05
2025
-
09
How to calculate the efficiency of a cup-making machine? An article to help you understand the industry's jargon
Author:
The plastic cups we usually use for milk tea and juice are "mass-produced" by cup-making machines. For factory owners making cups, the most important question is "how many cups can one machine make in an hour."
But to understand this number, you first need to know three terms: "mold," "cavity," and "production speed." These three don't work independently; they are like the "oven, baking tray, and baking time" in a bakery, needing to work together to produce quickly and in large quantities.
Today, we'll explain this in plain language so that whether you're a newcomer or a boss choosing equipment, you can understand it at a glance.
1. First, understand "mold" and "cavity": How many cups can a cup-making machine produce at once?
Let's imagine the cup-making machine as a "cup production assembly line." The "mold" and "cavity" are the "workstations" on this line, directly determining "how many cups can be made at once" and forming the basis of efficiency.
1. "Mold": Like "a set of baking trays," baking a batch at a time.
Many people think a "mold" is a single mold, but it's not. It's more like "a set of baking trays with multiple slots" in a bakery—a set of "molds" is a complete "cup-making unit" that can complete the entire process from "heating the plastic sheet → pressing it into a cup shape → trimming the excess edges."
For example, when you hear someone say "this is a 25-mold cup-making machine," it doesn't mean there are 25 separate molds. It means the machine's "core mold set" has 25 independent "small cup-making lines." Each time the machine starts a "mold cycle" (like a baking tray going into and coming out of the oven once), these 25 small lines simultaneously produce 25 cups.
Simply put: the more "molds" there are, the more cups the machine can make at once. For example, a 32-mold machine can produce 32 cups at once, which is much more efficient than a 25-mold machine.
2. "Cavity": The "small slots" in the baking tray, one slot produces one cup.
If the "mold" is "a set of baking trays," then the "cavity" is the "individual small slot" in the tray—each "cavity" is a small space for making a cup. After heating, the plastic sheet is pressed into the cup shape in this space, and one cavity produces one cup.
When we say "25 molds" or "32 molds," it usually means "1 mold corresponds to 1 cavity," just like "one baking tray slot corresponds to one bread." So a 25-mold machine actually has 25 cavities and produces 25 cups at once; a 32-mold machine has 32 cavities and produces 32 cups at once.
Of course, there are special cases, such as making very small cups (like sample cups), which might have a design of "1 mold with 2 cavities," producing 2 small cups at once. But this is rare; most of the time, it's still "1 mold 1 cavity."
To summarize: to know how many cups a machine can produce at once, just look at the number of "molds" (assuming 1 mold 1 cavity). For example, a 25-mold machine produces 25 cups at once, and a 32-mold machine produces 32 cups at once.
To summarize: to know how many cups a machine can produce at once, just look at the number of "molds" (assuming 1 mold 1 cavity). For example, a 25-mold machine produces 25 cups at once, and a 32-mold machine produces 32 cups at once.
2. "Production speed": How many trays can the cup-making machine "bake" per minute?
With the foundation of "how many cups can be produced at once" (molds and cavities), you also need to look at how many cycles the machine can complete per minute—this is the "production speed," which directly determines how many cups can be produced in an hour or a day.
1. The speed unit "molds per minute" means "how many cycles are completed per minute."
In the industry, production speed is expressed as "molds per minute," for example, "21 molds/minute" means the machine can complete 21 "mold cycles" per minute (like a baking tray going into and coming out of the oven 21 times per minute).
Here, pay special attention: don't directly equate "production speed" with "how many cups are produced per minute." For example, at a speed of 21 molds/minute, if it's a 25-mold machine (25 cups per cycle), the output per minute is 21×25=525 cups; if it's a 12-mold machine (12 cups per cycle), the output per minute is 21×12=252 cups.
You see, at the same speed of 21 molds/minute, a 25-mold machine produces 273 more cups per minute than a 12-mold machine! So when choosing a machine, you can't just look at speed; you have to consider the "number of molds" together.
2. Speed isn't always better; "stability" is more important than "speed."
Many people think "the faster, the better," but that's not the case. Machine speed is limited by two factors, and going too fast can cause problems:
The first is "plastic thickness": For example, making thicker cups (like cups for hot soup, about 1.3 mm thick, called 130 silk in the industry) requires longer heating and cooling times, so the speed can't be too fast, generally controlled at 18-22 molds per minute; for thinner cups (like milk tea cups, 0.5 mm thick, 50 silk), heating and cooling are faster, so speed can be increased to 25-30 molds per minute.
The second is "machine stability": If you force the speed too high, for example, increasing the speed of thick cups from 20 molds/minute to 28 molds/minute, problems may occur such as plastic not being fully heated (uneven cup thickness), uneven cup edges (rough edges), or even mold damage. Then you have to rework the cups and repair the machine, which wastes time and lowers efficiency.
Therefore, the industry values "stable speed" more than "fastest speed." For example, a machine may be rated "up to 30 molds/minute," but in actual production, to ensure cup quality, it can only run stably at 25 molds/minute. So 25 molds/minute is the machine's true "effective speed."
3. The "golden formula" for calculating capacity: Calculate how many cups can be produced in an hour in 30 seconds?
Once you understand "mold," "cavity," and "speed," you can use a simple formula to calculate the machine's actual capacity (how many cups it can produce per hour). Bosses can rely on this formula to choose equipment and calculate order lead times:
Hourly capacity = Production speed (molds/minute) × Number of molds (units/mold) × 60 minutes
Let's look at two practical examples to understand easily:
Example 1: 25-mold machine, speed 20 molds/minute
Hourly capacity = 20 (20 cycles per minute) × 25 (25 units per cycle) × 60 (60 minutes per hour) = 30,000 units
In other words, this machine can produce 30,000 cups per hour. Assuming 8 working hours per day, it can produce 240,000 cups daily.
Example 2: 18-cavity machine, speed 25 cavities/minute
Hourly capacity = 25 (25 cycles per minute) × 18 (18 units per cycle) × 60 = 27,000 units
You see, although Example 2 has a faster speed (25 cavities/minute vs 20 cavities/minute), because it has fewer cavities (18 vs 25), it actually produces 3,000 fewer cups per hour than Example 1.
This reminds us: when choosing a machine, don't just focus on "fast speed" or "more cavities" alone. You need to calculate based on your own needs. For example, for making thick cups (slower speed), prioritize machines with more cavities (more output per cycle); for thin cups (speed can be increased), balance the number of cavities and speed.
4. Industry Trend: Nowadays, everyone prefers machines with "multiple cavities + stable speed"!
Factories making cups now aim for "mass production" (e.g., supplying large milk tea chains and supermarkets), so machines with "high cavity count" are becoming more popular, such as 32-cavity and 48-cavity machines.
Even if these machines aren't particularly fast (18-22 cavities per minute), their capacity is considerable: for example, a 48-cavity machine running at 20 cavities/minute has an hourly capacity = 20 × 48 × 60 = 57,600 units, which means 460,000 cups in 8 hours, fully meeting large order demands.
Moreover, machines are becoming smarter, such as using "servo motors" to control the cavity cycle rhythm to avoid some cavities not being properly pressed in multi-cavity machines; using "zoned temperature control" to ensure uniform temperature in each cavity, producing cups with consistent thickness. These improvements help "multi-cavity" and "stable speed" work better together, ensuring speed and cup quality.
5. Summary: Remember 3 points to choose the right cup-making machine without pitfalls
Whether you're a newcomer or a boss purchasing equipment, remember these 3 points to understand the efficiency of cup-making machines:
01 Look at the "number of cavities":
Know how many cups the machine can produce per cycle (e.g., 25 cavities produce 25 cups per cycle, 32 cavities produce 32 cups per cycle);
02 Look at the "production speed":
Know how many cycles the machine can do per minute (e.g., 20 cavities/minute means 20 cycles per minute);
03 Calculate "hourly capacity":
Use the formula "speed × number of cavities × 60" to calculate how many cups can be produced in an hour and see if it meets your order requirements.
In the future, whether checking equipment specs or communicating with manufacturers, whenever you talk about "cavities," "molds," or "speed," you'll clearly know if the machine can meet your production needs and won't be confused by technical jargon. After all, for the cup-making business, choosing the right machine is key to making money quickly and well!
News
Shantou Xinhua Packing Machinery Co., Ltd.
Tel:+86-0754-82525115
Add:5th Jinye Road,No.2 Industry Area of Shengping.Daxue Road,Shantou ,Guangdong
Fax:+86-0754-88680313
E-mail: xinhua@stxinhua.com
Mobile website
Copyright © 2023 Shantou Xinhua Packing Machinery Co., Ltd.