In this video, we're going to talk about the decorator and the pin oven.

The decorator has a distinct appearance, with many guards protecting the printing area. It is a high-speed machine, often running at speeds of over two thousand cans per minute. Located on the first floor, the decorator receives cans from the upper level.


Cans en masse enter an air doubling box on the second level, which allows them to move quickly into the infeed of the decorator. Once inside, cans are transferred onto mandrels and secured in place using vacuum. Multiple mandrels are positioned on a spindle disc, a large spinning wheel inside the decorator.

The spindle disc moves the cans past the printer head, which features several inking stations. Each inking station is responsible for applying one color of ink to the printing blanket. Once the blanket is loaded with each individual color, the complete label is transferred onto the can as it passes on the spinning mandrel.


After the label has been applied, the can moves past the outer varnish assembly. The outer varnish serves to protect the decoration and facilitates easier conveyance through subsequent processes.

The can leaves the decorator on a pin chain due to the presence of wet ink on the exterior. The pin oven's role is to initiate the curing process for the decoration and overvarnish on the outside of the can. Inside the pin oven, circulating hot air cures the outer surface.


Once the cans exit the pin oven, they are removed from the pin chain using a conveyance device known as the pin stripper, preparing them for the next stages in production.