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Does anyone remember when beverage cans used to be so thick that it was considered an exercise of manliness to be able to crush a can--particularly a beer can--with one hand?

I had always wondered what the key innovation was that allowed aluminum cans to be made so thin. Based on a TV episode of "How It's Made", I think the key idea was to develop machinery that could delicately stretch and extrude aluminum without tearing it.[1][2][3]

Amusingly, there seems to be 3 versions of the same video with different voices saying the same words:

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4EzU8792e0 Original female Canadian narrator

[2] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7Y0zAzoggY Male American narrator

[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4TVDSWuR5E Male British narrator



Koreans still make cans that thick. Every time I buy korean soft drink I'm amazed by its can toughness.




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