a cup that has a total height of about 9.4 inches and a sidewall thickness of between about 0.0083 inches and about 0.0086 inches at high production speeds of between about 200 and about 230 bottles or cups per minute. It is expected that higher production speeds and thinner sidewall thicknesses will be possible in the future. For example, it is expected that the tool pack will be able to consistently produce a cup that has a total height of about 9.4 inches and a sidewall thickness of less than about 0.0083 inches at high production speeds of between about 250 and about 280 bottles per minute or higher.

In some embodiments, the percent reduction in sidewall thickness performed on the cup by the redraw die 102, the first ironing die 104 and the second ironing die 106 is also controlled to allow the cups to be used to form tall, thin-walled, bottle-shaped containers at low defect rates. In some embodiments, the first ironing die 104 reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 10 and about 40 percent. In some embodiments, the second ironing die 106 reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 35 percent and about 44 percent. In other embodiments, the second ironing die 106 reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 38 percent and about 42 percent. In other embodiments, the second ironing die 106 reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 39 percent and about 41 percent. In still other embodiments, the second ironing die 106 reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by about 40 percent. It has been found that the above-described percents of sidewall thickness reduction allow for consistent production of tall, thin-walled cups for use in producing tall, bottle-shaped containers while avoiding many of the problems associated with the use of more than two ironing dies, such as over work hardening of the material and tearing of the material.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary cup 300 formed by the tool pack 200 of FIG. 2. As described above, in some embodiments, the cup 300 formed by the tool pack 200 has a height 302 of between about 8.825 inches and about 9.76 inches and a diameter 304 of between about 2.32 inches and about 2.326 inches. In other embodiments, the cup 300 has a height 302 between about 9.08 and about 9.36 inches and a diameter 304 of about 2.323 inches. In some embodiments, the formed cup 300 has a height 302 to diameter 304 ratio of between about 4.2 and about 3.8. In other embodiments, the formed cup 300 has a height 302 to diameter 304 ratio of between about 3.9 and about 4.03. In other embodiments, the formed cup 300 has a height 302 to diameter 304 ratio of about 4.03. In some embodiments, the formed cup 300 has a sidewall thickness between about 0.0083 inches and about 0.0086 inches.

As described above, in some embodiments the cup 300 is formed into a bottle-shaped container, similar to the container 400 shown in FIG. 4, through one or more necking, expanding and threading operations, or a combination of other forming operations. FIG. 4 is a schematic of an exemplary embodiment of an elongated bottle 400 made using the tool pack 200 of FIG. 2, in conjunction with other forming processes. While the bottle 400 has a particular geometry, other bottle geometries, designs, and variations are possible and are within the scope of this disclosure. The elongated bottle 400 includes a concave bottom portion 415, a cylindrical portion 410 and a neck portion 405 that includes a threaded portion 420. The bottom portion 415 includes a circular perimeter 417. The concave shape of the bottom portion 415 provides structural support for pressurized beverage fluids contained therein and is made by the dome die 120 shown in FIG. 1. The cylindrical portion 410 extends from the circular perimeter 417 of the bottom portion 415 and has a uniform diameter 412. In some embodiments, the cylindrical portion 410 has a wall thickness of between about 0.0083 inches and about 0.0086 inches.

The neck portion 405 is formed near the open end 491 of the bottle 400. The neck portion 405 has a varying diameter reduced from the uniform diameter 412 of the cylindrical portion 410. The varying diameter forms a tapered profile 407 that gradually constricts the neck portion 405 toward an opening 423. In some embodiments, a shoulder portion 411 of the neck portion 405 extends at an angle of about 45 degrees from the cylindrical portion 410. In some embodiments, a top neck portion 413 of the neck portion 405 extends at an angle of about 6 degrees from a center line 403 of the bottle 400. In other embodiments, the top neck portion 413 of the neck portion 405 extends at an angle of about 5.75 degrees from the center line 403 of the bottle 400. The neck portion 405 has a wall thickness of between about 0.0093 inches and about 0.0096 inches.

In some embodiments, the neck portion 405 includes a threaded portion 420 that has one or more exposed threads 422. The threads 422 enable a threaded cap (not shown) to close and seal the opening 423. In some embodiments, the threaded portion 420 further includes a folded flange 425 that is folded outwardly from the opening 423 for safe contact when a beverage is consumed from the bottle 400. In other embodiments, the neck portion 405 does not include a threaded portion 420 and the opening 423 is closed in another manner, such as, for example, with a crown (not shown).

In some embodiments, a printed indicia 418 is applied onto the outer surface of the bottle 400. The print indicia 418 may be further sealed with a clear or transparent coat 419 applied to the outer surface of the bottle 400. An inner coating 430 may be applied to an inner surface of the elongated bottle 400 for separating a beverage from the metal of the bottle 400.

In some embodiments, the cylindrical portion 410 of the bottle 400 has a height of between about 6.2 inches and about 6.4 inches. In other embodiments, the cylindrical portion 410 has a height of about 6.38 inches. In some embodiments, the bottle 400 has an overall height of between about 7.4 inches and about 9.4 inches. In other embodiments, the bottle has an overall height of about 9.37 inches.

It has been found that the above-described bottle 400 can be produced with increased consistency and with a lower defect rate using the tool pack 200 than with traditional 3-iron tool packs that include three ironing dies in a 30-inch stroke bodymaker. For example, it has been found that the tool pack 200 allows for the creation of a bottle with an overall height of about 9.37 inches while avoiding contact between the cup and more than one die 102, 104 or 106 at a time during production to thereby lower the risk of tearing the cup material. It has also been found that the tool pack 200 allows for an appropriate amount of work hardening to the cup to allow the cup to be necked, threaded and flanged with low instances of cracking or tearing during these operations.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a method 500 of creating a metal bottle using the tool pack 200 of FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the method 500 is performed on a bodymaker 100 that has about a 30-inch stroke. In some embodiments, the method 500 begins and a redraw die 102, a first ironing die 104 and a second ironing die 106 are provided, as shown at block 502. In some embodiments, the contact portion 208 of the redraw die 102 is spaced by a distance 214 that is about 4.4924 inches from the contact portion 210 of the first ironing die 104. In some embodiments, the contact portion 210 of the first ironing die 104 is spaced by a distance 216 that is about 6.6265 inches from the contact portion 212 of the second ironing die 106. As such, the redraw die 102, a first ironing die 104 and a second ironing die 106 fit within a 30-inch stoke bodymaker. As described above, in some embodiments the distances between the redraw die 102, the first ironing die 104 and the second ironing die 106 allow for the consistent creation of a tall cups that can be formed into bottle-shaped containers 400 with a total height of about 9.4 inches or more.

A cup is then forced by a plunger through the redraw die 102 to lengthen the walls of a cup, to decrease the wall thickness of the cup and to decrease the diameter of the cup, as shown at block 504. The plunger then forces the cup through the first ironing die 104, as shown at block 506, and the first ironing die 104 reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 10 and about 40 percent. The cup is then forced through the second ironing die 106, as shown at block 508, and the second ironing die 106 reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 35 and about 44 percent. In some embodiments, the second ironing die reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 38 and about 42 percent. In other embodiments, the second ironing die reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 39 and about 41 percent. In yet other embodiments, the second ironing die reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by about 40 percent. Additional forming processes, such as necking to form a necked portion of the bottle, may be performed to create a bottle that has a height to width ratio of about 4, as shown at block 510.

In the foregoing description of certain embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes other technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar technical purpose.

In this specification, the word “comprising” is to be understood in its “open” sense, that is, in the sense of “including”, and thus not limited to its “closed” sense, that is the sense of “consisting only of”. A corresponding meaning is to be attributed to the corresponding words “comprise”, “comprised” and “comprises” where they appear.

In addition, the foregoing describes only some embodiments of the invention(s), and alterations, modifications, additions and/or changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments, the embodiments being illustrative and not restrictive.

Furthermore, invention(s) have been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention(s). Also, the various embodiments described above may be implemented in conjunction with other embodiments, e.g., aspects of one embodiment may be combined with aspects of another embodiment to realize yet other embodiments. Further, each independent feature or component of any given assembly may constitute an additional embodiment.

Claims

1. An apparatus for making a bottle-shaped container, comprising:

a bodymaker comprising a redraw die, a first ironing die and a second ironing die, wherein the bodymaker comprises about a 30-inch stroke length and forms a metal cup with a height of between about 8.83 inches and about 9.76 inches and a wall thickness between about 0.0083 inches and about 0.0096 inches.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 10 and about 40 percent.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 35 and about 44 percent.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 38 and about 42 percent.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 39 and about 41 percent.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a contact portion of a working land of the redraw die is spaced about 4.5 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the first ironing die.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a contact portion of a working land of the first ironing die is spaced about 6.6 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the second ironing die.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a contact portion of a working land of the redraw die is spaced about 11.1 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the second ironing die.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metal cup has a height between about 9.08 inches and about 9.36 inches.

10. A method of creating a metal bottle-shaped container, comprising:

providing a redraw die, a first ironing die and a second ironing die, wherein a contact portion of the redraw die is positioned about 4.5 inches from a contact portion of the first ironing die and the contact portion of the first ironing die is positioned about 6.6 inches from a contact portion of the second ironing die;

forcing a cup through the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die; and

producing a finished cup with a height to width ratio of about four at production speeds of about 200 to 230 cups per minute.

11. The method of claim 11, wherein forcing the cup through the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 38 and about 42 percent.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein forcing the cup through the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 39 and about 41 percent.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein forcing the cup through the second ironing die reduces a sidewall thickness of the cup by about 40 percent.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the height to width ratio of the finished cup is about 4.03.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein a bottle formed from the finished cup is about 9.4 inches tall and has a sidewall thickness of between about 0.0083 inches and 0.0086 inches.

16. The method of claim 16, wherein the cup comprises 3104 series aluminum alloy.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing a bodymaker, wherein the bodymaker comprises about a 30-inch stroke and the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die are located in the bodymaker.

18. A bottle made by a process comprising the steps of:

proving a bodymaker having about a 30-inch stroke;

providing a redraw die, a first ironing die and a second ironing die, wherein a contact portion of a working land of the redraw die is about 4.5 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the first ironing die and the contact portion of the working land of the first ironing die is about 6.6 inches from a contact portion of a working land of the second ironing die; and

forcing a cup through the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die to produce a formed cup with a height between about 9.08 inches and about 9.36 inches and a sidewall thickness of between about 0.0083 inches and about 0.0086 inches.

19. The process of claim 18, wherein the first ironing die reduces the sidewall thickness of the cup by between about 10 and about 40 percent.

20. The process of claim 18, wherein forcing the cup through the redraw die, the first ironing die and the second ironing die occurs at between about 200 to 230 cups per minute.