The production history of aluminum foil can be traced back to the beginning of the 20th century. Before 1900, small batches of aluminum foil could be produced through the arduous and laborious beating process; in 1908, the thickness of aluminum foil was reduced to less than 0.05mm using the patented technology invented by Swiss entrepreneur Alfred Gautschi-pack rolling. The thin plates were cut into small pieces and stacked together for repeated rolling; but it was not until 1910 that Robert Victor Neher and Dr. Edwin lauber invented a continuous rolling process similar to the production of tin foil, and established the first aluminum rolling company in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland The factory began to produce aluminum foil in large quantities continuously. At this time, the monthly output of aluminum foil with a thickness of 0.03-0.04mm could reach 200 kg, realizing the inventor’s idea of replacing tin foil with aluminum foil; in the middle of the 20th century, aluminum foil has been widely used On the chocolate packaging, embossed and printed aluminum foil immediately appeared.
From 1910 to 1920, a series of technical problems related to aluminum foil production were solved, such as the use of rotary shears instead of band saws, the annealing process of aluminum foil coils, and the polishing process of rolling rolls. One of the pioneers of modern aluminum foil technology is the German Rheinische Blattmetall (Rebag) company. Rebag, founded in 1922, successfully rolled a 320mm wide aluminum foil blank at a speed of 12-24 m/min into aluminum foil with an average thickness of 0.012mm; After the end of the Second World War, the rolling width of aluminum foil can reach 510mm, and the rolling speed can reach 80-90 m/min. Therefore, the output of aluminum foil can increase rapidly.
During the 1950s and 1960s, aluminum foil production developed rapidly, and new production technologies continued to emerge. The development of rolling mills from two-high to the dominant four-high finishing mill later also led to auxiliary equipment and special devices such as coilers, Development of straightening machines, slitting shears, sawing machines, etc. In the middle and late 1950s, the rolling width of aluminum foil reached 1100mm, and the rolling speed could reach 500m/min.
