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2025
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From "Clumsy and Chaotic" to "Smooth and Confident" — 5 Essential Debugging Tips Every Beginner Cup Maker Must Learn!
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If we say the sheet machine is the "unsung hero," quietly crafting flawless sheets, then the cup-making machine is the "stage magician," effortlessly transforming ordinary, unremarkable sheets into cups of all shapes and sizes. But for beginners, this very "magician" tends to throw a tantrum—despite perfectly good-quality sheets, the resulting cups end up misshapen and uneven: the cup rims look as if they’ve been gnawed on, the bodies are riddled with bubbles, and even the bottoms are so crooked you’d lose your sense of direction!
Don’t panic! Today, we’ll walk you through 5 core debugging tips for cup-making machines—step by step. After all, sheet machines and cup-making machines are naturally a "golden duo." Mastering the debugging of cup-making machines is the key to getting your entire production line running smoothly and efficiently.
Sheet material pre-processing: Giving the "ingredients" a "health check"
Just as you check the moisture level of flour before baking, pre-treating the sheet material before cup-making is the first critical step in preventing defective products. A common mistake beginners make is simply shoving the sheet directly into the machine—resulting in something akin to trying to bake a cake with dampened flour—you just can’t achieve a good outcome no matter what you do.
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Thickness "Mine Detection": Use a micrometer to "circle" the sheet material, measuring 3 points each on the left, center, and right sides. If you notice the edges are 0.05mm thicker than the middle, promptly use a trimming machine to "reshape" the edges—otherwise, the cup will end up "fat on one side and thin on the other."
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"Temperature 'Cooling Technique': Sheets coming straight off the sheet machine are still "hot"—ranging from 40 to 60°C. Placing them directly onto the machine would essentially heat up ice—guaranteed to cause deformation. Instead, find a clean corner and let them "cool down" for 20 minutes. Only resume work once they’ve cooled enough to no longer feel hot to the touch (with a temperature difference of no more than 5°C compared to room temperature)."
Mold Alignment: Finding the Right "Position" for Your "Mold Partner"
The mold is the "soul" of the cup-making machine—when the upper and lower molds aren’t properly aligned, it’s like a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit perfectly—it just won’t form a complete picture. Beginners often think, "Close enough is good enough," but in the end, the cups come out so crooked that not even their own mothers would recognize them!
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The 3-Step Method for Static "Speed Dating":
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Turn off the power, manually rotate the mold drive wheel to ensure the upper and lower molds "embrace tightly."
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Use a feeler gauge to measure the gaps around the edges. If the gap on the left is 0.05 mm wider than on the right, loosen the lower die screws and gently push the die slightly to the left—continue adjusting until the gaps are perfectly even ("level as if holding a bowl of water," with an error no greater than 0.02 mm).
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Draw a cross on the sheet, place it into the mold, and "press a kiss"—then, after opening, check whether the cross aligns perfectly with the impression. Even a difference of just 1 mm is unacceptable; you’ll have to readjust!
Temperature Curve: The Art of "Steaming" the Sheet Material
Adjusting the temperature on a cup-making machine is like giving the sheet material a "three-stage steam sauna": first warming it up, then shaping it, and finally setting its final form. It’s slightly more delicate than working with a sheet machine—just a 10°C difference in temperature can transform a cup from a "radiant beauty" into a "wrinkled old lady."
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Preheating Stage: Allow the sheet material to "stretch and ease up"—set the temperature near its softening point (e.g., 120–130°C for PP sheets), much like putting on a light jacket after waking up in winter—just warm enough, not too hot. If preheating is insufficient, the material will remain stiff and rigid, causing the cup body to "split open" during molding. But if it’s overheated, the material will stick to the conveyor belt, turning into a "wrinkled, pickled vegetable."
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Forming Stage: Giving the sheet material a "new outfit"—the temperature must be precisely set right at the material's melting point (for PP sheets, this is 160–170°C), ensuring it fits perfectly into the mold. If tiny air bubbles appear on the cup body, resembling scattered sesame seeds, it means the temperature isn’t high enough; try increasing it by 5°C. But if you spot scorched spots instead, immediately reduce the temperature by 3°C—and while you’re at it, clear out any leftover residue from the mold.
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Shaping Stage: "Freezing" the Cup into Shape—The cold-water circulation system must perform exceptionally well, swiftly lowering the temperature below the material's "glass transition temperature" (for PP sheets, this is typically 40–50°C). This step is akin to rapidly freezing freshly made ice cream: if the temperature is too high, the cup will become "soft and floppy"; if it’s too low, the material may suffer "internal damage," leading to cracking when stacked.
Pressure Matching: Finding the "Right Fit" for Your Mold
Adjusting the pressure is like making dumplings—pinch too lightly, and the filling will peek through; pinch too firmly, and the wrapper will tear. Beginners often try to use a single "one-size-fits-all" pressure setting for all their dumplings, only to end up with tiny cups so thin they’re almost translucent, while the larger cups develop noticeable "cracks."
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Small cup (≤200ml): Set the pressure at 3–4 MPa, and make sure to firmly pinch the "cup rim"—don’t let it "open its mouth."
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Medium-sized cups (200–500 ml): Pressure is increased to 5–6 MPa to ensure even stress distribution across the "cup body." Use calipers to measure 2 cm from the cup rim—any thickness variation should not exceed 0.02 mm.
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Large cups (>500ml): Increase the pressure to 7–8 MPa and continue "pinching" for a bit longer (extend the holding time from 0.5 seconds to 1 second), otherwise the bottom of the cup may "dimple inward."
Want to know if you’re applying enough pressure? Take a scrap piece of material, press it for 10 seconds—and if the resulting “sample” has smooth edges with no cracks, that means you’re using just the right amount of force.
Coordination Speed: Setting the "Right Pace" for the Machine
Shipping, mold opening/closing, and demolding—these three actions should flow together like a synchronized trio dance: only when the steps are perfectly in sync does it look graceful. Beginners often end up letting each step go its own way, resulting in sheets being stretched into "noodles," or, conversely, materials being fed too slowly, leaving cups with "missing corners."
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Shipping and Mold Opening/Closing "Dance Step": First, set the mold speed to 30 cycles per minute—think of it like keeping time with a beat. Test by feeding in 3 sheets of material. If they pile up into a "little mountain" at the entry point, it means the feed is too fast; reduce the speed by 0.5 Hz. But if the sheets are pulled taut, almost on the verge of breaking, increase the speed by 0.3 Hz instead.
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Demolding by "reading the signs": Once the cups have cooled sufficiently, setting the demolding speed at 50 mm/s works perfectly. If the cups stick stubbornly to the mold and "refuse to budge," increase the speed to 60 mm/s—and don’t forget to spray a bit of release agent onto the inner walls of the mold (apply it once for every 1,000 cups, but make sure it’s not excessive!).
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Full-process "Synchronized Testing": Produce 10 cups in a row, timing each one to see how long it takes. If some are completed 0.3 seconds faster while others take 0.2 seconds longer, it means the "dance steps have gone awry"—time for a readjustment. Otherwise, the batch of cups might end up looking "all over the place."
Finally, here's a "debugging rhyme" for everyone—memorizing it can save you from taking many unnecessary detours:
"Sheet material inspection checks for evenness and thickness, mold alignment is precise as a thread, three temperature zones carefully differentiate between light and heavy stages, pressure adjusts according to cup size, and speed flows smoothly without trembling."
The sheet machine lays the foundation, while the cup-making machine adds the finishing touch—this is truly the "golden rule" of any production line. Next time your cups start acting up, why not follow these 5 simple steps to systematically troubleshoot? You’ll soon realize that keeping your cup-making machine running smoothly isn’t tricky at all!
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