In the two-piece can bodymaking stage of the process, the pressed cups are fed to a series of bodymakers, the machine which draws the can from the flatter cup profile into the finished can form and the process uses a soluble oil-based lubricant and oil mist fume is produced.

Depending on the process and machinery there may be residual oil droplets as well as the oil fume. Where the concentration is greater liquid and droplet separation techniques may be required before the final separation of the oil mist using an Oilpack filtration unit. In certain machinery, the oil content may be significantly increased as the extraction serves an internal vacuum conveyor which is exposed to a considerable amount of coolant inside the machinery.

With other machinery, as the cans are transported from the bodymaker section to the trimmer, the residual heat in the can from the drawing process causes the surface coat to evaporate with the appearance of steam. As the water element of the soluble oil does evaporate there is the residual oil fume and hoods and canopies are used to capture the fume for the extraction system.

As oil is collected it can often be recycled back into the process however, the method of draining the oil from the separation units can have a significant impact on the quantity reclaimed and the efficiency of the separation and filtration.