Patent ID: 7670094

Claim:
A method for producing a can body, for which a can jacket that is closed in a first joining step by a first joint is produced from a flat material and at least one closure member is arranged on the closed can jacket with at least one additional joint, wherein at least one additional joint is embodied as a laser-welded seam which forms a ring-shaped, circumferential closing seam between the closed can jacket and the at least one closure member, wherein seam contact surfaces of the can jacket and the closure member that are pressed against each other prior to the welding of the closing seam are embodied as ring-shaped circumferential edge regions which are at least one of expanded and necked down in a direction along a longitudinal axis of the can for the welding of the closing seam, the method comprising: pushing the can jacket and the at least one closure member together, with the edge regions getting to a stop position, wherein from the end faces of the two edge regions one is positioned on the inside and one on the outside of the can body; forming the closing seam when two air-free adjoining seam contact surfaces are at a stop position against each other; and an expanding step wherein the can jacket is inserted into an external mold, a hose element is arranged inside of the can jacket and the hose element is expanded, thereby the hose element is pressing the can wall against the external mold, wherein the hose element is separated from the can jacket.